He rose to prominence as a member of the rap group N.W.A. in the late 1980s. Born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., he began rapping in 1994 with the group Cash Money Click before later going solo. He debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci, which has reached Platinum status. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, adding many more Platinum hits under his belt. With his impressive vocal range, the album effortlessly climbed the Billboard 200 charts to #2 and was soon certified triple Platinum. Cardi B has also starred in TV shows and films, like the 2019 comedy-drama Hustlers and the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, F9.
Contemporary rap artist Future has bragged about his Xanax use in numerous songs. In his track “56 Nights,” the rap star claims to have taken 56 Xanax pills in a month. The song prompted fellow rapper OG Maco to accuse Future of encouraging people to use drugs.
On the other side you have those rappers who really were about that life before and sometimes during their Rap days. 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. 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.
Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, this Brooklyn-born rapper has carved out a legendary career. One of his earlier hits is “Black and Yellow.” This 6x Platinum hit received a Best Rap Performance Grammy. Another great release is the Diamond-certified “See You Again,” featuring Charlie Puth, for the film Furious 7.
In addition, that mix also encompasses 50 years of cultural milestones for a genre initially dismissed as a passing fad — and now recognized as the industry’s market-share leader. “High Powered,” “The $20 Sack Pyramid,” “The Roach,” “Let Me Ride” and other tracks from “The Chronic” exalt the benefits of smoking weed. In fact, the album’s title is a slang term for high-grade marijuana and the art for its cover references the packaging for rappers that do drugs Zig-Zag rolling papers. We don’t want to fall in love with an artist and then have to mourn them. One artist won’t change the epidemic’s course just like censoring EST Gee’s mentioning of “fentanyl” on his song “Sky Dweller” won’t prevent the crisis from continuing. “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.
In 2007, André 3000 embarked on a solo career, where he often worked with artists like Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Erykah Badu. He also lent his talents to film soundtracks, like The Great Gatsby in 2013. With over 40 million records sold worldwide, Missy Elliott is one of the best-selling female rappers out there.
The song skyrocketed to the top of the charts and won numerous awards. We’re talking about Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Rap Solo Performance. A woman of firsts, she is the first solo female rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100 in nearly two decades.