That decision has shaped his music, giving fans a safe space to connect and feel understood. A life-long musician, a former promoter, and a vinyl enthusiast, he loves digging into the stories behind the great artists of our time. With a background in academia, he is passionate about bringing rigour and insight to music journalism. In a 2022 interview with Self, he discussed how avoiding overworking, limiting his use of social media, and feeling inspired and motivated by his daughter help him to stay clean. After struggling with cocaine, Kid Cudi first went to rehab in 2016 aged 32. He has described the shame and isolation he felt, taking drugs alone and hiding it from other people.
In fact, some rappers have chosen a clean path, saying no to weed smoking, drinking of alcohol, and no to drugs. Gucci Mane’s’ story with alcohol and drugs is one of radical transformation. In an interview with the New York Times in 2016, the trap legend described that he had not been fully sober since the age of 21. He would drink alcohol, lean, ecstasy, and prescription pills.
- The King of the South got hooked on oxycontin and hydrocodone after a series of major dental surgeries.
- Well, this detailed article explores clean-living rap stars who stay away from weed, alcohol, and other substances while staying true to their music.
- Find out which rappers abstain from drug usage of any sort.
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From advocating its use in song lyrics, to promoting the sale of it via personal brands, Mary Jane has been apart of Hip-Hop culture for as long as it’s existed. And while he’s signed to Kanye’s G.O.O.D music, where the majority of his labelmates indulge, Common has managed to stay away. Although his freeform hair and unkempt beard may suggest otherwise, the 4 Your Eyez Only rapper, has been marijuana free since 2011.
Sober Rappers Who Don’t Drink or Do Drugs
In his past, oxycontin and syrup have caused him near-death experiences. On “Otherside,” Macklemore raps about Lil Wayne being a major influence of his personal codeine addiction. Minus one relapse he’s had with codeine, Macklemore has been clean since August of 2008. In an interview with EntertainmentWise.com, Iggy Azalea admitted that she doesn’t drink alcohol or do drugs. On “Otherside,” Macklemore raps about Lil Wayne being a major influence of his personal codeine addiction.
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It’s never been a time in recent memory where it hasn’t had a presence in my life. Unlike alcohol (which I didn’t learn to properly abuse until college), it was the one vice that I became familiar with personally, even before I indulged. Weird question but I’ve been really confused upset and ashamed because I feel like I’m somehow doing something wrong for doing the right thing. I know that doesn’t make much sense but I’m really thinking about this constantly. Am I allowed to say “I dont like drugs” in drug addiction treatment one song but then talk about women in another or does that sound hypocritical in a way. That did not, however, stop Pharrell from famously launched a women-focused liquer, Qream, in 2011.
“Smoking weed wasn’t ever a dependency for me. A lot of people use it as a dependency. They wake up in the morning angry, and smoke. It never was a dependent for me, so it never was a crutch, really.” One of my favorite Kendrick songs is “The Recipe.” The smooth melodic chorus chants “women, weed and weather” in a continuous loop as K.Dot. And his big homie Dr. Dre, rap about California’s greatest attributes. But the Compton native actually stays abstinent from the substance. In an interview with HipHop-N-More, Cole opened up about weed never really being his thing, and said that he really only talks about weed to relate to some of his fans. “I just had a phase toward the end of college,” he said.
To put it in perspective, he stopped mid-song during a concert in Detroit, just because he couldn’t relate to his old music anymore. He told the crowd that he doesn’t do any of that anymore, and couldn’t fully connect with the content of the songs—which is definitely a good thing. Over the years, Eminem has battled, going back and forth from stoned to clean, even recording an album called Recovery, where he spilled his guts out about his demons.
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Dot’s dad gave him rappers who dont smoke or drink advice that would change his lifestyle. Lamar recalled the conversation he had with his father in an interview with SPIN’s Jessica Hopper. “I don’t smoke, period.” Lamar told Complex magazine. Cannabis isn’t meant for everyone, and for these rappers, it was a match not meant to be.
Top Sober Musicians You’ll Want to Put on Repeat
- Try this list of famous straight edge celebrities (sometimes spelled “straightedge”) and notable people.
- In 2007 he experienced a near-fatal methadone overdose.
- From music videos to lyrics, weed and blunts are everywhere.
Some of these artists have never done drugs in their life, while others choose to abstain from smoking or drinking because of near-death experiences they’ve had. Though some listeners may disagree, these artists have continually shown that they’re more than capable of making quality music without the enhancement of drugs. To anyone who’s had even a mild exposure to rap songs, you’ve probably found the music replete with drug references. In addition to the usual alcohol- or marijuana-related ones, there’s a plethora of allusions to other drugs — “purple drank,” “popping pills,” “milly rock,” etc. I’ve often questioned how representative this alleged lifestyle is of their reality, and how many of them actually do the drugs they claim to do in their songs. While many musicians struggle with drugs and alcohol, others choose to remain sober or get clean after experiences with addiction.
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“Some people can function with drugs, I’m just dysfunctional and self-destructive,” the Slaughterhouse rapper explained. Whether they’re mentioned on the radio, seen in music videos, or smuggled into concerts, drugs are pretty much unavoidable in the genre. Weed, lean, pills, coke, booze, shrooms, you name it, dope’s not to hard to find. Some of https://www.beyondwisetech.com/2025/06/16/does-drinking-alcohol-warm-your-body/ these artists have never done drugs in their life, while others choose to abstain from smoking or drinking because of near-death experiences they’ve had.
J. Cole is another one of the rappers who don’t smoke cannabis. What makes him interesting as that he’s made plenty of tracks about smoking. Rappers have a target audience, and they must try to relate to that artist. And sometimes, that means they have to pretend to be something they’re not. Plenty of mainstream country singers grew up in a nice suburban home, yet must act like they grew up in a trailer or are from a small bumpkin town. Andre is an interesting case, with his claim of being cannabis free since the late 1990s.
So if you’re asking which rapper doesn’t smoke, NF should be near the top of the list. Well, this detailed article explores clean-living rap stars who stay away from weed, alcohol, and other substances while staying true to their music. Some of today’s biggest names like Lil Wayne and Kid Cudi, among others, have spent much of their careers looking for a way to cope with their own personal traumas. Many times, the glamorization of substance use is in their rhymes, peppering hooks with one-liners that speak to those internal struggles.
