"Cocaine is a hell of a drug," Rick James once said on an episode of "Chappelle’s Show." It was hilarious, and people laughed. But a few months later, James was dead at the age of 56 -- a mixture of drugs, including cocaine, found in his body.
Cocaine abuse remains an ongoing problem in U.S. culture. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the number of deaths by cocaine overdose has increased over 40 percent in a the past decade.
But the TV and movie industry has always had more of a complicated relationship with cocaine. At one moment, the drug is glorified on the big screen; the next, it is the representation of depravity. To explore Hollywood’s double-edged depiction of the drug, The Huffington Post asked audio and video auteur Swede Mason to craft the above video tapestry. We combed through over 100 hours of movie footage and then handed our findings over to Mason, who edited together the visuals and incorporated the source material in creating the audio track.
Need help with substance abuse or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.
Full list of movies used in mashup:
"Flight" (2012)
"Requiem for a Dream" (2000)
"Bad Lieutenant" (1992)
"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" (2009)
"Pulp Fiction" (1994)
"Wolf of Wall Street" (2013)
"True Romance" (1993)
"Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (2007)
"Traffic" (2000)
"Crocodile Dundee" (1986)
"Tango and Cash" (1989)
"Showgirls" (1995)
"Superbad" (2007)
"American Psycho" (2000)
"Airplane!" (1980)
"Magnolia" (1999)
"The Big Chill" (1983)
"Very Bad Things" (1998)
"Casino" (1995)
"Boogie Nights" (1997)
"Goodfellas" (1990)
"Blow" (2001)
"Scarface" (1983)
"The Crow" (1994)
"The Hangover Part II" (2011)
"The Hangover Part III" (2013)
"Up In Smoke" (1978)
"Greenberg" (2010)
"Lord of War" (2005)
"Modern Problems" (1981)
"Pain and Gain" (2013)
"Basic Instinct" (1992)
"The Departed" (2006)
"Robocop" (1987)
"Any Given Sunday" (1999)
"Wall Street" (1987)
"Bad Boys" (1995)
"Code of Silence" (1985)
"Léon: The Professional" (1994)
"Starsky and Hutch" (2004)
"Donnie Brasco" (1997)
"King of New York" (1990)
"Bright Lights, Big City" (1988)
"Crank" (2006)
"Annie Hall" (1977)
"This is the End" (2013)
Video scored and edited by Swede Mason
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