FLIPSIDE : America's Addiction to the Dope Game

“My man...” Followed by Denzel Washington’s signature grin. Drug kingpin, Frank Lucas is portrayed in the two year – old film American Gangster as being mild mannered, likable and business oriented. Lucas was credited with running the country’s most notorious drug ring which reportedly flooded the streets of Harlem with pure heroine that he imported directly from Asia himself with the help of a few greedy US Army officials. After seeing American Gangster too many times to remember, I decided to search the web to find more information on the Harlem drug kingpin. After finding and reading an article in the New York Magazine about Lucas, I believe Washington’s portrayal may have been on point, but an even more visible truth underlines the movie and the article.

In the article, Lucas talks about some of the scenes in the movie and how they happened in real-life. The two follow closely in comparison. A lot of critics seem to pass the movie off as just another film glorifying drugs and violence. These are probably the same people who blame hip-hop for their child’s lack of education or behavioral issues. Nevertheless, the movie as well as Lucas’ life, solidifies an idea that has been evident throughout most of urban America.
The article suggests that the government knew about Lucas’ involvement in drug trafficking, yet did nothing to prevent it from happening. Supposedly, the authorities were waiting for Lucas to lead them to a bigger source. This suggests to me that the government could put an end to drug distribution to America if it wanted to. It is for this reason that the government’s involvement in America’s drug addiction seems to be obvious. It is saddening in the aspect that the drugs that hip-hop discusses in its music and the violence stemming from such drug issues can be attributed to a government that allows it to happen, yet our culture gets the heat.

In the grand scheme of things rappers, hip-hop, movies and even Lucas have very small roles in an epidemic that has outlived generations of drug induced violence, addiction and subsequent deaths. There is a government presence that will make record companies take a rapper’s music off of shelves and make film producers keep their ideas to themselves. However, there is no government presence that can bring an end to the trafficking of drugs that serve as the penitentiary bars for our trapped society – and the graveyard for our dying community.

American Gangster is a good movie. The acting is good. The story is told beautifully, both cinematically as well as theatrically, but above all else, it is thought provoking. How long has the government known about certain drug trafficking? Why has it known, but done little to slow its deadly invasion of urban America, or is it even a problem as long as it stays here – in urban America? Catch ya’ on the FLIPSIDE.