The adverse effects of drinking "lean" are widely known. The beverage consisting of codeine cough syrup, promethazine, flavored soda, and often other substances has been celebrated in hip hop as its inclusion in rap songs can be heard throughout decades of music. There have been deaths attributed to "Purple Drank" including Pimp C, Fredo Santana, DJ Screw, and allegedly Juice WRLD. Rick Ross has spoken openly about his previous addiction to the codeine, and it's believed lean is what caused Lil Wayne's seizures.
Rapper Smokpurpp recently shared that he made a choice to quit lean and shared how things have changed for him. "Lifestyle wise, I just stopped sippin' lean and sh*t like that, for real," Smokepurrp said. "Play basketball, be active and sh*t." The rapper admitted that the first time he tried lean was when he was in high school. "I probably did that sh*t all the way up until earlier this year," he said before sharing how lean was affecting his health.
"That sh*t really f*cks up your stamina, really, everything," Smokepurpp shared. "It makes you slower. It really messes up everything, for real." He said he noticed he'd gained weight and that was the true reason why he decided to quit. "I was just using it to make music, to help me with my creativity," he revealed. "I guess it's cause like, I record a lot. I record every day, so it's like, I felt like lean just helped my creativity just flow better. Sometimes when I just had writer's block and sh*t like that. That was really mostly why I was sippin' lean."
Without lean, Smokepurpp said he would "overthink" his writing process and become frustrated. However, while on the drugs, he would feel calm and would "let whatever came to me just flow out." While some people have quit drinking lean due to adverse health conditions, Smokepurpp stated he just got tired of it. Watch his full interview below.