The Residential Assistance Program (RAP) provides temporary financial assistance to individuals in early recovery who need help covering the cost of sober living in MASH-certified sober houses. Managed in partnership with the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), RAP funding helps remove financial barriers to accessing safe, supportive housing during the crucial transition from treatment to independent living. Cooper says that he drinks soda at bars instead of alcohol which helps him stay sober.
Sober Rappers Who Don’t Drink or Do Drugs
“I tried pretty much every drug there was to try,” he explained to “Complex.” Lecrae left that lifestyle behind and now refrains from drugs and alcohol. The rappers with the most alcohol mentions in their Billboard Hot 100 music during that time period were Flo Rida, Drake and Lil Wayne. A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh in 2008 analyzed Billboard magazine’s list of the 279 most popular songs of 2005. The results showed that substance use was referenced in 77 percent of rap songs, the highest percentage of drug mentions among all genres included in the study.
Sober Celebrities: The Celebrities Who Have Chosen a Life Without Alcohol
Additionally, it is essential for the music industry to prioritize the well-being and long-term health of its artists over short-term gains. When you look in someone’s eyes and see that they are feeling you, nodding their head, or making expressions of awe, then that’s motivation to kill it. One of the most popular books about addiction and recovery is “Scar Tissue”.
Top Sober Musicians You’ll Want to Put on Repeat
These are just a few examples of the many men and women of color who have shared their stories of addiction and recovery publicly, and who continue to inspire and support others who are on the path of recovery. Please note, at the time sober rappers this article was published we cannot confirm everyone on this list is currently still active in recovery, given that for most people, it is a one day at a time effort. Welcome to Rapper Cards, the premier destination for licensed collectible hip-hop artist trading cards. Discover a wide array of collectible cards, from limited edition and autographed cards from legends in hip hop, to mainstream icons, to the greatest emerging talents.
Kendrick Lamar
‘If I continued it, I was really going to sabotage my whole life,’ Cooper told GQ in 2013. Cooper got sober at 29 years old and has now been a teetotal celebrity for 19 years. New evidence published in The Lancet indicates that while a reduction in alcohol consumption is always a good idea, there seems to be no threshold of alcohol consumption where there are no health risks. Meaning, complete abstinence is still preferential for the best illness prevention.
Lil Yachty, Vince Staples & Hip-Hop’s Quiet ‘Straight Edge’ Revolution
- He raps about drug use to relate to a specific market but says in his personal life it’s really not for him.
- A former drug dealer, 50 Cent is sufficiently knowledgeable about the adverse effects of drug abuse.
- Yeah, Young Chop doesn’t rap, but it’s worth noting that the “Hate Being Sober” producer doesn’t smoke weed or drink.
- Before Suicideboys, Arceneaux was an aspiring solo hip-hop artist, releasing several mixtapes under the name Scrim.
- New evidence published in The Lancet indicates that while a reduction in alcohol consumption is always a good idea, there seems to be no threshold of alcohol consumption where there are no health risks.
- More than a hundred of these charted on Billboard Hot 100, surpassing Elvis Presley.
Arceneaux got married in February 2025 and has mentioned his wife in many of his songs with Petrou as well as in his second solo album lonely boy. Aside from her name being Sage, little information is known about her. Eminem is now well-known not only as one of the most influential rappers of all time, but as a rapper who is continuing to overcome his struggle with addiction. At the peak of his addiction, the rapper reveals that he was taking 75 to 80 valium per night. All sober lives are different, but perhaps some more than others.
J. Cole – Once an Addict
- Having grown up in Compton, Kendrick Lamar smoked and drank a bit as a teenager.
- Mathers took to Instagram recently to share his black and gold recovery chip to signify 16 years sober.
- As a result of the toll that addiction can take on an individual, many rappers have become sober and are inspiring others to do so as well.
- The tour featured other artists, like Ghostemane, Pouya, Germ and Shakewell.
His drug addiction began in 2002 when he started taking pills for his insomnia. For the next few years, the rapper struggled with addiction to prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Halfway house Ambien, and Valium. Kid Cudi had a difficult upbringing that ultimately made him turn to drugs. He got increasingly into substance abuse the older he got, and it got worse the more prominent he became. The rapper had always dealt with anxiety and depression, but he began to sink deeper into those waters as time passed. When it got so bad that he started subconsciously plotting his death, he knew something had to change.
Top Rap Songs About Addiction and Recovery
Take a look at this list and find out which of your favorite rap stars abstain from drugs and alcohol. Over the years, Eminem has been open about his battle with addiction, and has spoken about his mother also using drugs. Last year he shared a photo on social media of a coin celebrating 11 years of sobriety with the inscribed words “to thine own self be true.” The rapper wrote then that he’s “still not afraid.” Quaranta chronicles Brown’s journey starting from scratch after substance abuse wrecked his life. “I was really just thinking about my mortality a lot,” he says on a call with NPR.
