The number of rappers who never live to see much more than 50 years themselves is astounding. Department of Justice looking specifically at the epidemic in New York City backed that notion. Like Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples has avoided taking drugs and drinking alcohol. The Long Beach, California rapper’s decision to stay sober stems from the traumatic events he witnessed during his childhood. In an appearance on Drink Champs, Vince expressed that he never wanted to get caught with drugs and always wanted to stay alert when growing up in an area filled with gang violence. Additionally, he elaborated that his father was addicted to drugs and did not want to follow the same path.
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- Nearly two decades after his still-unsolved murder took place, Mac Dre remains one of Bay Area rap’s definitive artists and guiding spirits.
- Both of these artists were super young, being in their twenties, and they had their whole careers in front of them until they got murdered.
- Although he spent time there and admitted that it was great for him, the rapper stated, “I was ordered to go by the court, so it didn’t stop me.” Mane had a rough childhood and had struggled with drug addiction for some time.
A good quote by Martin Luther states “nothing good ever comes from violence”. Unlike some of his fellow Odd Future members, Tyler, The Creator made a deliberate decision to not smoke or drink. On “Cowboy,” he raps, “Everybody’s sparking but me, and I keep coughing / Can’t keep calm in this spot’s hot box and I’m getting nauseous.” Tyler’s choice to not take substances is partly due to his asthma, and that he does not have any desire to indulge. In an interview with Fantastic Man, he recalled when he told someone to stop smoking in the studio. He further expressed that he has never once wanted to get drunk. A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh in 2008 analyzed Billboard magazine’s list of the 279 most popular songs of 2005.
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As a result, many black rappers are not getting the help they need. More artists have opened up about mental illness, which often co-occurs with addiction. Mainstream rappers have spoken candidly about topics such as anxiety and depression to raise awareness and eliminate stigma. Contemporary rap artist Future has bragged about his Xanax use in numerous songs.
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- When OutKast’s André 3000 proudly proclaimed “the South got something to say” at the 1995 Source Awards, the Atlanta rapper and his creative partner, Big Boi, had no idea of the significance those words would have on rap music today.
- In his song “U Said,” he talks about dealing with the emotional pain of a broken relationship by popping pills and getting high.
- Eminem helped him learn to accept his addiction, the first step to recovery.
Other sober rappers include Macklemore, Kendrick Lamar, Ice-T, and Andre 3000. “Hopefully I can be the face to sho niggas to slow down an we got our whole life ahead of us fuck being rock stars gettin high I got ptsd,” he wrote on Twitter, a few days after being diagnosed with liver and kidney failure in October 2017. “I was running from my old life tryna get high didn’t want https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to face them demons…I’m getting help I might just go to rehab.” Before his untimely passing, he stated he hadn’t taken a sip in two months. Macklemore, who struggled with opioid addiction, entered a rehab facility at age 25. Today, he regularly attends 12-step programs, which are self-help meetings designed to treat destructive behaviors, including substance misuse.
But when DJ Screw introduced his “chopped and screwed” style, his signature DJ technique that slowed records to create pockets for the beats to flow, windows of opportunity opened for rappers across Houston to join the fold. The drugs were thought to be a mixture for“purple drank,” a combination of codeine and promethazine, a commondrug reference in southern hip-hop culture. Valium and PCP were also found inhis blood during the autopsy. When rappers spend any sort of time behind bars, they often end up looking drastically different.
- Timbaland even helped usher in the country rap subgenre thanks to his production work on the hip-hop/bluegrass fusion album Deliverance from Bubba Sparxxx.
- Mere months later, Mac Dre was killed in a drive-by shooting on a highway in Kansas City, Missouri on Nov. 1, 2004.
- Also, these rappers in gangs have beef with other gang members and they express their beef through music.
- Composed of Q-Tip, the late Phife Dawg, occasional member Jarobi White, and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad, A Tribe Called Quest helped carve a space for rappers (and rap listeners) with a bohemian bent to their hip-hop aesthetic.
For example Notorious B.I.G was killed in cold blood by a fellow rapper. “The Notorious B.I.G. is shot to death at a stoplight in Los Angeles” (History par 1). Biggie Smalls was just driving his car minding his business when a rapper came and gunned him down. Many people say that this happened because of an ongoing feud between the west and east coasts rappers. Notorious B.I.G was not the only one killed, Tupac was also killed in cold blood.
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. After spending time in rehab, his third album, 2021’s The House is Burning, was recorded completely sober.
Em has since beat his addiction and pumped his skills back up. Nearly two decades after his still-unsolved murder took place, Mac Dre remains one of Bay Area rap’s definitive artists and guiding spirits. The rapper born Andre Hicks helped to pioneer and steer the region’s hyphy movement — a music, linguistic, car and party culture that influenced rap and even electronic music globally. While his list of musical achievements is staggering, Snoop’s greatest contribution to hip-hop lies in his ability to authentically infuse elements of his life into non-musical spaces.
Relapse and Recovery, in particular, are two concept albums that detail the rapper’s relapse and recovery from drug addiction. Eminem actually helped another famous rapper, T.I., beat his own addiction. The King of the South got hooked on oxycontin and hydrocodone after a series of major dental surgeries. He abused the pills, combining them with alcohol to kill his emotional and physical pains, and before T.I.
- But when DJ Screw introduced his “chopped and screwed” style, his signature DJ technique that slowed records to create pockets for the beats to flow, windows of opportunity opened for rappers across Houston to join the fold.
- I chose rappers to symbolize my topic because some of them think guns and killing people is the only way to solve problems.
- Rapper Kid Cudi’s troubles with co-occurring disorders are well-known.
- Across these categories, this puts Music’s Biggest Night in a friendly head-to-head with other prestigious awards shows and live variety specials, including the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show starring Usher as well as fellow awards shows the Oscars and the Tonys.
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I think people need to stop worrying about their street reputation and should start worrying about stopping the violence in the rap game. The most brutal sober rappers time for rappers was back when gangsta rap first got popular. Every rapper was affiliated with a gang, and it was at its most dangerous time.