Then he noted that his “addictive personality” is what could potentially lead to his downfall. “I’m in a financial place where I can enable it myself, and I don’t ever want to be that guy,” he affirmed. Many have penned verses about taking drugs to cope with trauma and depression.

Dandy Smoke
He could’ve made kendrick lamar drugs another Black Lives Matter anthem like “Alright” to quell our fears. Instead he held true to his prophetic vision and laid his vulnerabilities on the line. Most prophets die misunderstood, their pronouncements discarded by the rulers of the day and their followers, only to be paid credence in hindsight.
Kendrick Lamar’s Relationship With Cannabis: Analyzing His Lyrics

Just as “kush,” provides solace and escape for some, Biblical verses provide the same comfort to others. Despite his presence, well, everywhere, K Dot generally stays away from cannabis. But if you listen closely to his complete discography, you’re bound to hear him rap about weed in one way or another at least once. After all, while Lamar used to smoke cannabis, he doesn’t anymore. Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show on February 9, 2025 4, showcased how sobriety enhances rather than hinders performance. His crystal-clear delivery and innovative stage presence demonstrated to millions that peak performance comes from mental clarity, not substance use.
Ultimately, the song is both a celebration of resilience and an acknowledgment of the pressures of life, with Lamar recognizing that the road to success isn’t always linear. In classic Kendrick style, this song is deeper than first meets the eye — or ear, if we’re being precise. This track, featuring Jhene Aiko, is from his 2011 project Section.80. The song explores the emotional distance that comes with personal growth, as Lamar reflects on how ambition and self-discovery can strain personal relationships. Featuring Jhene Aiko’s haunting hook, the song captures the loneliness of success and the paradox of drifting apart to get closer to the version of yourself that you’re growing into. Lamar had little time to grieve his friend’s death, with performances scheduled on either end of the memorial service.
- She told BlackBook in 2008, “I didn’t think it was very good for my life.”
- Kendrick is breaking with some of his fellow artists by stating that the promotion of the drug isn’t good because people are dying from using it.
- As Lamar told NPR, “I probably lost more friends in this past summer than any other summer.” One, though, struck a particularly deep chord with Lamar.
- In that same piece, Em is quoted as saying, “I had to regain motor skills, I had to regain talking skills.” His drug use affected him so severely that he had to relearn how to talk and how to rap.
- He continued to face challenges into his adulthood, but remained dedicated and was able to achieve being one of the best rappers of our generation.
- Throughout his life in Compton, Lamar faced gang violence, drugs, crime, and police brutality.
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So we learned to adopt and adapt, taking old models and reclaiming them as our own. Lamar agonized over his own metaphoric beheading in the 12-minute opus “Mortal Man” that concluded To Pimp A Butterfly. Yet, for all the religious overtones in which the Compton native shrouds his fourth studio album, the real revelation of DAMN.
- Artists including Kid Cudi, Big K.R.I.T., Joe Budden, and Macklemore have discussed the dangers of addiction, sharing their own experiences.
- The song explores the emotional distance that comes with personal growth, as Lamar reflects on how ambition and self-discovery can strain personal relationships.
- But while Oliver and Duckworth tried to hide their financial woes from their little son, it didn’t take him too long to figure it out.
- For example, going back to his roots and experiences he has accomplished supporting his hometown of Compton.
- Between its chart-topping success and cultural dominance, DAMN.
- Lamar and his classmates dreaded walking home after class because they knew violence could be waiting around every corner.
This Pretty Little Liars star gave up drinking after realizing that it just wasn’t true to her personality. Although she let the pressure to be a “social butterfly” get to her as she rose to fame, she is now comfortable with being an introvert. “I’m just always trying to surround myself with better people and be the best version of myself possible,” she told lifestyle website Byrdie, as reported by The Fix. From an early point in her adult life, Portman decided to avoid alcohol and drug addiction.
“Poe Mans Dreams (His Vice)”: Not The Cannabis Anthem You Think It Is

This time, when I called D, he greeted me in his usual chipper manner and asked if I’d heard of a group called Flying Lotus. I told him that yes, I have heard of him, and that he should listen to the album You’re Dead! He’s a brilliant producer and there’s a great Kendrick Lamar feature on there. He also did some work on Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly, one of my favorite albums of all time. One night, while driving me home from a Cocaine Anonymous (C.A.) meeting in downtown Toronto, D asked me what kind of music I listened to. I skipped the “Oh I listen to everything” preamble and answered “Rap.” He asked me if I listened to Earl Sweatshirt.
- Kendrick Lamar credits a childhood impacted by substance abuse for his choice to live sober.
- She may have a peer-pressured sip of alcohol at celebratory events, but she avoids the stuff otherwise.
- “Kendrick Duckworth is a rapper? Quiet Kendrick?” he recalled thinking.
- Unlike the characters she often plays, Blake Lively reveals she doesn’t drink and has never tried a drug.
Her album, Born to Die, features numerous songs about her experience with alcohol. She even refers to booze as “the first love of my life” in a 2012 interview with GQ. Has had a long and successful career in music, but he has also faced some serious struggles with addiction. He was able to turn his life around in 2011, and since then he has been open about his sobriety journey. Has even gone on to salute Eminem for the help he gave T.I.
Why Mental Health is Important to Kendrick Too
It’s also interesting to hear how his sobriety has helped not just his technical ability but his creativity and inspiration. It’s not because he’s focused on being a gazillionaire or spending his money on headgear that https://leendejagertweewielers.nl/sober-living/can-alcohol-trigger-migraines-and-other-headaches-2/ looks like it’s hiding a bong, but because way back when he had a bad experience with pot brownies that turned him off for life. Unlike some of his fellow Odd Future members, Tyler, The Creator made a deliberate decision to not smoke or drink. In an interview with Fantastic Man, he recalled when he told someone to stop smoking in the studio.
To Pimp a Butterfly was the counter soundtrack during this cycle. Its social and political awareness made me feel grounded in reality and sobriety for a brief period, before I would get overwhelmed and turn back to substances. Later in the day, I texted my friend Ali to give what is alcoholism him my musical opinion that DAMN., Lamar’s latest album, is superior to TPAB. I listened to both albums frequently during active addiction, along with Yeezus by Kanye West.