Listen to Slim Thug Feat. Paul Wall and Z-Ro, “Drank”

Despite numerous warnings--from the deaths of DJ Screw and Pimp C all the way up to Future's stark "Codeine Crazy"--rappers, particularly those from the South, and especially those from Texas, continue to reference and use the famously volatile concoction. Sometimes, it's the subject of a deep conflict: with such perilous outcomes lurking at the end of every Wikipedia entry, lean's danger is no secret, but often fails to be a deterrent. That tension is apparent on "Drank," the new single from Slim Thug's forthcoming Hustler of the Year. Thug, who broke nationally with 2004's "Still Tippin," a Mike Jones single that was actually a remix of Thug's own track, taps his collaborator on that song, Paul Wall, and fellow H-Town legend Z-Ro. It's a woozy, slinking ode to the substance and its ills--think "Swimming Pools" for Astros fans. Hustler of the Year is available for pre-order.