Future's DS2 album just dropped, and you probably spent all weekend taking in the rap/R&B hybrid in. If you paid attention, in any capacity, you probably noticed the drug references peppered in just about each and every song. Of course, lean is what gave the album its title, but there is tons of coke, molly, weed, and prescription pills in these tracks. Keep in mind, if the word was repeated multiple times as part of a hook or a refrain, we only counted it once.
OG Maco recently tweeted that this practice ruins lives, and his statements have been the subject to much debate. Some think Future is making these substances sound cool, and thus destroying lives by promoting drug use, and others believe he's just telling the story of a seedy ATLien lifestyle. Either way, we've broken down the DS2 drug references for you. Make of them what you will.
Dirty Sprite
Lean: 17 references
Well you can't call a record Dirty Sprite without a fair share of lean references, now can you? The opening track is the most lean-filled cut on the record, with a hook that says, "I just took a piss and I seen codeine coming out / We got purple Activis, I thought it was a drought." For those who may not know, Activis is a leading brand in the promethazine codeine cough syrup that Future loves to make his dirty Sprites with.
"Slave Master" was another interesting track for the lean references, where Future ends the song by saying, "Long live A$AP Yams, I'm on that codeine right now." Yams struggled with a codeine addiction, and ended up dying from drug overdose, although it wasn't linked directly to lean. At any rate, it seems like Future might have missed the mark here to leave a positive message on the matter, and instead uses lean as a way of paying tribute to Yams.
Item #3
Coke: 9 references
There's probably a lot more references to cocaine on this album. At least a couple of the times he talks about moving bricks or chickens, Future is probably talking about the speedy, white drug. But the more literal references are kept to nine, coming mostly from "Blow a Bag" and "Colossal."
While "Blow a Bag" is pretty self-explanatory, "Colossal" sees Future talk about cooking coke into crack, and detailing some of the inner-workings of his trap business. "I seen that coco turn bad when it get in the pot," Future rhymes just after saying he's about to open a meth lab.
Item #4
Prescription Drugs: 9 references
On "Lil One," Future brags about having a "pound of fuckin' Percocets," which would end up being something like thousands of pills. That's absolutely insane!
He's also rapping about Xanax bars on multiple tracks (obviously, you'll find a few on the low-key "The Percocet & Stripper Joint," plus "I Thought It Was A Drought," "Groupies," etc.) and references pills in enough spots where we couldn't exactly tell if he was talking about prescription drugs or molly, which brings us to our next drug...
Item #5
Molly: 8 references
For the sake of counting, anytime ecstasy was referred to, we put a tally under molly.
The most molly references on any track was "Groupies," with just two. Other than that track, the amphetamine pops up sparsely on six other cuts, including "Rotation," where Future boasts to "be on them Xans and that Molly," which any doctor would tell you is a sure-fire chance at a heart attack. Don't try this at home, kids.
Item #2
Weed: 6 references
Future definitely puts Mary Jane in the back seat in favor of harder drugs, and with only six references, weed is the least-mentioned drug out of the ones we surveyed. On "I Serve the Base," Future says he needs a detox because he's "full of so much chronic." But weed probably isn't the reason you'd need a detox if you're claiming to be "baptized inside purple Activis" on the same track.
The weed references are kept to a minimal, but other examples include "Groupies," where he's "Smokin' oh-la-la-la like a Fugee," and on "Stick Talk," the rob-and-steal anthem where he says he'll "smoke a zip."
Other
Other
Dope: 12 references
Chickens, Birds, Popeyes: 4 references
Meth: 1 reference
Heroin: 1 reference
Between the slang and the times where we couldn't be too sure what drug Future was referencing, there are a ton more drug drops on DS2. A couple notable ones are when he mentions meth on "Colossal" and heroin on "Groupies." Those are two of the more destructive drugs out there.
There are also 12 mentions of dope, and a few mentions of chicken (or Popeyes or birds). Dope makes an appearance in about half the tracks, while the birds are a little more sparse.
Future is also constantly talking about selling drugs, which could potentially be used against Future if he ever gets in a sticky legal situation. Whether or not he's destroying lives with these lyrics, like OG Maco said, is sort of up to debate; but what about his own life?
Still, we can't front that we didn't enjoy the drug-riddled DS2.