(ThyBlackMan.com) Syrup. Sizzurp. Lean. Purple drank. Texas tea. Whatever it’s called, the recreational drug made popular in Southern circles is now making headlines with the recent hospitalization of rap superstar Lil Wayne. Weezy, who is reportedly “recovering” after suffering multiple seizures, is a self-proclaimed sizzurp fiend who has alluded to his penchant for purple in numerous songs. In 2008, he told MTV News that quitting the drink — which typically includes soda, Jolly Ranchers and prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine — “feels like death in your stomach when you stop. Everybody wants me to stop … It ain’t that easy.”
Wayne’s hospitalization has thrust sizzurp into the spotlight, but the drink has been creeping into the mainstream since it originated in Houston, Texas, as a companion to the “chopped and screwed” subculture invented by DJ Screw in the early ’90s. As a remixing technique that slows down records and repeats or doubles-up certain elements of songs, chopping and screwing reflects a mellow, laid back, almost drowsy Southern vibe. The style quickly spread
beyond Houston’s borders as other DJs adopted the technique and artists like Chamillionaire, 8Ball & MJG and David Banner released alternate chopped and screwed versions of their albums. The aesthetic has even made its mark outside of hip hop, influencing songs like Ciara’s “Oh” and dominating the latter half of “Bow Down/I Been On,” the new buzz single/trash-talk fest from Houston native Beyonce.
Inevitably, as chopped and screwed rap music rose in popularity, so did the purple drank that served as the subgenre’s drug of choice. With its sedative effects (codeine is an opiate, and promethazine is an antihistamine that can intensify codeine’s effects) syrup produces a sluggish, distorted feel akin to the music itself, as if the drug is “chopping and screwing” the user. Rappers began referencing the beverage in verses and devoting whole songs to the drink, the most notable being Three 6 Mafia’s “Sippin’ on Some Syrup” featuring UGK, which was released in 2000. Artists from 2 Chainz to A$AP Rocky have been spotted holding the Styrofoam cup that’s become synonymous with syrup. Even rapper/crooner Drake referenced the beverage in “I’m On One,” declaring “two white cups and I got that drink/it could be purple, it could be pink.”
Like weed — and more recently, Molly — sizzurp has become one of commercial hip hop’s go-to chemical accessories, but the fascination transcends the music world. Pop culture has embraced the once-underground potion with the advent of “trill” parties that promote all things purple. In Boston, for example, a local venue recently hosted a PVRPLE party headlined by renowned Houston DJ Michael Watts, founder of Swisha House Records, that featured drinks served in Styrofoam cups, free Jolly Ranchers and “rap, swag, based, crunk, chopped n screwed, trap, bounce and erthang trill starting at 10 p.m.” The party’s tag line was “All Trill – All Nite!!!”
But while it might be “trill” for hipsters to try on rap subculture like a costume, for those who live it, it’s not all sour candy and Styrofoam cups raised to the sky.
Finish story over at; http://raprehab.com/lil-wayne-sizzurp-and-raps-drug-problem/ (—–
Lauren Carter is a writer and editor, hip hop head and healthy living enthusiast based in Boston. Connect with her on Twitter@ByLaurenCarter or visit her blog at http://www.bylaurencarter.com.
