When Lil Peep, an up-and-coming rapper, passed away from an overdose in November of 2017, a lot of awareness formed around the romanticization of drugs in hip hop culture. Hip hop has always had underlying themes of drugs. However, there is a shift happening. In the beginning of the rap scene, and up until recently, the culture seemed to romanticize drug dealing. It became a sign of power, and this fantasy of being the biggest drug dealer in town was a commonality amongst rap lyrics.
Let’s fast forward to the mumble rap scene that’s topping the charts today. In a substantial amount of these chart toppers, the rappers aren’t talking about selling drugs, they are talking about using them. They describe how often, and specifically what drugs they ingest daily. Lean (liquid Opioids), Xanax (benzodiazepines), and Ecstasy (MDMA) are the most common. After Lil Peep’s death, rappers Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Xan, and Lil pump, all opening vowed to no longer take xanax (the cause of Lil Peep’s overdose). That was great news to hear, and was amazing to see publicized all over social media.
Want to learn about one of hip hop’s favorite drugs? Read about Xanax and Other Benzos.
It seems this did not hold true for one rapper in particular, and one with a crazy amount of influence on the youth. 17 Year old rapper Lil Pump – real name Gazzy Garcia – just released a song titled “drug addicts.” Here is an example of the lyrics:
“Whole gang full of drug addicts, take a lot of s**t, forgot what happened, aint gon’ lie, i got a habit (ooh i got a habit)… Been smokin’ since i was eleven, been poppin pills since i was seven… I pop a lot of molly for my breakfast…. Everybody ‘round me like them Oxy’s… take another pill, now i’m feeling better…”
The entire song continues like this. It is all about taking drugs and being hooked on them. Hours after the song released, Lil Pump put out a statement claiming “I don’t do no type of drugs no more.” The last time he made a statement like this (after Lil Peep’s death), he was found close to death in a pool, heavily intoxicated. So the evidence points to the fact that he is struggling, and may need help for his addiction. If you’ve ever struggled with addiction, you know you don’t want to be alone. And if you have a platform to bring in the world’s youth to join addiction with you, an addicted brain could think of using that to justify your addiction. The evidence of relapsing against his will, and then this song, points to a drug problem he may be struggling with.
Anthony Bourdain, celebrity chef, struggled with addiction. Read his story here.
Aside from Lil Pump’s drug problem, the fact that this song is being heavily circulated is cause for alarm. Much of our country’s youth looks up to celebrities like Lil Pump. At a young age, it’s more difficult to separate reality from fantasy. These types of songs are very influential. It is extremely sad that someone with so much power and influence sends out messages like this. This song heavily influences the use of drugs, and I hope people can see through the monetization of Lil Pump’s issues and realize that he is struggling. Hopefully he can get the help he needs, and become a better influence on the world.
Gazzy, this message is for you: Inspire people to live better, healthy lives. Inspire people to grow and blossom as human beings. You have a platform that many influencers only dream of, and you are more than capable of achieving greatness. Don’t encourage people to ruin their lives and destroy themselves. Take advantage of where you made it to by spreading happiness. And please be honest with yourself. If you need help, get it before it’s too late. We can help you. Come get on a boat and surf the waves, learn from the top addiction therapists in California, get crazy fit and healthy, and really embrace the life you were given. We know you have the potential to change the world. With the right help, you can get there. The direction you’re taking now is not sustainable. Call us.
At Tree House Recovery, we’re helping men find freedom from addiction. Our treatment programs create sustainable change for sustainable recovery by helping men find their strength in body, mind, and spirit. For information on our Orange County programs, call us today: (855) 202-2138
