17 Rappers Who Once Kicked Their Drug Habit

It’s one thing to play up drug use as part of the creation of a musical persona , but it’s another to completely fake it for the sake of selling records and signing sponsorship deals. I always believed 50 to be an authentic artist, especially at the beginning of his career, but apparently his desire to sell records and brand loyalty trumps everything. After all, the motto was get rich or die trying, not get rich but always be completely honest. On the topic of sobriety, Harlow, 24, told the outlet that though he doesn’t think he has a problem, he still quit drinking last year to keep his priorities aligned. The beloved singer/songwriter passed away in 2011 as a result of alcohol poisoning, after a long battle with alcohol abuse. Twitter users seemingly encouraged such behavior, leveraging musical satisfaction over the well-being of the XO artist. Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy and its Affiliates lies with the story’s original source or writer.

He raps about drug use to relate to a specific market but says in his personal life it’s really not for him. Remarkably, EFFEN Vodka partnered with a sober 50 several years ago in a paid endorsement deal, which finds the rapper pimping their product on social media. Even back in his chasing Sherane days, Kendrick wasn’t really getting high . Dot in Vegasfrom way back when and there’s the astonishingly powerful “u,” which depicts the unfun side of getting intoxicated, but for the most part Kendrick is a sober artist. A GQ profile on Lamarwent out of the way to discuss his sobriety, and in an interview with HardKnockTV he talks about Sober Home how, despite the fact that ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul blaze more trees than a Calabasas fire, he just never got into it. “No to drugs, I never spark it”, Tyler said on the first track of his very first project, Bastard. Tyler’s straight-edge lifestyle has been a large part of his personality from the very beginning, despite being surrounded by his permanently stoned Odd Future crew 90% of the time. Multi-talented Pharrell Williams chooses to abstain from drug use. “Everybody else can do what they want, but that stuff isn’t for me. I’ve been drunk nine times in my life, and I ate some weed brownies once,” he told Paper Magazine.

Treatment services

He celebrated 10 years of sobriety in 2018, helped Royce da 5’9 kick drugs by mentoring him, and regularly exercises for self-improvement. Eminem also visits a rehab counselor from various centers like desert hope treatment to keep on the straight and narrow. Other rap stars such as Eminem and Bad Meets Evil co-star Royce Da 5’9, Future, NLE Choppa, Chicago rapper 600Breezy and even an incarcerated Pooh Shiesty have all celebrated sobriety milestones in recent years. While it’s a misguided notion to squarely place blame on rappers, or the even broader stroke of “Hip Hop” for brandishing drug culture, a positive reflection in the public eye shouldn’t go unnoticed.

I was starting to make music with Ryan Lewis and I wrote a song called “Otherside.” I hadn’t had any music really connect until we put out the “VS. Redux” EP. It was a record about the disease of addiction. There is power in sharing your stories openly and honestly. rappers who are sober It allows other people to share openly and honestly. Twain abstains from alcohol, drugs, and is also a vegetarian. She revealed in her biography, “I like a clean band. I don’t like drugs. I don’t like alcohol. I like to have clean-living people around me.”

Rappers Who Drastically Changed Their Lifestyles…for the Better

It was his kids that inspired him and gave him the strength to triumph over his situation and successfully go through addiction recovery. He said that when he looked at his children, he realized that he needed to be present for them. In 2006, the death of his best friend, DeShaun “Proof” Holton, because of a shooting incident caused him deeper trouble. In 2007, Eminem suffered a huge setback when he nearly died after overdosing on methadone (as well-documented in his song “Arose” from his recent album Revival and “Deja Vu” from 2009’s Relapse). In the 2012 documentary How to Make Money Selling Drugs, the rapper opened up about his struggles with addiction. I can’t speak to what anyone else needs, but for me, it was going to inpatient treatment and 12-step meetings.

“I actually looked in the mirror and saw myself deteriorating,” Andre 3000 told “VIBE” in 2012. “I was like, ‘Man, we’re doing too much—way too much.” He is also a vegetarian. Have you ever been the designated driver at a party or hung out in a room full of stoners while completely sober? I’d have to imagine that’s what it’s like all the time for sober artists. Rappers looking for some chemical enhancement to their lives is nothing new, but right now it’s definitely more flow than ebb.

The singer said he really hit home with its follow-up, the recently releasedWalk With Me,a project he worked hard for, putting in hours in the studio after filming on set. The topic came up after he spoke about the late rapper A$AP Yam, who died of an overdose in 2015. Rocky also addressed the Always Strive And Prosper non-profit started by Yam’s mother. The A$AP Mob has organized a fourth annual concert celebration featuring Ski Mask The Slump God, Chief Keef and Young M.A. Jan. 17 called Yams Day. A$AP, who has been open about doing LSD in his music and talked about his experiences with the drug in interviews, says he has been sober since the New Year. All the running eventually took a toll on his body and he tore his hip flexors. When he was better, the rapper tried to mix things up by incorporating Shaun T’s Insanity workout, P90X, and Body Beast into his routine. Through consistency, hard work, and the desire not to relapse, Eminem got down to 149 pounds without destroying his body.

He told XXL, before he quit, the drug had him acting way out of character. Frequent collaborators Lil Pump and Smokepurpp blacklisted Xans, announcing in January 2018 that they were leaving the habit in the past. Also last January, Mozzy kicked off the #KickDaKupChallenge, denouncing lean by pouring out a whole bottle onto the ground. “They say health is wealth—I need my bag,” he noted. Lecrae was a heavy drug user prior to his conversion to Christianity.

Royce da 5’9” celebrates eight years of sobriety

While, for the most part, drug use in hip-hop has never been taboo (meaning you can’t totally blame this on the kiddos), the promotion and use of drugs of the highly addictive nature is at an all-time high. It’s not because he’s focused on being a gazillionaire or spending his money on headgear that looks like it’s hiding a bong, but because way back when he had a bad experience with pot brownies that turned him off for life. Having grown up in Compton, Kendrick Lamar smoked and drank a bit as a teenager. Dot’s dad gave him advice that would change his lifestyle. Lamar recalled the conversation he had with his father in an interview with SPIN’s Jessica Hopper. “I don’t smoke, period.” Lamar told Complex magazine. In August, the rapper got candid on social media about his journey to sobriety and said he hadn’t “had a single sip of alcohol in 2021.”

I once smoked with Chiddy Bang in college and it was one of the best days of my life; I’ll always love Chiddy Bang because of it. As a fan, there’s something cool about saying, “I smoked him up!” but as a sober artist it must be exhausting to be constantly inundated with drug offers from creepy fans who you’ve never met before. 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 rappers who are sober 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 you if you wanna throw one back,” as he told Sway on Sway In The Morning. “I use to think being sober would fuck wit my creative process, I see dats just a mind thing cuz I been more active skin glowing and I been dropping nun but pressure,” he wrote on social media in January as he denounced his biggest rap hit.

Kendrick Lamar & My Insatiable Greed for More Music

Percocets and molly not only served as the tools for a catchy chorus in 2017’s “Mask Off,” but also provided a lens into Future’s real-life pastime. Following his past struggles with addiction, Royce da 5’9” is officially eight years sober. The rapper celebrated his sobriety birthday alongside his secured performance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk ” concert. I know that addiction is a treatable disease, but I’m never going to be cured, and I’m completely fine with that.