The finger-wagging judgment on “Once an Addict”—one of the only songs where J. Cole takes a break from conceptualizing his friends’ lives and careers to allow insight into his own upbringing and family—finds him admonishing his mother for drinking during her husband’s infidelity. His glaring narcissism seeps through the cracks, an ironic lack of empathy and understanding for the woman who’s working day and night to keep him fed. At least when Cole spits, he means it; his words feel tangible. A former drug dealer, 50 Cent is sufficiently knowledgeable about the adverse effects of drug abuse. «I had an experience with alcohol that made me paranoid because of it and I stayed away from it,» 50 told Piers Morgan.

Rehab (Amy Winehouse)

Fortunately, artists who struggle with addiction often take the bold step of going to rehab. Over the years, many rappers have sought help in an effort to deal with their addictions. Also, some artists proudly speak out against the current drug obsession in Hip Hop. While many musicians struggle with drugs and alcohol, others choose to remain sober or get clean after experiences with addiction.

Check out our curated list of amazing humans in the BIPOC community who are in recovery:

In an interview with Vibe, he explained why he stopped using drugs around that time. «…I actually looked in the mirror and saw myself deteriorating. I was like man we’re doing too much. Way too much.» Along with being sober, Andre 3000 has also been a vegetarian for nearly two decades. 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.

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. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he confessed that he’d be taking up to 60 Valium and 30 Vicodin pills per day during the peak of his addiction. «The deeper I got into my addiction, the tighter the lid got on my creativity,» Eminem told New York Times in 2009. Dre quit smoking a year or two after Outkast’s debut album, Southernplayalisticadillamuzik.

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• Artists including Kid Cudi, Big K.R.I.T., Joe Budden, and Macklemore have discussed the dangers of addiction, sharing their own experiences.
• His favourite artists are Travis Scott and Kid Cudi – I don’t listen to either and don’t have time to listen to their albums right now (I am focused on finding social services before I leave his city on Friday).
• He also has limited access to clean water, they claimed, and often «heats his water to have clean water to drink without getting sick.»

In June 2022, he violated a protective order filed against him by his ex-girlfriend and was subsequently sent to jail. When he was released in September of that year, the rapper reportedly headed straight to rehab in the hopes of finally achieving sobriety. Music is definitely the rapper’s vice, initially saying Wolf would consist of «weird hippie music for people to get high to». While he’s said that he’s never really had any desire to drink or do drugs, it’s also notable that he’s pretty naturally turnt up as it is. This seems to be the overarching message in an exclusive new interview he Oxford House gave to longtime hip-hop writer Paul Cantor, published in Vulture. Eminem credits fatherhood with helping him to get sober once and for all.

Like with Royce da 5’9″, exercise helped him get through it. He started cranking out 17 miles per day on the treadmill and slimmed down from 230 pounds to 149. Royce called Eminem when he decided to get sober, and they still have conversations about sobriety to this day. DopeyCon SIX – Celebrating 10 years of Dopey DOPEYCON is a must-see evening of entertainment and conversation celebrating 10 YEARS of DOPEY, the podcast about drugs, addiction and dumb shit. Alysse Bryson is a strong woman in recovery, an innovative media maven, marketing guru, and gal about town.

Jason Isbell

Pharrell’s brain is clearly otherworldy enough on its own to travel to other worlds without any help. 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. She is also the first female rapper with multiple #1 hits on the chart. A prolific artist, Lil Wayne has released over 200 singles and EPs.

The Residential Assistance Program (RAP) provides temporary financial assistance to individuals in early recovery who need help sober rappers covering the cost of sober living in MASH-certified sober houses. Managed in partnership with the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), RAP funding helps remove financial barriers to accessing safe, supportive housing during the crucial transition from treatment to independent living. On 12 September, they said members of the defence counsel were in the middle of a call with the rapper that had to be ended suddenly «because of a stabbing that locked the facility down for the next several days».

Andre 3000 may experiment with bow ties and suspenders, but he doesn’t toy with drugs. Word has it that Ice Cold hasn’t touched a mind-altering substance for nearly two decades. Has had a long and successful career in music, but he has also faced some serious struggles with addiction. He was able to turn his life around in 2011, and since then he has been open about his sobriety journey. Has even gone on to salute Eminem for the help he gave T.I.

• Sometimes the person who is harshest with us is in fact our best friend.
• Word has it that Ice Cold hasn’t touched a mind-altering substance for nearly two decades.
• While his popularity has decreased over the years, Cheapy still remains the only MC from the Sutherland Shire to ever get successful so far in the Australian rap scene and acts as a mentor for young, upcoming rappers.
• Bassist Flea removed him from the band and indicated that Kiedis would only be allowed back if he could prove he was sober.
• Relearn he did, but as much as we all might want a new, incredible Eminem album, I try to mostly just stay thankful that he’s still alive.

• But despite drug culture’s influence over music and trends, a number of the game’s favorite artists embrace sobriety.
• «It’s very important to go into the rooms of AA, smell the shitty coffee and be reminded that without sobriety, I would have no career.»
• One of the most popular books about addiction and recovery is “Scar Tissue”.

Name it, and your favorite rapper has probably rapped about it. Yet the stereotype of the drug-addled rapper doesn’t apply universally. Several dinosaurs are out there living by the drug-free, or straight edge, code. Many rappers abstain from drugs and alcohol for personal and/or professional reasons. Back in 2020, during an interview with Converse for their Creative All Star Series, Tyler, The Creator shared that he’s never been interested in drinking, though he’s tried weed twice.

When it got so bad that he started subconsciously plotting his death, he knew something had to change. Cudi informed his manager about his intention to go into rehab and was checked in soon after. Although it was a tough ride, and he tried to escape three times in the process, Cudi eventually beat his addiction. Whether they’re mentioned on the radio, seen in music videos, or smuggled into concerts, drugs are pretty much unavoidable in the genre.

It has the ability to lift our spirits and provide a form of escape, even if only for a moment. Some musicians have chosen to lead a sober lifestyle and have used their talent and platform to inspire others and raise awareness about the importance of sobriety. «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.