Rapper Offset celebrates recovery from codeine, revealing on his October 7 appearance at Keke Palmer’s Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast that he is now 4 years sober from the drug. The Grammy-nominated former Migos group member and father of 6 attributes his sobriety to his son and “solid people” around him.
For many in the rap community, “Sizzurp,” “Lean,” “Purple Drank,” and other forms of liquid codeine are just a part of the culture. Made famous by rappers like DJ Screw and Lil’ Wayne, “Lean,” which is a mix of the powerful opiates codeine and promethazine, has become somewhat normalized in the hip-hop scene and EDM scene.
Offset (real name Kiari Kendrell Cephus) admitted it was this normalization that first spurred him to try “Lean” in 2016, after the success of the Migos hit, “Bad and Boujee.” Cephus said in his interview, “I was taking to the cup, and then you know what you get tricked on? A lot of artists I feel like be tricked on like, ‘Oh, I can’t make music without the drugs.’ That’s cap.”
Instead of relying on the drink to make hits, Offset found himself depending on the drink to the point that his mother and son brought it to his attention. Cephus said on his codeine use, “It was a thing with my family. My mama didn’t like it. Nobody in my family liked it and they just kept saying it, and it started to hurt.”
Four years ago, he finally quit codeine when his oldest son, Jordan, asked why his soda was a different color than his son’s. It was at this point Offset knew his son was aware of his actions and could possibly be influenced by them. Since then, the rapper has remained sober from codeine entirely, focusing instead of releasing new albums, with three released in 2025 alone. The rapper said of his tight-knit circle, “I always get that wake up call from my core people, my family. I’m thankful for having that.”
