Rock Bottom: Songs From the Crack Era

Lupe Fiasco's new song makes it feel like it's 1990 again.

"Crack," Lupe Fiasco - Given Lamar Odom's reported addiciton to it and Toronto mayor Rob Ford's alleged affinity for it, it seems crack (besides being wack) is back. And Lupe Fiasco's taken notice. He's got a new song with Chris Brown simply titled, "Crack," the lead off his forthcoming Tetsuo & Youth.As he prepares the single's release, which he says is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of the life-zapping substance, we've collected a sampling of some of the most provocative and vivid tales of how the drug was an American nightmare during the nation's "Crack Era" (1984-1997). Read on.(Photo: AdMedia / Splash News)

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"Crack," Lupe Fiasco - Given Lamar Odom's reported addiciton to it and Toronto mayor Rob Ford's alleged affinity for it, it seems crack (besides being wack) is back. And Lupe Fiasco's taken notice. He's got a new song with Chris Brown simply titled, "Crack," the lead off his forthcoming Tetsuo & Youth.As he prepares the single's release, which he says is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of the life-zapping substance, we've collected a sampling of some of the most provocative and vivid tales of how the drug was an American nightmare during the nation's "Crack Era" (1984-1997). Read on.(Photo: AdMedia / Splash News)

"Ten Crack Commandments," Notorious B.I.G. - On his biggest selling LP, 1997's Life After Death, the Notorious B.I.G. both sold and told the game when he issued this hit single, which explicitly laid out the rules of crack dealing. That the song came out during the waning days of the drug's popularity didn't lessen the song's power, or humor.   (Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage)

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"Ten Crack Commandments," Notorious B.I.G. - On his biggest selling LP, 1997's Life After Death, the Notorious B.I.G. both sold and told the game when he issued this hit single, which explicitly laid out the rules of crack dealing. That the song came out during the waning days of the drug's popularity didn't lessen the song's power, or humor.   (Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage)

"Pocket Full of Stones," UGK - The Undergroung Kingz encapsulated the life, attitude, and ultimately the ending of a crack slinger on this feature on the Menace II Society soundtrack.  (Photo: John Ricard / Retna Ltd.)

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"Pocket Full of Stones," UGK - The Undergroung Kingz encapsulated the life, attitude, and ultimately the ending of a crack slinger on this feature on the Menace II Society soundtrack.  (Photo: John Ricard / Retna Ltd.)

"Ghetto D," Master P - Repurposing the beat of one of Rakim's classic cuts, "Eric B. for President," this Master P single straight glorified crack dealing in 1997, going so far as to shout out the hustlers as if they were praise-worthy entrepreneurs. (Photo: Scott Harrison/Getty Images)

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"Ghetto D," Master P - Repurposing the beat of one of Rakim's classic cuts, "Eric B. for President," this Master P single straight glorified crack dealing in 1997, going so far as to shout out the hustlers as if they were praise-worthy entrepreneurs. (Photo: Scott Harrison/Getty Images)

Photo By Scott Harrison/Getty Images

"Night of the Living Baseheads," Public Enemy - The same year N.W.A painted their gritty portait of a dealer, Public Enemy was talking of the destruction crack was causing Black America specifically. "Homeboys playing the curb/ The same ones that used to do herb/ Now they're gone/ Passing it on/ Poison attack/ The Black word bond." (Photo: Def Jam)

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"Night of the Living Baseheads," Public Enemy - The same year N.W.A painted their gritty portait of a dealer, Public Enemy was talking of the destruction crack was causing Black America specifically. "Homeboys playing the curb/ The same ones that used to do herb/ Now they're gone/ Passing it on/ Poison attack/ The Black word bond." (Photo: Def Jam)

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"Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing," MC Shan - At the dawning of the crack era, MC Shan was one of the first MCs to discuss the devastating effects the substance had on those who got hooked. This 1986 cut told the story of Jane, a woman who's promising life crumbled under the weight of addiction.  (Photo: MCA Records)

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"Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing," MC Shan - At the dawning of the crack era, MC Shan was one of the first MCs to discuss the devastating effects the substance had on those who got hooked. This 1986 cut told the story of Jane, a woman who's promising life crumbled under the weight of addiction.  (Photo: MCA Records)

Master P (No Limit Records to Priority) - Master P turned an indie into a major. Kickstarting his career by releasing his and others’ albums through his own No Limit Records out of his car, the New Orleans native eventually partnered with Priority to release his own and his label’s albums. The results were chart-topping.(Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)

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"Mr. Ice Cream Man," Master P - Armed with a sample of World Class Wreckin' Cru's 1988 hit "Turn Off the Lights," this Master P track from 1996 offered yet another seductive look at the in-demand life of a rock slinger from the rapper.  (Photo:Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)

"P Is Free," Boogie Down Productions - On this reggae-tinged 1986 rap classic, Boogie Down Productions' KRS-One explored crack's influence on female addicts who used sex to get high. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

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"P Is Free," Boogie Down Productions - On this reggae-tinged 1986 rap classic, Boogie Down Productions' KRS-One explored crack's influence on female addicts who used sex to get high. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

"A Bird in the Hand," Ice Cube - On Ice Cube's second solo LP, 1991's Death Certificate, this song made an impassioned socio-political case as to why many young Black folks took to slinging crack, and pointing out that around that time, even the politicians were getting lifted — Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry was busted smoking the stuff. (Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

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"A Bird in the Hand," Ice Cube - On Ice Cube's second solo LP, 1991's Death Certificate, this song made an impassioned socio-political case as to why many young Black folks took to slinging crack, and pointing out that around that time, even the politicians were getting lifted — Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry was busted smoking the stuff. (Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

"Dope Man," N.W.A. - In 1988, the year crack exploded in the news, N.W.A. debuted this ultra-real (and super hilarious) portrayal of a dope dealer and N.W.A.'s (super serious) message that the community was stupid for supporting the dope dealer and his product. Or, in other words: "If you smoke 'caine you's a stupid m*****f*****!" (Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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"Dope Man," N.W.A. - In 1988, the year crack exploded in the news, N.W.A. debuted this ultra-real (and super hilarious) portrayal of a dope dealer and N.W.A.'s (super serious) message that the community was stupid for supporting the dope dealer and his product. Or, in other words: "If you smoke 'caine you's a stupid m*****f*****!" (Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

"City of Dope," Too $hort - Too $hort takes listeners on a gritty ride through the crack game — the profits and the pain — in Oak Town, and putting Oakland into hip hop music's national crack narrative with this track off his double-platinum, sophomore LP, 1988's Life Is Too Short. (Photo: Toby Canham/Getty Images)

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"City of Dope," Too $hort - Too $hort takes listeners on a gritty ride through the crack game — the profits and the pain — in Oak Town, and putting Oakland into hip hop music's national crack narrative with this track off his double-platinum, sophomore LP, 1988's Life Is Too Short. (Photo: Toby Canham/Getty Images)