A new study published by the journal Substance Use & Misuse reports that marijuana imagery appears in more than 37% of hip-hop and rap music videos produced in the United States, underscoring how common marijuana references have become within one of the world’s most popular music genres.
The research, conducted by scientists from Institute for Therapy and Health Research, IFT-Nord gGmbH, compared substance depictions in German and U.S. music videos appearing on YouTube’s 2024 Top 100 charts.
Researchers reviewed 1,160 German- and English-language videos from the charts, classifying each by genre and whether it included depictions of marijuana, nicotine, both substances, or neither. For videos containing marijuana, the team counted individual appearances shows and estimated audience exposure using total view counts recorded in March 2025.
Across all genres, imagery of either cannabis or nicotine was present in 41% of videos, but marijuana depictions were heavily concentrated in hip-hop and rap. In the U.S., more than 37% of hip-hop and rap videos included marijuana imagery, making it the dominant substance shown within that market. By contrast, fewer than 10% of German hip-hop videos featured marijuana, reflecting a notable transatlantic difference in how the substance is represented in mainstream music. However, over 30% of German hip-hop videos mentioned or displayed nicotine.
The study found that genre played a significant role regardless of country. Hip-hop and rap videos were far more likely to include marijuana imagery than videos from other genres, where substance depictions were relatively uncommon. Researchers note that this pattern aligns with hip-hop’s longstanding cultural relationship with marijuana and its visibility in lyrical themes and visuals.
In total, thousands of marijuana depictions were identified across the dataset. When paired with viewership data, those appearances translated into an estimated 49 billion marijuana impressions delivered to audiences. Given YouTube’s broad reach and hip-hop’s popularity among younger listeners, the researchers describe marijuana imagery as a routine element of the media environment for many viewers.
The authors stress that their findings are descriptive rather than judgmental. Rather than evaluating whether marijuana depictions are positive or negative, the study focuses on documenting how frequently the substance appears and where. As marijuana laws and social attitudes continue to shift, the researchers say their results provide useful context for discussions around age-appropriate content labeling, media literacy, and how evolving norms are reflected in popular culture.
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