The culture at large was birthed in Black communities that saw the United States government float them rocks as big as marbles. Those rocks were sold and the people who sold them were subsequently arrested and imprisoned. This was heroin addiction coke rap dressed-up as an out-of-control party looking for the off switch. One of the great anti-cocaine songs, Melle Mel and Sylvia Robinson originally intended this to be a satire of the coke-fuelled New York yuppy lifestyle of the 80s but had to make its stance more obvious so it would be more commercially successful and accepted by the music industry. While their original vision may have been a little compromised, it still turned out to be an ultra sharp comment on cocaine culture as well as a party anthem thanks to the added “don’t do it” phrase which is as catchy as it is morally responsible. This track is also famous because of its unauthorised sample of New York disco-not-disco troupe Liquid Liquid’s track ‘Cavern’, which was disputed in court but is a wonderful example of the blurring of genre boundaries and raw creativity happening in NYC at the time.
Debbie Harry ‘Rush Rush’
Kid Cudi has been open about his struggles with mental health and substance rappers that do coke abuse. Throughout his life, DMX openly discussed his battles with crack cocaine addiction. His addiction significantly impacted his health and eventually led to multiple overdoses.
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- Some of these lyrics are boastful and subtly funny, while others are poignant and deeply serious.
- A stone-cold reggae classic, it proved to be an international hit, even going to number one in the Netherlands.
- As Pusha T gets ready to drop his long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Grammy-nominated DAYTONA, the rapper sat down for an interview with Complex and listed off his three favorite cocaine-focused rappers, obviously ranking himself second.
I don’t know if Pusha T can be in the same overall GOAT conversation as Jay-Z without more diversity in his subject matter, but he can be the best within his lane. For those artists who lived their coke raps and were lucky enough to have surfaced on the other side, painting the reflections of joy and the pains and panic of a frantic life in song form are necessary. For years, the 41-year-old rapper and current president of G.O.O.D. Music been referred to as a “one-trick pony,” an artist incapable of growing beyond the same subject matter, but Pusha-T is actually a specialist. He’s the kind of pony who worked at kicking just a little higher and strutting fleetly enough to earn all the JAY-Z references his 2018 masterpiece is peppered with. You hear the rainfall in Capone-N-Noreaga’s ‘Stick You’ and you just know something is about to go down. And that it does, as the pair and featured artist Tragedy Khadafi move around Queens, New York on the hunt for a guy that’s slung them dodgy cocaine.
- Sticking to the theme of his hit single, Ross flooded Port of Miami with dope-boy anthems like “Push It,” “Blow,” “White House,” and “Pots & Pans,” setting the template for a career that has been built on tales of drug transactions and opulence.
- Throughout his life, DMX openly discussed his battles with crack cocaine addiction.
- In 1984, Grandmaster Melle Mel released “White Lines (Don’t Do It),” an anti-drug message disguised as a party anthem.
- This track is also famous because of its unauthorised sample of New York disco-not-disco troupe Liquid Liquid’s track ‘Cavern’, which was disputed in court but is a wonderful example of the blurring of genre boundaries and raw creativity happening in NYC at the time.
“Neck & Wrist” feat. Jay-Z and Pharrell
He finally kicked his habit after his friend John Belushi died of a drug overdose in 1982. Other famous people addicted to cocaine include Kate Moss, Whitney Houston, and Tim Allen. So it should come as no surprise that its countless users have included a number of celebrities from all corners of the entertainment industry.
And at this point, it’s pretty clear Pusha T will always be rapping about drugs, prompting some to question whether the Virginia emcee will ever evolve. But those posing the question are misunderstanding what it means to evolve and from whom evolution is expected. Atlanta is regarded as the trap capital of the south, with no shortage of hustlers willing to boast about their reputation as entrepreneurs, and 2008 marked the rise of Shawty Lo. The founder of D4L records, which produced the smash hit “Laffy Taffy,” Shawty Lo would step from behind the scenes with his debut album Units in the City, which saw him waging war with fellow Bankhead native T.I., in addition to waxing poetic about the drug game. Powered by the hit single “Dey Know,” Units in the City also included anthems like “Dunn Dunn,” “Foolish” and “Got ‘Em 4 The Lo,” making it one of the premier coke-rap albums of its time and a cult classic to the streets. Bun B and Pimp C rap about having pockets full of crack, referring to freebasing, dope fiends, pipes and pregnant women clucking for a crack fix.
Played as an anonymous dubplate by the likes of Loefah, Oneman and Pearson Sound for what felt like forever, it lit up raves and had the scene in a frenzy as people speculated on who exactly had made the beat. Originally introduced as part of a package deal as one-half of the Clipse, Virginia rep Pusha T had already helped revive the trend of coke rap alongside his brother Malice when he unleashed his highly-anticipated solo album My Name Is My Name in 2013. Including appearances from fellow trap mavens Young Jeezy and Rick Ross, MNIMN further plays up Terrence Thornton’s dope-dealer persona as he puts “Numbers on the Boards” up while giving coke-rap enthusiasts the “Nosetalgia” they all deserve. While addiction has deeply influenced rap music, the themes of recovery and sobriety are becoming increasingly prominent. More and more artists are bravely sharing their stories of sobriety, highlighting the authentic challenges of recovery and debunking the myth that creativity thrives on drug use.
This reign led to millions of records sold and fueled the fantasies of millions of listeners eager to soak up game. It may be hard for younger readers to believe, but at one point, this was the predominant philosophy in hip-hop’s musical output, if not in the life of the community. For instance, in 1983, Melle Mel released “White Lines (Don’t Do It),” which was meant to serve as a cautionary tale. According to legend, the song began as a celebration of cocaine use, not an admonition, and Mel was rumored to be skied-out during its recording. Tellingly, the tune sounds like a powdered trip through the Alps, with its stentorian, adrenergic bass line, exhortations to “Get higher, baby,” and odelike chorus.
