In his song “U Said,” he talks about dealing with the emotional pain of a broken relationship by popping pills and getting high. In 2006, after the death of a friend, he began abusing Vicodin, one of the most dispensed prescription painkillers in the United States. During this time, he also began misusing Xanax and other sedative medications. While cocaine dominated the first half of the 2000s, another trend was brewing. Three 6 Mafia’s “Sippin’ On Some Syrup” and Big Moe’s City Of Syrup set the stage for hip-hop’s new drug of choice—lean.
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Originally introduced as part of a package deal as one-half of the Clipse, Virginia rep Pusha T had already helped revive the trend of coke rap alongside his brother Malice when he unleashed his highly-anticipated solo album My Name Is My Name in 2013. Including appearances from fellow trap mavens Young Jeezy and Rick Ross, MNIMN further plays up Terrence Thornton’s dope-dealer persona as he puts “Numbers on the Boards” up while giving coke-rap enthusiasts the “Nosetalgia” they all deserve. Before his death from a suspected overdose in 2017, Lil Peep talked about his depression in an interview with Pitchfork. The rapper and YouTube star said that he moved to California to distance himself from the people and places that led to his mental illness.
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Pusha isn’t the only rapper to rank himself among the best lyricist to spit bars about drugs. Following the release of Tana Talk 4′s “Ten More Crack Commandments,” Benny The Butcher also ranked himself among the top three spitters to ever speak on the drug trade in his music, but was equally rappers who do cocaine as respectful of Hov and Jeezy’s ranking. As Pusha T gets ready to drop his long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Grammy-nominated DAYTONA, the rapper sat down for an interview with Complex and listed off his three favorite cocaine-focused rappers, obviously ranking himself second.
Rappers Who Addressed Their Addictions
Wu-Tang Clan had shocked the world two years prior with their debut album, a release that would earn the crew out of Staten Island platinum plaques while simultaneously helping restore the feeling on the east coast rap scene. Breaking uncharted territory with their non-exclusive recording contracts with Loud Records, members of the Clan were allowed to sign solo record contracts wherever they pleased, resulting in a wave of solo albums that followed 36 Chambers. Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard may have been the first two members to release solo material, but the third solo release from the crew came courtesy of Raekwon, whose 1995 album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… would leave listeners in astonishment, as they marveled over the sheer brilliance on display.
- 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.
- His music covers topics ranging from depression and suicide to benzodiazepine use.
- As a result, many black rappers are not getting the help they need.
- The streets of New York were rife with illicit substances, and Jay-Z saw evidence of crack use everywhere.
In 2021, an executive order issued by then-President Trump went into effect, requiring hospitals to make the prices of health services public. President Biden later signed an executive order instructing the Department of Health and Human Services to enforce it. November 16Cassie Ventura files the suit against Combs, alleging he raped her in 2018 and subjected her to a years-long abusive relationship that included physical abuse and his assertion of “complete control” over her personal and professional life. May 19Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, speaks out after CNN obtained a 2016 video of Combs attacking her in a hotel hallway, stating on Instagram Thursday morning that domestic violence “broke” her and she will “always be recovering” from her past—Combs later apologized for the video. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways. Like a Drug is her fourth mixtape, released on October 22, 2014.
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. You hear the rainfall in Capone-N-Noreaga’s ‘Stick You’ and you just know something is about to go down. And that it does, as the pair and featured artist Tragedy Khadafi move around Queens, New York on the hunt for a guy that’s slung them dodgy cocaine.
