Born Melissa Arnette Elliott in Virginia, she began to catch widespread attention in the mid-1990s while establishing herself through a unique voice, catchy hooks, experimental production and fantastical, clever lyrics. Rakim, born William Michael Griffin Jr. in New York, is one of the defining figures of rap in the late ‘80s and ‘90s who really raised the bar. Rakim practically created a new style of lyricism with his complex vocabulary and multisyllabic rhyme schemes. & Rakim, they are most known for their debut studio album Paid in Full, one of hip-hop’s most groundbreaking albums. On it, Rakim sowed the seed that helped shape the next generation musically. Early in 2024, the duo was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• Listening to his music will always teach a bit of Californian slang, thanks to his expansive vocabulary and knack for wordplay.
• He remains one of the artists who substantially shaped the genre and the culture, known to hip-hop lovers and great artists alike.
• Just a cursory look at some of the most prominent projects reveals, however, an anti-crack meme that emerged in the late ‘80s and continued on through the end of the epidemic in the mid-’90s.
• He was at his girlfriend’s house in Memphis when he was found dead on December 22, 2022.
• From Grandmaster Melle Mel in 1984 to Future in 2016, every artist referencing the drug of the moment is only a piece of a larger puzzle—a story told through rap.

Her unexpected passing was a profound loss that was felt by her fans and fellow artists. Ari Lennox, Ella Mai, and Kehlani have all paid tribute to the promising young rapper. Another rapper who tragically fell victim to substance use is the Grammy-winning hip-hop star Coolio. The “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper, Artis Leon Ivey Jr., tragically https://ecosoberhouse.com/ passed away on September 28, 2022, at the age of 59. Thank you for your interest in supporting Kaiser Health News (KHN), the nation’s leading nonprofit newsroom focused on health and health policy. We distribute our journalism for free and without advertising through media partners of all sizes and in communities large and small.

Lil Baby

He was found dead inside of his Houston recording studio on November 16, 2000. The autopsy report revealed that his death was the result of a codeine overdose
in addition to mixed drug intoxication. The drugs were thought to be a mixture for
“purple drank,” a combination of codeine and promethazine, a common
drug reference in southern hip-hop culture. Before his death from a suspected overdose in 2017, Lil Peep talked about his depression in an interview with Pitchfork.

By 2008, 58 percent of all our prisoners were African American or Hispanic, despite comprising 25 percent of the total population. One of the few silver linings of this new round of pain being inflicted on America’s traditional victims is that it produced an art form which has come to dominate popular culture through its sound and its message. The 22-year-old rapper received widespread love from his collaborators and loved ones including the likes of renowned rappers like Gucci Mane. Yet another rapper who had a tragic accidental overdose is Steven “A$AP Yams” Rodriguez, the co-founder and visionary behind Harlem’s A$AP Mob collective. Chris Kelly, one-half of the iconic 1990s rap duo Kriss Kross, is another sad entry on our list of drug users who ended up overdosing on illegal drugs.

Joie Chavis, Who Has Child With Bow Wow And Future, Pregnant By 25 Y.O. NFL Star…

Rapper 50 Cent was exposed to drugs while living in the borough of Queens in New York City. His mother was a drug dealer and died when he was eight years old. Four years later, while living with his grandmother, he began selling crack. He was arrested for selling cocaine to an undercover officer at age 19. It might sound callous, but Jacob Thureson’s parents, Erik and Judy, were not too worried when they heard about his latest overdose.

It addressed racial injustice, police brutality and poverty, which led many to appreciate him for his voice and clear stances in representation of the disenfranchised. He was already expanding into acting with roles in “Poetic Justice,” for example, before his last studio album All Eyez on Me in 1996. It is one of rap’s best-selling albums of all time, though he died seven months later at the young rappers on drugs age of 25. (Some of his poems were published posthumously in “The Rose That Grew from Concrete.”) The artist’s impact continues to ripple through time, influencing the rappers that came up around the same time as him, as well as today’s emerging talents. Born Trevor George Smith Jr. in Brooklyn, he grew popular in the early ’90s as a member of the hip-hop group Leaders of the New School.

Vice President Harris and rapper Fat Joe team up for discussion on easing marijuana penalties

Ice Cube’s career stretches across the decades, from his time in the legendary group N.W.A. to a successful solo career. Born O’Shea Jackson in Los Angeles, the rapper made a name for himself thanks to his aggressive delivery, social commentary and true knack for lyricism. When N.W.A. released Straight Outta Compton in 1988, it catapulted the group (which also famously included the late Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella and MC Ren) to new heights of fame. The album became a classic and, later, the subject of the 2015 Straight Outta Compton movie.

Still, his legacy and imprint on hip-hop remains strong as ever, from music to fashion and broader culture. But as the group began disbanding in the early ’90s, Ice Cube set out on a solo career, releasing albums like Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, Lethal Injection and The Predator with great commercial success. Songs from these like “It Was a Good Day” and “You Know How We Do It” are some of his most popular.