Amid the suspected overdose death of Mac Miller, Bow Wow has opened up about his own longterm struggle with addiction.
Through a thread of messages tweeted out on Monday, Bow Wow, whose real name is Shad Moss, admitted to having a longterm addiction to lean — a combination of promethazine and codeine-based cough syrup with soft drinks — and urged his followers to stay away from drugs and seek help if they, too, suffer an addiction.
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“To the youth- Stop with these dumb a— drugs,” he began. “Im going to let something out. When me and omarion worked on FACE OFF album. I was high off lean everyday! When yall saw me on BET going off on torae i was high off lean. My attitude everything changed.”
To the youth- Stop with these dumb ass drugs. Im going to let something out. When me and omarion worked on FACE OFF album. I was high off lean everyday! When yall saw me on BET going off on torae i was high off lean. My attitude everything changed. My fans started to…
— Bow Wow (@smoss) September 10, 2018
Bow Wow explained that while collaborating with Omarion in 2007 for their Face Off album, both is family and friends began to “turn on him” as a result of his addiction. Bow Wow also admitted to using the drug “atleast 7 times a day” while on the UCP tour with Chris Brown, though after passing out following a performance, he “woke up in the hospital” suffering withdrawals.
Turn on me my family too. I never promoted lean in my songs. The whole time i was on the UCP tour with chris I WAS SIPPING 4’s atleast 7 times a day. I was addicted until our show in Cincinnati.. i came off stg and passed out woke up in the hospital i was having withdraws
— Bow Wow (@smoss) September 10, 2018
“I never felt a pain like that ever. It was summer but i was walking round with 3 hoodies on because i was so cold,” Bow Wow continued. “I missed the chicago show of that tour baltimore show BECAUSE I WAS F– HIGH AND SICK!!!! that shit is not cool and i was doing it to be cool!”
I never felt a pain like that ever. It was summer but i was walking round with 3 hoodies on because i was so cold. I missed the chicago show of that tour baltimore show BECAUSE I WAS FUCKING HIGH AND SICK!!!! that shit is not cool and i was doing it to be cool!
— Bow Wow (@smoss) September 10, 2018
“Kick that s–! Be a good son or daughter. Be the best you. Ima start being more vocal. We gotta save the youth from going out early. Parents watch your kids. Explain to them. We want yall to live man,” Bow Wow continued in another tweet.
“I almost died f–ing with syrup. To this day im affected my stomach will never be the same and it hasnt been,” he wrote in another tweet. DRUG FREE IS THE WAY TO BE! smarten up tighten up out here. We cant lose no more of you. Not one! I love all yall. The young artist all the kids around the world.. dont follow a trend. Break the cycle.”
Bow Wow finished his thread by urging his followers to “go back and watch the face off show BET gave us,” referencing to 2007 when he and Omarion filmed the BET mini docu-series Road to Platinum. “Look how dumb i looked. My ranting i was angry every day. They try to protect the truth by saying i was dehydrated… nawww bro. I WAS HIGH OFF PROMETHAZINE CODEINE! Actavis. SAY NO TO THESE DRUGS”
The rapper’s confession comes just days after Mac Miller died at the age of 26 from an apparent overdose. Miller, who had also been open about his addiction to lean and other substances, was pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics responded to a call for a patient who had gone into cardiac arrest. His official cause of death has not yet been announced.
