HIP HOP AND DRUGS.

CODEINE COWBOYS: EXPLORING LEAN IN RAP CULTURE.

 

What are the adverse effects of the lean-driven rap culture that's become so predominant? We take a quick look.

Rap culture has been linked with drugs for the better part of its lifespan. Rising alongside the crack epidemic in the 80s, the music was synonymous with the inner-city struggles, and at the time that meant crack cocaine. As the 90s hit, there were more drug-dealing raps that hit the mainstream from the likes of Raekwon, Notorious B.I.G., and Jay Z. The latter of whom has made dozens of headlines for going from dealing crack to hustling legitimately in the worlds of hip hop, fashion, nightlife, sports, and more. 

However, not everyone in hip-hop hustled their way out of the drug scene. DJ Screw came up in the Houston hip hop scene, pioneering the chopped ‘n’ screwed of mixing before passing away in the year 2000 from an overdose of lean. The foundation that Screw helped lay became very influential in the 2015 rap game, where slow beats and lean-sipping make up a large portion of mainstream rap music. A$AP Rocky, Drake, Young Thug, Future…the list of artists that were influenced by that scene goes on and on. 

“Gold grill shining, don't ask me how I got 'em / Styrofoam cups with jolly ranchers at the bottom,” A$AP Rocky boasted on “Kissin’ Pink.” “We got the purple rain for the pain,” Drake said on “Scholarships” from What A Time To Be Alive. “I want that lean, I need that lean / Promethazine, and that Codeine / That's Easter pink, that's Easter pink / If I don't got none I don't have no dreams,” Young Thug said on “Stoner 2 Times.”

And Future? Forget about it; the lean references are too many to name. It’s the namesake of his albums and one of the main topics that he makes music about. While these artists, and many others, make lean seem cool, and even casual like marijuana, the dangers of codeine can be pretty intense, especially after repeated abuse. DJ Screw and Pimp C, both from the same

Houston scene, are the two highest-profile artists to overdose off lean. A$AP Yams’ last tweet before he died was “Bodeine Brazy,” a play on words of the Future track “Codeine Crazy.” Even though rap music hasn’t traditionally been a blueprint for young people to follow, we can’t overlook how hip hop's impact on the youth of America has become more and more pronounced.

When they hear of Future or Drake, or even Justin Bieber, glamorizing the purple drink, it’s undoubtedly influencing them to try a prescription drug that has damaged the lives of many-- whether they act on that influence is another question.