Christian-rapper Lecrae refrains from smoking and drinking, yet that has not always been the case. “I was infatuated with gang life.” Lecrae told Complex magazine. “I tried pretty much every drug there was to try, except for heroin and crack. I was out there.” Although he lives a sober lifestyle today, he doesn’t consider drinking as a sin. “I ain’t got nothing against rappers that dont do drugs you if you wanna throw one back,” as he told Sway on Sway In The Morning. Many rappers who grew up around drugs have positively portrayed substance use in their music.
Hip-Hop Has An Opioid Problem Too, And It’s Time People Cared
By the mid-1990s, the percentage of rap songs with drug references increased from just four tracks in the early 1980s to 45 percent of all hip-hop tracks. 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. Many times, the glamorization of substance use is in their rhymes, peppering hooks with one-liners that speak to those internal struggles. But despite drug culture’s influence over music and trends, a number of the game’s favorite artists embrace sobriety. As you’ll see, the reasons these rappers have for staying sober are varied.
Rappers That Struggle with Addiction
“I said, ‘Jada, I think we’ve got a problem here,’” she told Contact Music. “From that day on, I went cold turkey.” The actor and singer has now been sober for eight years. It’s important to note that most people won’t find recovery going “cold turkey.” It’s OK, and normal, to experience setbacks along the way, and to accept help on your journey. Believe it or not, the most famous Kardashian is also the world’s most famous sober celebrities.
Chance’s «Same Drugs» Isn’t Actually About Drugs
Tyler, The Creator’s story with alcohol and drugs is a little different to some others on this list. Yeah, Young Chop doesn’t rap, but it’s worth noting that the «Hate Being Sober» producer doesn’t smoke weed or drink. All irony aside, it’s nice to see that the Chicago beatsmith doesn’t partake in any of Chief Keef’s wild shenanigans. Notably, drug usage has troubled the career of Glo Gang boss Chief Keef. Not long ago Sosa finished his stint at a rehab center, though we know what his response was to that.
- Royce Da 5’9”, Eminem’s fellow Bad Meets Evil partner and former Slaughterhouse signee, went through his own struggles with alcoholism.
- Eminem, also known as Marshall Mathers, has had a public battle with drug addiction.
- Many rappers abstain from drugs and alcohol for personal and/or professional reasons.
- But there are plenty of rappers who find that life is better without substances.
Today, Eminem is sober and inspiring other addicts to seek help for their addictions. Throughout his life, DMX openly discussed his battles with crack cocaine addiction. His addiction significantly impacted his health and eventually led to multiple overdoses. In 2016, he was found unconscious from an overdose and sadly, in 2021, DMX passed due to a cocaine-induced heart attack. More than 23 million Americans aged 12 or older — or 9.2 percent of the population — have abused drugs in the past month, according to the most recent 2012 data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Learn about treatment options like inpatient and outpatient rehab by calling our admissions team at for free, confidential, 24/7 support. Pharrell, is a Grammy winner, bonified hitmaker, a businessman with a clothing line in its 12th year in business, author and countless of other things that we honestly don’t have time to sit here and name. And while he’s signed to Kanye’s G.O.O.D music, where the majority of his labelmates indulge, Common has managed to stay away. Not to be outdone by his 2015 XXL freshman class alum Vince Staples, 2016 XXL Freshman, Lil Yachty aka Lil Boat, has also decided to embrace the sober life.
Check Out Ten Rappers Who Don’t Smoke Below!
This is a list of rappers who are sober and recovering from former addictions. Em once told «VIBE» that he had to relearn how to record music sober. In his younger years, Eminem had a serious pill-popping addiction, something which is generally well-known if you’re a fan of the MC. «The deeper I got into my addiction, the tighter the lid got on my creativity,» Eminem told New York Times in 2009. There are many unfortunate consequences of the current relationship between drug and rap culture. All music seeks to share the artist’s truth, and in the case of rap music, if this truth tends to include drugs, perhaps the two can never be disentangled.
In an interview with Fox News, Budden spoke about the dangers he’s experienced with the party-popular drug. “I didn’t see a problem with the fact that maybe five days would go by without sleeping. I didn’t see a problem with the fact that maybe I was hallucinating at times. I didn’t see a problem with the fact that I just couldn’t get up and walk sometimes.” Hopefully Budden can continue to make strides without the use of any drug. “Some people can function with drugs, I’m just dysfunctional and self-destructive,” the Slaughterhouse rapper explained. He believes kids are brainwashed by the rap music they hear on the radio.
Several dinosaurs are out Alcoholics Anonymous there living by the drug-free, or straight edge, code. Many rappers abstain from drugs and alcohol for personal and/or professional reasons. This article will introduce you to some of our generation’s sober rappers.
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