On January 19, Fredo Santana, a famous Chicago rapper, died from codeine withdrawal. While Santana had stopped using “lean,” a mixture of soft drinks and cough syrup containing Codeine and Promethazine, his body was unable to endure the withdrawal. Lean, first popularized by Houston rappers in the late 80’s and early 90’s, became more widely used after Lil Wayne’s career skyrocketed.

Santana is not the only rapper to die from lean. ASAP Yams, a successful New York rapper, also suffered a premature death from the concoction. Lean is known to be dangerous, yet it is still widely referenced in hip hop culture. According to Rap Genius, 33% of all hip hop songs that reached the Billboard top 100 in 2017 mentioned lean.

For many, it may seem like rappers are glamorizing lean and advocating for its use, but any rapper who has tried to quit lean will say withdrawal from the drug made them feel like they were dying. Trippie Redd, a young rapper from Ohio who is known for creating music that is heavily influenced by drug culture, says that lean is like “liquid heroin,” which is a notion that has been seconded by many other artists.

When many rap artists sing about their drug usage, people oftentimes misinterpret it. While it may seem like rappers are glamorizing “hard” drugs, a lot of the time they use these drugs to self-medicate for trauma that they have experienced and detailed in various interviews. Still, many listeners of rap music receive an entirely different message about how rappers consume drugs just for the fun of it. How there isn’t an underlying reason why they numb themselves.

Although I hope this isn’t true, the increase in the number of college students who have tried lean suggests that the drug is probably viewed as enticing by those who aren’t familiar with it. Furthermore, the way youth and college students misinterpret why rappers use lean is also probably true for Xanax.

While I don’t think there is a Xanax or lean problem at Parker, I believe Parker students are highly susceptible to viewing self-medicating in a glamorous light. On the other hand, I could also see how someone who struggles with mental illness can empathize with rappers who use substances to combat pain and depression.

Thus, rap music can give those who already suffer with substance abuse relief. For example, Ab-Soul, a Los Angeles rapper, included the motto of Alcoholics Anonymous in his song “D.R.U.G.S.” Eminem is another artist who has offered support to those afflicted with addiction as he frequently mentions his road to sobriety in his songs.

Obviously, there are more than two ways to look at the role drugs play in rap culture. However, going back to lean, if you know anyone who for some reason finds lean intriguing, remind them that lean is an Opioid, a class of drugs currently ruining many lives and ravaging our country.

I doubt drugs will ever leave rap culture. But I do think it is important to be mindful when listening to rap music that mentions drugs, as one should be when consuming any other sort of information.