Chopped & Screwed (1990)NSFWResearching

About

Purple Drank is an illegal recreational drink popular in the Southern rap/hip hop scene, a barbiturate cocktail of prescription-strength cough syrup and carbonated soft drinks; the purple-ish hue of “Purple Drank” comes from the color dyes used to make the cough syrup.

Origin

Houston-based producer DJ Screw first popularized the concoction, which is widely attributed as a source of inspiration for the “chopped & screwed” style of hip hop music. It first gained popularity in the underground rap scene and later spread to other southern states.

Popularity & Derivatives

In June 2000, Three 6 Mafia’s single “Sippin’ on Some Syrup,” featuring UGK brought the term “purple drank” to a nationwide audience. Three 6 Mafia’s single “Rainbow Colors” featuring Lil’ Flip pertains to the consumption of purple drank; the addition of a Jolly Rancher candy to a cup of purple drank creates a spectrum of colors, hence the name. “Rainbow colors” can also refer to a mix of different narcotic cough syrups containing codeine, hydrocodone, and various other anti-histamines, expectorants, and such. So-called “yellow syrup” is a blend of XR hydrocodone and atropine or chlorpheniramine and “pink syrup” is Cheratussin AC brand codeine and guaifenesin. Cheratussin AC (and other similar brands), which is legal for over-the-counter purchase in some states (e.g., Washington), is sometimes seen as an alternative to purple and yellow syrup.

Implications (Excerpt from Wikipedia)

On November 16, 2000 DJ Screw died The medical examiner who performed his autopsy concluded that Screw died from a lethal combination of codeine and alcohol.

In 2004, the University of Texas found that 8.3% of secondary school students in Texas had taken codeine syrup to get high. The Drug Enforcement Administration reports “busts” involving syrup across the southern United States, particularly in Texas and Florida. Its recreational use has spread to other parts of the United States and the world, including Mexico, Canada, the Philippines, United Kingdom, Vietnam, India, Israel, Russia, and Japan. [citation needed]

Chopped & Screwed Music Videos

T-Pain & Ludacris Spoof:

Tay Zonday’s Chocolate Rain version:

Peanut Butter Jelly Time Dance version:

Mariah Carey version:

Lil Wayne & Kanye West:

Leprechaun Remix:

Slap Chop version:

TI – What You Know: