To combat the influence of rap music on teen drug use, Herd recommended that parents monitor their children’s music. She said learning slang terms — such as “angel dust,” code for PCP — could help parents better detect their children’s substance use. Elsewhere in the interview, the Purple Reign rapper shares that he just closed two major endorsement deals while in London, which would not have been possible if he was on drugs all the time. That did not, however, stop Pharrell from famously launched a women-focused liquer, Qream, in 2011. He is celebrated as one of the most innovative hip-hop artists of our generation. These five rappers have taken positive steps to be a part of the rap and hip hop world without substance use.
Joe Budden
- Eminem is now well-known not only as one of the most influential rappers of all time, but as a rapper who is continuing to overcome his struggle with addiction.
- There’s no doubt that Chance’s live-stream only album, Coloring Book, was one of the best albums of 2016.
- Short-term side effects of cannabis use include memory loss, hallucinations and psychosis.
- It’s a catch,” he says in the interview published on Friday (January 15).
- His struggle began at a young age, when he was tricked into smoking a crack-laced blunt at just 14 years old, which marked the start of his lifelong addiction.
In fact, there are also straight edge rappers and other types of musicians, as well as the punk rock non-smoking and sober celebs. Famous people who don’t drink or smoke are often very vocal about their reasons for being that way. Some have had negative experiences with alcohol or drugs in the past, some profess that they do not need substances to make them “cool” or “happy” still others are afraid of their own anger and strength.
Raising Awareness for Addiction, Mental Illness
This Chicago born and raised rapper is one of the few artists that has not only represented the genre of hip-hop in a positive light, but has been a model of consistency in both his artform and personal life. But as he clarified in a one-on-one interview with Complex in 2013, he was able to make a song about smoking weed because he stepped away from it in 2011. He was tired of being the “Stoner MC” and once he shedded that persona, rapping about it became easier. In other words, he still didn’t smoke, but because he rid himself of the smoker stereotype, he could rap about it more freely. It’s never been a time in marijuana addiction recent memory where it hasn’t had a presence in my life.
The most popular drug in hip-hop history isn’t the one you think it is.
Over the last 30 years, rappers have mentioned, paid homage to, and warned against the pitfalls of drugs, from lean to Xanax. We used the Genius lyrics database to track drug trends through song lyrics. From Grandmaster Melle Mel in 1984 to Future in 2016, every artist referencing the drug of the moment is only a piece of a larger puzzle—a story told through rap. Spurred by the arrival of Cypress Hill’s self-titled debut album in 1991 and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic in 1992, marijuana’s popularity increased exponentially, peaking in 1993 as the most popular drug in hip-hop.
‘I didn’t want to live that way any more,’ Pitt told GQ Style when asked about his struggles with alcohol addiction and going cold turkey. At the peak of her career model-turned-rapper Chynna Rogers was tragically found dead due to drug abuse on April 8, 2022, in her home in Philadelphia. Her death was attributed to a drug overdose involving fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol. Known for his hit songs like “My Mind Went Blank” and “Pimp Tha Pen,” DJ Screw also suffered a terrible fate from substance abuse.
Music – Icon
- I had a platinum album out and I would do stuff like go to the projects to buy weed,” he said.
- Mr. Moosa is a graduate civil engineer with extensive technical experience in construction, real estate, and Facilities Management.
- He is celebrated as one of the most innovative hip-hop artists of our generation.
- Some famous rappers who don’t drink or do drugs went to rehab while other sober rappers quit cold turkey.
Artists like Lil Uzi Vert have become synonymous with the term popular rapper, gaining rapid fame and a dedicated fan base. While some superstars are able to overcome addiction and clean up their acts quietly and swiftly, rappers that dont do drugs it takes drug addict rappers and other performers years of struggle. In “the rap game” addiction is prevalent and even glorified, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a major problem for rappers.
