For the past two decades, Actavis, a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical company based in Dublin, happened to be the chief supplier of ratchet rap antics in Houston, New Orleans, Miami, L.A., Chicago, and wherever else Styrofoam double cups were in vogue. And though there’s a variety of inferior codeine syrup alternatives, until last month, Actavis produced the purple drank standard. (The classic recipe, purely for informational purposes: promethazine with codeine + Sprite + ice + a Jolly Rancher or two = lean.)
According to a study published by Project Know last week using lyrics taken from RapGenius.com, 2013 marked a new height of lean’s on-record popularity among rappers. According to the team’s handy (and messy and imprecise, e.g., the ambiguity of “molly,” the misclassification of “piff”) chart of lyrical mentions, lean/purple/drank/sizzurp/codeine is significantly less popular than weed and cocaine, but significantly more popular than MDMA and non-drank-oriented pharmaceuticals. Since about 2003, lean has gone from Houston hip-hop pastime to nationally trending narcotic, which of course means that it’s just about time for Actavis to shut it all down. As of April 23, 2014:
Given [recent media attention], Actavis has made the bold and unprecedented decision to cease all production and sales of its Promethazine Codeine product. This attention has glamorized the unlawful and dangerous use of the product, which is contrary to its approved indication.
Trippy and culturally influential as drank may be, codeine leisure has derailed the careers and lives of a few artists in recent years. UGK’s Pimp C and Houston’s DJ Screw both died young from the harmful effects of sipping. Screw, who’d just turned 30, OD’d on codeine in his Houston studio in November 2000. Pimp C was a few weeks shy of 34 when, on December 4, 2007, he was found dead in a hotel bed. An L.A. County coroner found that heavy codeine intake compounded respiratory difficulties posed by the rapper’s preexisting sleep apnea while he was on tour with Bun B and Too $hort.
Actavis’s termination of its codeine distribution just so happens to coincide with many rappers and fans tossing their cups and cleansing their palates of purple drank. Gucci Mane has publicly repented his addiction. Schoolboy Q says that lean has ruined his music. Lil Boosie says lean once ruined his life. Worse yet, Cam’ron says lean ruined Dipset. Unforgivable. Let’s get to the bottom of this madness and shame.http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/this-is-your-favorite-rapper-this-your-favorite-rapper-on-or-off-lean/