(AllHipHop News) Jay Z is a former drug dealer, but now the mogul is shedding light on the complexities of the “war on drugs” in a new video
In a piece for the New York Times, Jay Z speaks on his personal experience with the drug trade as well as the vast historical context in government and society.
“A History of the War on Drugs From Prohibition to Gold Rush,” narrated by Jay Z, examines the drug game from Nixon to Reagan to today’s legalization of certain drugs. The purported “war” unfairly targeted Black people as well as put drugs directly in urban communities.
“Young men like me who hustled like me became the sole villain and drug addicts lacked moral fortitude,” Jay Z says in the video. In it he explains how prison populations have grown over 900%, largely comprised of Black and Brown people, while White offenders often get leniency.
Furthermore, many people of color are in jail for marijuana offenses, but now others profit from it as it has been legalized and commercialized.
Check out the video, which was illustrated by Molly Crabapple.