Xanax. Percocet. Adderall. Promethazine and Codeine. These days, prescription drugs seem to be a part of the rapper starter kit. While, for the most part, drug use in hip-hop has never been taboo (meaning you can't totally blame this on the kiddos), the promotion and use of drugs of the highly addictive nature is at an all-time high.

Recently there has been a noticeable shift in the mindset of some MCs when it comes to self-medicating on opiates. Whether triggered by the drug overdose death of Lil Peep, the 2018 passing of Fredo Santana—which appears to be at least tangentially related to his past drug use—or just wanting to change their health practices, a number of rappers have decided to retire from the hard stuff.

Frequent collaborators Lil Pump and Smokepurpp blacklisted Xans, announcing in January 2018 that they were leaving the habit in the past. Also last January, Mozzy kicked off the #KickDaKupChallenge, denouncing lean by pouring out a whole bottle onto the ground. “They say health is wealth—I need my bag,” he noted. Others have followed suit, including Mustard.

At one point, Fredo himself contemplated getting some professional help to assist in weening himself off of his vices. He even considered going to rehab to be an example for the younger generation.

"Hopefully I can be the face to sho niggas to slow down an we got our whole life ahead of us fuck being rock stars gettin high I got ptsd," he wrote on Twitter, a few days after being diagnosed with liver and kidney failure in October 2017. "I was running from my old life tryna get high didn't want to face them demons...I'm getting help I might just go to rehab." Before his untimely passing, he stated he hadn’t taken a sip in two months.

Given more reasons to quit, including the overdose death of Mac Miller in September 2018, rappers are deciding enough is enough. XXL gathered a list of rhymers who recently walked away from their most detrimental vice. Just say no, kids.

  • Lil Pump

    Drug: Xanax

    Lil Pump was definitely a fan of Xans. But for 2018 he decided to give them up.

  • Timbaland

    Drug: OxyContin

    Timbaland recently revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that he battled with an OxyContin addiction that nearly took his life.

    Steven Jennings, Getty Images
    Steven Jennings, Getty Images
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  • Lil Uzi Vert

    Drug: Unknown

    Seemingly triggered by the death of Lil Peep, Lil Uzi Vert announced he was going sober on social media in November 2017.

  • Smokepurpp

    Drug: Xanax

    Smokepurpp also decided to nix Xans from his diet on New Year’s Day 2018, along with his buddy, Lil Pump.

  • Mozzy

    Drug: Lean

    Cali rapper Mozzy gave up sipping drank in January 2018, showing how serious he was by pouring a bottle of lean out onto the ground.

  • RiFF RaFF

    Drug: Cocaine

    Citing life-threatening product being put on the market, RiFF RaFF quit sniffing the nose candy as a result at the start of 2018.

     

  • Isaiah Rashad

    Drug: Prescription pills

    Isaiah Rashad’s penchant for popping pills nearly got him bounced from the Top Dawg Ent. label. He was able to get the monkey off his back.

  • Maxo Kream

    Drug: Xanax, lean

    Maxo Kream claims he put down Xanax and no longer sips barre after the latter left him incapacitated.

  • Gucci Mane

    Drug: Lean, prescription pills

    Gucci Mane had to quit all of his vices cold turkey when he went to prison in 2013. Now that he is free, Guwop maintains his sobriety.

  • G Herbo

    Drug: Lean

    G Herbo claims he spent nearly $100,000 on lean before cutting it loose in late 2016. He told XXL, before he quit, the drug had him acting way out of character.

  • Famous Dex

    Drug: Lean

    Famous Dex nearly died from sipping drank before he vowed to never touch the stuff again in 2017.

  • Fat Trel

    Drug: Lean, Prescription pills

    Fat Trel was forced to clean up his act when he went to prison in 2016. In 2017, he spoke with XXL about maintaining his sobriety after his release.

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    @eye_visual
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  • Chance The Rapper

    Drug: Xanax

    Chance The Rapper has admitted to being addicted to Xanax at points following the release of his breakout project, Acid Rap. He shook his obsession while putting together Coloring Book.

  • DMX

    Drug: Unknown

    After battling addiction for decades, in August 2017, DMX entered rehab at the suggestion of a judge and sobered up.

    Kevin Winter, Getty Images
    Kevin Winter, Getty Images
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  • Joey Bada$$

    Drug: Marijuana

    After going two months and seven days without smoking weed, Joey Bada$$ explains he stopped in order to focus on his career. According to his Instagram story, he feels 1000 times more functional now that he's stopped.

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    Instagram
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  • Lil Baby

    Drug: Lean

    After revealing he would drink lean 5-6 times a day during his interview on The Breakfast Club, Lil Baby admitted it started affecting his speech, which forced him to ween off it completely. On May 8, 2018, he tweeted he hadn't taken lean in almost a month.

  • Offset

    Drug: Lean

    The Migos' Offset was a heavy double cup sipper. In February 2019, he revealed during an interview on Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning that he had put quit pouring up.

    "I'm getting off this drank, this lean. It was never a cool thing for me," he announced. "I never was putting pictures of me pouring it up and doing that. It became something I was doing, it became a hobby. It became something that I just gotta do. And then I started to notice like, 'I'm not gon' get to my full potential with this!' Then people start noticing that you love—like your mama tell you like, 'Son, you need to stop drinking that stuff.' I take that hard like, damn!"

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