Macklemore Opens Up About Sobriety and Relapsing During Pandemic

Also, some artists proudly speak out against the current drug obsession in Hip Hop. Seeing public idols talk about their struggles with drug abuse and addiction will hopefully encourage those suffering from the same to reach out for help. While many musicians struggle with drugs and alcohol, others choose to remain sober or get clean after experiences with addiction. There are many sober rappers in the hip hop community. Some famous rappers who don’t drink or do drugs went to rehab while other sober rappers quit cold turkey. A few famous rap stars who are sober even inspired other hip hop stars to kick their addictions for good.

We need to get people into treatment and CLEAN Cause is doing that, and I’m excited to be a part of it. There are numerous songs about addiction on the mixtape such as Angel Dust, Therapy, and Funeral, but one standout is Malibu. The song is primarily about the deadly pull of hard drugs, and the self loathing that accompanies sober rappers abuse. Mac Miller’s 2014 mixtape Faces is a long, drawn out exploration on themes of addiction, exploring the highs and lows of drug abuse along with the emotional toll it takes on a person after extended use. Mac has been vocal about his abuse of codeine, known as lean, and the addictive stimulant cocaine.

Lil Baby

In fact, his heavy alcohol and drug abuse led to him being fired from Black Sabbath in 1978. Contact one of our qualified drug addiction counsellors today and get a free and no-obligations assessment for you or someone close to you, so that you can get started on the path to long-term recovery. I know that addiction is a treatable disease, but I’m never going to be cured, and I’m completely fine with that. The world that recovery has led me to is beyond anything I ever could have imagined. I would never have had a career in music had I not been able to go to treatment. I know that a lot of Americans can’t, or they can’t afford to take the time off work.

Talented songwriter Brian Wilson was once kicked out of the Beach Boys as a result of his drug use. Adam Clayton, U2’s lesser-known bassist, was arrested in 1989 in Dublin for marijuana possession. Jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong was arrested for marijuana possession in 1931.

How to Contact a Private Rehab for Addiction

I stole it from my parents’ liquor cabinet, which was above the refrigerator. I had one shot and I wondered what two would feel like. And then I had two and I wondered what four would feel like. Like many other successful rappers, Logic has a painful past. Future has talked about his use of Xanax in a number of songs. In the 2000s, Xanax, ecstasy and codeine pervaded rap culture.

• There is guilt and shame around the disease of addiction.
• When I was about 25 years old, I was paying bills with my music, but just barely.
• I know that a lot of Americans can’t, or they can’t afford to take the time off work.
• Eminem is one of the most prominent rappers around and has been open about his time in rehab.
• He’s written numerous songs about the pitfalls of drug use and alcoholism, but perhaps his most impactful is the single from his certified classic album “Good Kid Maad City”.

Unfortunately, he did struggle with substance abuse down the line, and much later, he discovered that his teenage daughter had started using as well. Dro shared that the discovery pushed him to check himself into rehab in 2021 and has stayed clean since. Eminem has spoken candidly about his past struggles with substance use. Several other rappers, from Macklemore to Kendrick Lamar, have relayed the dangers of drug abuse through song. Instead of glorifying the behavior, a bevy of rap artists speak of addiction in a more somber tone. Tragically, many of these late hip hop artists died very young; all three of the aformentioned recently-deceased rappers died under the age of 30.

“Starting Over” by Macklemore

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. Among the 38 most popular rap songs from 1979 to 1984, about 11 percent contained drug mentions. Nineteen percent of songs in the late 1980s that were included in the study made references to substance abuse. By 1993, about 69 percent of lyrics mentioned drug use. Since the 1980s, rappers have referenced substance use in lyrics.

She passed away in 2012, allegedly as a result of her addiction. Kurt Cobain got to know his wife Courtney Love while they used drugs together. His 1994 heroin and alcohol overdose was reportedly the first attempt leading up to his suicide. Dominic, a seasoned content writer at Recovery Unplugged, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the realm of healthcare writing, particularly in the addiction and recovery field.

Lil Scrappy

During this time, he also began misusing Xanax and other sedative medications. Rapper 50 Cent was exposed to drugs while living in the borough of Queens in New York City. His mother was a drug dealer and died when he was eight years old.

Although all of the Beatles were arrested for drug possession charges at one point or another, George Harrison allegedly managed an arrest on his wedding day. Having been in rehab for alcohol abuse and remained sober since, songwriter and guitarist Keith Urban’s advice for alcoholics is to not be embarrassed to reach out for help. Singer Whitney Houston, cited by the Guinness World Records as the most awarded female act of all time, was repeatedly in and out of rehab.