Drugs aren’t anything new in the hip-hop community, but in recent years rappers have gone from talking about selling drugs to doing them — in extreme amounts. And while many fans have been focused on the questionable drug use of rappers like Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, rap newcomer Mac Miller recently admitted that he overcame an addiction to syrup, aka lean.
While sitting down for an interview with MTV’s “RapFix Live,” Miller talked about his former love for syrup, a mixture of prescription-strength cough syrup and soft drinks, and explained that he decided to quit the drug after he began to rapidly gain weight.
“I don’t want to act like I was like this serious, heroic story, tackling a drug,” said Mac “The reality is I gained, like, 40 pounds when I was going to MTV and I didn’t want to be fat on national television. I just stopped.”
In February, Mac became an MTV reality TV star when his reality series “Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family” debuted. And though Mac’s main reason for quitting lean was his own vanity, he says that he also decided to stop because his friends and family were growing increasingly concerned.
After moving to L.A., Mac’s Pittsburgh producers, E. Dan and Big Jerm, paid him a visit in Cali. But when he went to pick them up in the airport, his old friends knew something was wrong with him.
“I probably had a cup in the car with me and picked ‘em up and came back,” he said, adding that he could barely stay conscious during their studio session. “I was sitting there trying to stay awake and I passed out.”
After hearing the pleas from his mother and friends to stop, Mac finally decided to quit syrup.
“I kicked it. But it’s addictive; don’t mess around,” he warned. “I don’t know how down and bad I was — but I guess I was.”
We’re glad that Mac was able to kick his drug habit, especially since syrup can be deadly if one overdoses with it, like in the cases of late rappers Pimp C and DJ Screw. Thankfully, Mac isn’t alone in his triumph. Check out some other stars who beat drug addictions below. –nicholas robinson
