A Closer Look at How Drug Overdoses Are Plaguing Hip-Hop
Hip-hop has a drug problem. It permeates the music, it’s imprinted in the culture and recently, it’s been having deadly consequences for rappers.
Rich Homie Quan‘s passing on Sept. 5 at the age of 34 is the latest example of a rap star’s life being tragically snuffed out due to an accidental drug overdose. According to the Fulton County, Ga. Medical Examiner’s Office’s report, the Atlanta rapper died from the combined effects of fentanyl, alprazolam, codeine and promethazine. A hip-hop artist dying of an accidental drug overdose has become more of a pattern than an anomaly in the past few years.
The list of rappers who’ve succumbed to drugs features a spectrum of artists. Icons like DMX, who died from a cocaine-induced heart attack at the age of 50 in 2021; respected blog-era MC Mac Miller, whose cause of death in 2018 was due to an accidental overdose caused by a combination of cocaine, alcohol and fentanyl; genre-bending stars like Lil Peep and Juice Wrld, who both passed away from accidental overdoses in 2017 and 2019, respectively; buzzing upstarts like Big Scarr (2022) and Enchanting (2024), along with rap veterans Coolio (2022) and Gangsta Boo (2023). The list goes on.
These preventable deaths as well as violence leading to rappers’ being murdered have had a lasting effect on hip-hop. Orlando Wharton, executive vice president at Capitol Music Group and president of Priority Records, knows very well how death can take a toll on the genre’s progression. He’s worked closely with XXXTentacion and PnB Rock, whose lives were both cut short by senseless murders.
“They don’t even get to grow in their artistry,” Wharton told XXL back in August during an episode of the Inside Track podcast while speaking on hip-hop deaths altering the culture. “You don’t know who they would have become. You missing out on a lot of kids that would have made it. That would have made a big difference. Jail and death is really f**king the music business up.”
More importantly, lives have been affected. Families have been shattered. Close friends and relatives have been left devastated. While hip-hop has seen the adverse consequences, the U.S. as a whole is dealing with the drug problem on a larger scale. According to The National Institution for Drug Abuse, over 40 million people report suffering from a substance abuse disorder. In 2021, 107,000 people died from drug overdoses. The number rose to over 108,000 people the following year.
In 2020, only 6.5 percent of people with substance abuse disorders received treatment. African American and Native American people had the highest rates of fatal overdoses in 2021. Fentanyl-related deaths are up exponentially.
In May, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram addressed the public safety issue of the deadly drug surge.
“The shift from plant-based drugs, like heroin and cocaine, to synthetic, chemical-based drugs, like fentanyl and methamphetamine, has resulted in the most dangerous and deadly drug crisis the United States has ever faced,” Milgram said. “At the heart of the synthetic drug crisis are the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels and their associates, who DEA is tracking worldwide. The suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and money launderers all play a role in the web of deliberate and calculated treachery orchestrated by these cartels. DEA will continue to use all available resources to target these networks and save American lives.”
Andre’a Bowens, a licensed drug counselor who runs ABowens Drug and Alcohol Counseling in Atlanta, deals with the fallout from the nation’s drug problem on a first-hand basis.
“Overdose amongst rappers and Americans in general has become an epidemic, unfortunately,” she tells XXL. “In my experience, I have noted that there are more overdoses due in part to illicitly manufactured synthetic opiates and stimulants. Those manufacturing and selling these illicit substances are mixing their products with fentanyl.”
Bowens explains how fentanyl can lead to overdoses. “Because of its [fentanyl’s] potency and low cost, drug dealers have been mixing fentanyl with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, increasing the likelihood of a fatal interaction,” she says. “Fentanyl is much cheaper to make and easier to smuggle because small amounts are very powerful. Many who overdose have no idea the substances they are taking include fentanyl.”
One person with true empathy for the cause is Juice Wrld’s mother, Carmela Wallace. In 2020, she launched the LiveFree999 Foundation with the mission of supporting programs that provide preventative measures and address mental health challenges and substance dependency.
“It’s a stigma attached to [drug addiction],” Carmela tells XXL about why so few people who find themselves in the throes of narcotics or opiod dependency get help. She also notes the price of rehabilitation as a factor. “My goal is to normalize the conversation with hopes of removing the stigma. Letting people know it’s OK not to be OK…I think the key is to normalize the conversation by having a conversation. We need to continue to talk about it. So people feel comfortable even asking for help.”
As hard as people like Andre’a and Carmela are working to stem the tide, drug use continues to rise. Though, some rappers have smartened up. In recent years, artists like Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, Gucci Mane, G Herbo, Lil Baby and others have revealed they kicked lean habits.
Sosa celebrated his sobriety back in March. “Been clean of lean 3-4 months now! CHAMPION,” he wrote in his Instagram Story.
Hopefully, that’s a trend that continues.