Kendrick Lamar: “The One Thing I Will NEVER Do ..” Where Wellness & Culture Connect

This, however, is only one of the many tragedies Lamar has been faced with through the years. The following article includes mentions of mental health issues and addiction. Some months after Kendrick Lamar was announced as the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, he won both song of the year and record of the year for “Not Like Us” at the Grammys. Nevertheless, he’s been putting out bangers for over 20 years now — many of which have been informed by the tragic details of his life.

Rappers That Stay Away From Weed

It was filled with songs that delved into Lamar’s childhood, his views on race, sexuality, and the baggage of generational curses, but one song revealed a deep truth about the rapper that few knew about. As much as Kendrick Lamar’s parents did to provide for him and his siblings, there was little they could do to shelter him from the world outside. In the ’80s and ’90s, Compton was a dangerous city with drugs, gang violence, and a distrust in the police instilled in many residents’ lives. It’s exactly what rap group N.W.A. brought to light with their track “Straight Outta Compton,” and when Kendrick Lamar was just 5, he observed it firsthand. Unlike the characters she often plays, Blake Lively reveals she doesn’t drink and has never tried a drug. Although she often appears on lists of sober celebrities, her lifestyle isn’t a statement so much as a choice to remain true to herself.

A few months later, he met with President Barack Obama at the White House to discuss the realities of this disease. Eminem is now well-known not only as one of the most influential rappers of all time, but as a rapper who is continuing to overcome his struggle with addiction. At the peak of his addiction, the rapper reveals that he was taking 75 to 80 valium per night. His sobriety also spelt the beginning of better health and fitness for the rapper, who shed some serious weight.

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“In terms of recovery, it has been very important for me to be a part of a recovery community, to actively be around my people because they understand me,” said Macklemore. His music covers topics ranging from depression and suicide to benzodiazepine use. In his song “U Said,” he talks about dealing with the emotional pain of a broken relationship by popping pills and getting high. The Grammy Award-winning artist was addicted to prescription painkillers for years. When he began using opioids, he experienced a burst of euphoria he had never before felt.

He had a stutter as a kid

• “Purple Haze” is known for describing an equally legendary strain of marijuana and its psychoactive effects, but Hendrix himself actually said that it was intended as a love song.
• You could cut the number of my friends in half if you remove those who I’ve never bonded with over bud.
• Take a look at this list and find out which of your favorite rap stars abstain from drugs and alcohol.
• Those who survived their use of the drug dealt with severe physical and psychological problems that included hallucinations, seizures, psychosis, depression and addiction.

Both works use water as a medium to explore deeper themes of escapism and self-destruction. In “Swimming Pools,” Lamar https://anupampaints.com/low-alcohol-tolerance-a-sign-of-weakness-or-unique/ depicts a pool full of liquor, symbolizing the pervasive nature of alcohol in his environment. The act of diving into this pool represents succumbing to peer pressure and societal expectations surrounding drinking.

• “I’m in a financial place where I can enable it myself, and I don’t ever want to be that guy,” he affirmed.
• While many of the rappers on this have either dabbled or gone deep into addiction, Tyler, The Creator has basically never been tempted.
• These visuals bring the lyrics to life, creating a powerful audiovisual experience.
• To me, it doesnt matter if he’s completely clean or even an all out junkie.

He’s known for his intricate wordplay and ability to craft multi-layered narratives within his songs. Completed artwork should reflect thoughtful ideas to show how the selected hero demonstrates heroic action and creates positive social change. It’s just an interesting topic to me, because I still see people saying “look Kendrick doesn’t do drugs” when the unfortunate thing is… From the 60s to now, drugs are a staple of music creation, as amphetamine addiction treatment they put you in different mindsets and they also help churn out ideas, depending on the substance. Of course many start taking hard drugs and going to far where its the exact opposite and does nothing to help them. Use of the drug MDMA surged in popularity in the early 2010s and the trend culminated with this club anthem about the drug, which is frequently nicknamed Molly.

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. 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.

He knows his dissection of each topic is both insightful and a banger. Lamar, in my opinion, is the best rapper alive – and a fierce intellectual. And looking at its cover, I think of him as a university professor who has given up. He’s imagined the photograph on the cover of To Pimp a Butterfly, and isn’t confident it will ever appear in a slideshow during one of his lectures. One night, while driving me home from a Cocaine Anonymous (C.A.) meeting in downtown Toronto, D asked me what kind of music I listened to. I skipped the “Oh I listen to everything” preamble and answered “Rap.” He asked me if I listened to Earl Sweatshirt.

Music

Many times, the glamorization of substance use is in their rhymes, peppering hooks with one-liners that speak to those internal struggles. But despite drug culture’s influence over music and trends, a number of the game’s favorite artists embrace sobriety. Royce Da 5’9”, Eminem’s fellow Bad Meets Evil partner and former Slaughterhouse signee, went through his own struggles with alcoholism. The Detroit lyricist has rapped about his addiction and recovery in his music. Sadly, Lamar was eventually sucked into the gang lifestyle almost synonymous with growing up in Compton. While still in high school, the rapper joined a group of friends with whom he would carry out several illegal activities, including home invasions and robberies.

Anyway, I think Kendrick might have some conflict over it in his mind of something. I think Kendrick will probably never reject being a positive role model even if it might make him feel mildly hypocritical, because it’s good to tell kids they don’t need drugs to be successful. Because those kids aren’t going to be the next Kendrick, more than likely. You could cut the number of my friends in half if you remove those who I’ve never bonded with over bud.

• I was too uncomfortable in my own skin to love myself, and her by extension.
• But despite drug culture’s influence over music and trends, a number of the game’s favorite artists embrace sobriety.
• He reminds me a lot about Bob Dylan in the sense of his career and how he always goes left when others go right and doesn’t do what’s expected of me.
• Not only has he found massive success both a solo and featured artist, but along with Chad Hugo, he penned some of the biggest hits of the 00s and 10s as The Neptunes.
• He’s also among sober celebrities who never dealt with alcoholism.

The lyrics also touch on the psychological aspects of alcohol dependence. Lamar portrays drinking as a coping mechanism for anxiety and depression, revealing the deeper emotional roots of addiction. The song highlights the progression from social drinking to problematic alcohol use. Lamar raps about the does kendrick lamar do drugs internal struggle between conscience and temptation, illustrating the complexity of addiction.

Liam is also the founding member of Music Grotto and is passionate in disseminating editorial content to its readers. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we’ve been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially.