"Purple Drank" in sports and Southern hip-hop

Former first overall pick in the NFL Draft JaMarcus Russell, a candidate for biggest bust in NFL history, was arrested a couple weeks ago for possession of a codeine cough syrup known as "purple drank," also known as "syrup" or "sizzurp." In 2006, former Chargers Terrance Kiel was arrested for trying to ship a large quantity of the same substance to a friend. The NFL announced today that Green Bay Packers DT Johnny Jolly will be suspended indefinitely, and at least for a year. The suspension likely is related to his arrest a couple years ago for possession of the prescription cough syrup. Jolly and Kiel were teammates at Texas A&M, and JaMarcus Russell went to LSU -- both schools in the South, where purple drank is popular. The NFL, its fans, and sports media are now forced to pay attention to the dangerous drug. ESPN even recently covered the substance on Outside the Lines, which can be seen here.

While "purple drank" may be a new term to many who follow the NFL, fans of Southern hip-hop music have been familiar with the substance for over a decade. My only knowledge of the drug is from hip-hop music, but the lyrics and sound of purple drank inspired music definitely gives the impression that it "chills" one out to the point they become disinterested. The prescription drug contains codeine and is prescribed for bad coughs, but it first gained recreational popularity in the Houston hip-hop scene (not coincidently, Houston is where Johnny Jolly was from and where he was busted with the drug). To accompany the effects of the drug slowing one down, Houston based DJ Screw, who died from an overdose of the drug in 2000, started slowing records down ("screwed up"). Many Houston hip-hop artists, such UGK (one of the members of UGK, Pimp C, died from an overdose of the drug), Paul Wall, and Mike Jones, used a slower rap sound that reflected the drug's effects. Purple drank had a huge effect in the Houston hip-hop scene, but it spread throughout much of the South. Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia popularized the drug in the song "Sippin on Some Sizzurp," and talk about it in other songs as well. New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne is well known for abusing the drug (as can be seen in the documentary _the Carter_), and often raps about it as well. Atlanta based rappers such as T.I., Gucci Mane, and Ludacris rap about the drug. Miami based rapper Rick Ross talks about the drug. Plenty of other rappers from the South often talk about the drug as well, while only a handful of rappers outside of the South have referenced it. Considering the drug's popularity in the South, it should not be a surprise that three NFL players arrested for possession of purple drank were all from the South. The recent success of Southern hip-hop is likely partially due to the popularity of purple drank: the slurred words and slowed down music have given Southern hip-hop a different and refreshing sound than East and West coast rap. However, the drug has also cost the lives of several talented musicians.

The drug's effect of slowing one down may not hinder the success of rappers, but it is easy to see how a drug that slows one down may diminish the motivation of a professional athlete. Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com used to joke that JaMarcus Russell had a "lethargy addiction," but once he he got busted, Florio was quick to point out that the true nature of his lethargy might be due to his use of the sizzurp. This point should not be understated -- JaMarcus has been called lazy since he's been in the league, and it's likely that his use of purple drank went back to at least his college days. It's unlikely that he started using the drug in California when he's from Alabama and went to school in Louisiana, two states where it's much more popular than California. The drug is likely appealing to professional athletes looking to take the edge off because it's supposed to be a downer and I believe it'd be easier to beat a drug test using purple drank than marijuana. Codeine would show up, but only for a couple days, and athletes probably can easily get a prescription for it to make a positive test acceptable.

Professional athletes have been drawn to hip-hop culture for a while, but they need to learn to distance themselves from aspects of it for more than just legal reasons. Even if they don't get arrested and suspended from the NFL, their body is their career, and their career depends on a strong work ethic. I realize professional athletes feel a lot of pressure and want to relax, but a drug that slows one down to the point of lethargy will be counterproductive to the career of an athlete that needs to be a hard worker.

I'm not saying rappers don't need to work hard, but the skill sets are different. Successful rappers do more than make catchy music, they sell an image of themselves. Southern rappers have sold the image of being chill and laid back, and the purple stuff has helped fuel this attitude. Listen to this song by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Paul Wall and Mike Jones) "Swervin." This song is clearly influenced by purple drank, and listen to how slow and laid back it is. Professional athletes are free to enjoy hip-hop, I do too, but they need to learn that they should not enjoy the drug abuses of many hip-hop stars for more than just legal and health reasons: it will affect their career. They need to be motivated and hard-working, not slowed down and lazy. Jason Whitlock has joked on Twitter that the reason many LSU football players have failed in the NFL is because of their abuse of the purple drank. While we can safely assume that it affected JaMarcus Russell now, we are left to wonder what other athletes, especially from the South, have abused the drug, and how it has affected their careers.