Cape Town Mayor Raps Against Drugs

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille wants to get through to young people about drugs in a language they understand—rap music. In her recently dropped track, featuring DJ Ready D and Khanyi, de Lille aka "Aunt Patty" spits the lyrics: “Don't start, be smart. Drug free is the way to be!” At the end of the one-minute song she lets listeners know that “help is at hand, 24/7” and references a toll-free number to call for help with a drug or alcohol problem. The Mayor's rap track is part of a campaign called "Don't Start, Be Smart" to help tackle Cape Town's massive drug problem—the city is home to an estimated 15,000 heroin users. But not all young people are swayed by her musical message—to judge by those asked for their opinions by The Fix. “The beat was pretty weak,” says college junior Billy. “Aside from 'drug free is the way to be,' I don't understand any of the lyrics.” Ivy, a junior in high school, calls the track: “Bad, bad, bad, real bad! I'm not even doing drugs but this song isn't helping at all. If a druggie listened to it, they'd probably just laugh and do drugs.” College junior Andrew says the problem is that de Lille has no street cred. “It sounds like they're trying too hard, forcing it out,” he critiques, claiming the song "definitely does not make me want to stop doing drugs. Sadly.” Still, while "Aunt Patty" may be short on game, her hopes are high: "Rap music reaches the core of their being," she says, "That’s why I’m rapping a message of hope."