After spending time in rehab, his third album, 2021’s The House is Burning, was recorded completely sober. J. Cole’s KOD album even explored the severity of drug abuse and addiction. Unfortunately, drug use in hip hop is nothing new, as we have lost talents like Pimp C, Mac Miller, and Juice WRLD to overdoses. As a result of the toll that addiction can take on an individual, many rappers have become sober and are inspiring others to do so as well.

• J. Cole’s KOD album even explored the severity of drug abuse and addiction.
• A shifting attitude toward addiction and mental illness has taken place among the rap community.
• Some of today’s biggest names like Lil Wayne and Kid Cudi, among others, have spent much of their careers looking for a way to cope with their own personal traumas.
• That did not, however, stop Pharrell from famously launched a women-focused liquer, Qream, in 2011.
• From Macklemore speaking with Obama about opioid abuse to Logic releasing a song about suicide awareness, more rappers today are bringing these subjects to the forefront.

Tyler, the Creator

• Many have penned verses about taking drugs to cope with trauma and depression.
• He first came out about his addiction in 2008, but rumors of the toll it takes on his life continue into 2013.
• Tyler also revealed that he has tried weed twice, and that was more than enough for him to be convinced that he will never try it again.
• Emerging talents, including those who might be the biggest rapper in the world soon, are redefining rappers that do drugs the genre with their unique styles.
• Kanye has spoken publicly about his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse in the past, and in 2019 he revealed that he is now a year sober.
• The Leimert Park native chases leisure, luxury, and Other People’s Money with a laid-back flow over effortlessly smooth production.
• He grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, under the care of his mother, Kay Cole, a letter carrier for the Post Office.

While many artists will seek out drugs to give them an edge, sober Royce sounds sharper than ever. “I have a problem with my vices,” said the pop star, I’ve kicked the drugs, but every now and then I have to go out and get completely wasted on alcohol. I’m such a control freak it’s very hard for me to lose my inhibitions without something chemical inside me. How do you really have fun if there isn’t a little drink in you? I don’t actually know.” But realizing she had what could be an issue, P! Have you ever been the designated driver at a party or hung out in a room full of stoners while completely sober?

Sober Rappers Who Don’t Drink or Do Drugs

Before his death from a suspected overdose in 2017, Lil Peep talked about his depression in an interview with Pitchfork. Factors such as the pressure to maintain their image, the accessibility and availability of drugs, and the influence of peer groups and environments all contribute to the challenges faced by these artists. In the world of rap music, the issue of drug addiction has been an ongoing struggle for many artists. This section explores the intersection of rap and drug addiction, looking at the influence of drug culture in rap and the struggles faced by rappers dealing with addiction.

SOBER AF Tacoma – Brushes & Bevees: A Zero-Proof Paint & Sip Experience

• The active ingredient in the substance is THC, a psychoactive chemical that produces pleasurable effects.
• Eminem opened up about his accidental overdose to The New York Times in 2011, and said his addiction was at one point so bad that he was taking up to 20 pills a day.
• In the early years, LA-based hip-hop was dominated by P-Funk-inspired tracks that blurred the lines between techno and funk.
• The old adage is that rock ‘n’ roll goes hand in hand with drugs, drinking, and partying like peas go with carrots.
• “I was infatuated with gang life.” Lecrae told Complex magazine.
• His rehab also led to him founding the side project, Mad Season.

A shifting attitude toward addiction and mental illness has taken place among the rap community. From Macklemore speaking with Obama about opioid abuse to Logic releasing a song about suicide awareness, more rappers today are bringing these subjects to the forefront. During the gap between his 2014 debut, Cilvia Demo, and 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade, Isaiah Rashad was dealing with an addiction to pills and alcohol. His addiction was severe to the point where he admitted he was almost dropped fromhis label, Top Dawg Entertainment. Isaiah Rashad’s alcoholism continued after The Sun’s Tirade, resulting in an even longer gap between albums before eventually quitting drinking and smoking in 2019.

Snoop Dogg

He spoke for people who looked like him, and galvanized (or terrorized) the folks that didn’t. Cube was a solo star by 21 years old—and with the gaze of the empire upon him, gleefully declared himself as AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted. “Wicked” bottled communal rage around Rodney King and Latasha Harlins what is alcoholism until the glass shattered. YG’s career has been so long and notable that people forget he rose to fame during the often-disrespected Jerkin era. Blending viral, dance-crazed sounds with California’s signature gangsta rap rhetoric and explicit sexual bravado, the “Toot It and Boot It” rapper helped usher in LA’s ratchet music wave in the early 2010s. Before Jelly Roll made the leap from lyrically sharp, street-affiliated white rapper to country star, there was Everlast.

Two years later, KDAY-AM became the first radio station to play rap music throughout the day, thanks to music director Greg Mack, who brought a young DJ named Dr. Dre into the fold. In the early years, LA-based hip-hop was dominated by P-Funk-inspired tracks that blurred the lines between techno and funk. It was vibrant party music, made for the dance floors, then dominated by collectives like Uncle Jamm’s Army.

Evidence’s work with Dilated Peoples is what most people know him for. Tracks like “This Way” with Kanye West, “Worst Comes to Worst,” and “Kindness for Weakness” were huge. But there was always some debate about who the stronger rappers who are sober artist in the group was—Evidence or Rakaa Iriscience. In 2014, the stress of the public spotlight pushed him to take up sleeping pills and weed. His fiancee discovered his sleeping pill habit when she found a pill in his shoe at SXSW. He has since returned to sobriety and is currently teaming up with President Obama to raise awareness for the country’s growing opioid epidemic.