Substance Abuse in Hip Hop

“It started by me sitting inside all day; then it’s like you get bored. Then you’re like, well, I could just be high. And I could have a whole adventure in this room.” Mac Miller explains this in his documentary with The Fader Magazine.

When Grammy-nominated rapper Miller released a 12-minute video, “Mac Miller - Stopped Making Excuses (Documentary),” Fans and loved ones took it as a sign of hope amongst Miller’s struggles with drug use. This documentary clears the air around Miller’s drug-fueled image, not only as a rapper but as a person.

Miller began experimenting with substances such as marijuana in high school but continued throughout his career. As the pressure of being a well-renowned artist took a toll on Miller, and as an outlet, the young artist turned to more “numbing drugs” such as Percocet, lean( a combination of promethazine and opioid codeine), and cocaine. On the 2015 track “GodSpeed,” Miller speaks on his drug use and his realization that he has a problem and the results could be catastrophic.

“White Lines be numbing them dark times
Them pills that I’m popping, I need to man up
Admit it’s a problem
I need a wake up
Before one morning I won’t wake up.”
These lyrics display the hardship Mac goes through; fans were relieved that the struggling artist gained some footing when the documentary showcased Miller’s reality and the control over his drug use.
“Overdosing is not cool; there’s no legendary romance. You just die.” Miller explains later in the film. Throughout the movie, Miller describes his awareness of drug use and has reduced his daily lean, Percocet, and cocaine use. However, he reveals he doesn’t preserve complete sobriety but has control over the situation. Mac states that he hates being sober and will never give up drugs. This ongoing battle with addiction stems from mental illness, which Miller opens up about throughout the album “Swimming,” specifically in the track “Small Worlds” with the line.

“Tell myself to hold on

I can feel my fingers slipping

in a mother****in instant I’ll be gone.”
As Miller Gained footing in the music industry, his bank account grew, assembling funds to fuel his drug habits. The effect of money on Miller’s drug use is prominent in multiple songs. “Perfect Circle” from the “GO:OD AM” album with these lyrics.
“She says
‘I thought you got sober,’ then I said
‘I wish you’d stop bein’ a bitch and get to mindin’ your business.’
Told me, ‘Money has changed ya’”
Miller Showcases the severity of his drug routine throughout the 2014 album “Faces.” On the track “Diablo” off the album, Miller discusses the abundance of drugs he purchases.
“F**k the little 8 balls, show me where the ki’s at”
an eight-ball of cocaine is three point five grams, while a kilo is 2.2 pounds. The substantial amount of drugs Miller purchases helps display the money needed to buy this illegal substance; and how the money changed his habits.

According to a 2016 article with Business Insider, the street value of cocaine is consulted at different distribution points.
After being produced in South America, a kilo of cocaine shipped North valued at $10,000-$20,000, depending on the location. Once dealers receive the product and bring it to the streets, the value can increase to $70,000-$80,000. “By the time they [the dealers] cut it into grams, sometimes dilute it, a pure kilo is worth equivalent to about $150,000, so the markup is gigantic,” illustrated by former Economist reporter in Mexico City Tom Wainwright during an interview with Business Insider.

After the short film’s release, Miller continued to make music as he fought the battle against addiction and mental illness. Miller was dealing with his emotions by writing music; for example, his “Swimming” album touches on what he is dealing with and what is happening in his head. Miller understands things can’t always be good, so he takes the bad as an “ascension,” as Miller describes. Taking the good with the bad allows Miller to focus on the bigger picture and not worry about minor problems. On September 5, 2018, Miller bought oxycodone but obtained counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills. Miller was found dead two days later by his assistant, Sam Motavassel. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled it an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol. In 2022 the dealers responsible for selling Miller the laced pills were sentenced to prison as they knowingly sold counterfeit drugs, resulting in the loss of lives.

Miller had a significant impact on his fans and those around him. The music Miller created glances into his mind and how he thinks and feels. Observing Miller’s lyrics, there are many warning signs about Miller’s drug use and mental problems. While this music is catchy and fun to sing, listeners often turn a blind eye to the lyrics, even when the artist cries for help. Unfortunately, Miller’s issues are not unique in the music industry. Other artists have battled with drug use and mental illness. Another mainstream artist who opens up about his struggle in his music is Juice Wrld. Jarad Higgins, stage name Juice Wrld, is a rapper from the Soundcloud era, a popular music streaming platform that allows users to upload music. Other mainstream artists, such as Lil Yachty and Trippie Redd, rose to fame after being discovered on Soundcloud. This outlet for artists gave them recognition and wealth, attracting young artists. Juice began making music in 2015, signed a recording contract with Grade A Productions and Interscope Records in 2017. ReleasIng the diamond-certified song “Lucid Dreams'' at 19.

Juice discusses his mental health issues and prominent drug habits. In both interviews and song lyrics, Juice was open about his struggles with misusing Percocets and Lean. In particular, his song “Lean Wit Me,” off his 2018 debut album “Goodbye and Good Riddance,” was about his battles with drug desires related to lean.
“F–k one dose, I need two pills, two pills
I’m lookin’ for trouble so I know I’m gonna find it

Ring, ring, plug hit my phone, perfect timin’
I know I’m not right/ But I’m not wrong, no, I’m not wrong Girl, you hate it when I’m too high

But that’s where I belong, where I belong.”

Juice WRLD’s ex-girlfriend, Alexia Smith, claimed Juice would take up to three Percocet pills daily and mix the opioid painkiller with codeine.

“Someone from a label gave him morphine and cocaine,” Smith recalls in an interview with DailyMail. “He didn’t do the coke but the point was, in the beginning, labels were fighting over him so bad they would have given him anything.”
“Me and his mom were the only ones telling him to stop because everyone else was doing drugs too,” Smith told the outlet. “People just gave him things all the time.”

In the HBO Max film “Music Box: Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss,” The viewer is taken behind the scenes of Juice Wrlds’s life. Juice opens up about his anxieties as a new artist. In an interview with Billboard, Juice discusses the stigma around mental illnesses in African American households. “If you tell your mom or dad that you feel like you have anxiety or depression, they will look at you like you’re crazy,” Juice describes. This forces young individuals to find ways to deal with their emotions however they see fit. Especially when one’s career takes off at a young age, and there is little guidance on dealing with stardom, artists turn to drugs to cope with their emotions.

Juice explains this idea on the track “Wishing Well” off his third studio album “Legends never die,”
“If it wasn’t for the pills, I wouldn’t be here
But if I keep taking these pills, I won’t be here, yeah

I just told y’all my secret, yeah
It’s tearing me to pieces
I really think I need them
I stopped taking the drugs and now the drugs take me”
After relying on substances for so long, Juice acknowledges he has a substance abuse problem but is so reliant he can’t live without using. For Juice to stop abusing substances, he remembers those around and how his choices affect them. In the song “Burn,” Juice touches on how his drug use affects his relationship with his fiance Ally Lotti.

“Look my girl in her eyes, tell her I won’t die I fell asleep too deep that one time
Woke up to your cry, girl, I’m fine
But I lied

Had a dream, I wasn’t gon’ wake up this time.”
In an Instagram Live, Lotti describes her point of view of these lyrics.

“I used to cry my eyes out to this song before he even passed away because of how personal it [is]. It was about a dream he had while we were in Germany... I was trying to wake him up because he would have jolts and s–t in his dream, and I was like, ‘Get the f–k up, ‘like screaming, and my scream woke him up, but he told me later he never woke up from the dream, and that’s why he made the song.”

In a chilling interview with Power 106 radio station Juice Wrld discusses his lyrics in the song “Legends,” where he references the 27 Club. A group of artists, such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Amy Winehouse, all died at 27 years old.
“What’s the 27 Club? We ain’t making it past 21.”

In the interview with the radio show host, Doknow, Juice clarifies that he observes those around him dying at a young age and not “foreshadowing” his future.

Despite Juice reducing his lean intake, the rapper would take up to 20 Percocet pills daily. Six days after his 21st birthday, Juice and his entourage flew on his private jet from LA to

Chicago. Law enforcement boarded the plane to search the luggage once landed. Juice suffered a seizure during this operation yelling for those around him to help. Chicago fire transported Juice to a local hospital in Chicago but pronounced dead soon after. On January 22, 2020, the Cook County medical examiner tweeted: ‘The Medical Examiner’s Office has determined the cause and manner of death of 21-year-old Jarad A. Higgins. Higgins died as a result of oxycodone and codeine toxicity. The manner of death is an accident,’

Mental illness is stigmatized in the music industry and lacks resources other professions might provide. The Royal Mountain Records founder, Menno Versteeg, took a massive step toward helping artists cope with mental illnesses. The label started a fund dedicated to getting the help needed to learn how to deal with these mental illnesses.

An article with popular streaming service; Spotify explains this fund, “[The fund will give signed musicians] access to $1,500 annually for mental health care on a no-questions-asked basis,” Stuart Berman explains.
The most prominent names in hip hop often discuss drug use in their lyrics. These lyrics are depicted as a glorification of drugs when in fact, it is often the artist explaining the realities of their addiction. With resources provided to artists, the music industry can take a step in the right direction by creating a safe way for artists to deal with emotions.

“There is substantial research that demonstrates that creatives are more likely to suffer from depression and bipolar disorder,” Burnett said.