Do you know what purple drank aka lean (because after you drink it you feel inclined to lean against stuff) aka sizzurp (among other nicknames) is? Well, look no further, because you learn something new every day. We love Wikipedia, for sure, and the Wikis define purple drank as the following,

Purple drank is a slang term for a recreational drug popular in the hip-hop community of the southern United States. Its main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine. Cough syrup is typically mixed with ingredients such as Sprite soft drink and pieces of Jolly Rancher candy. The purplish hue of purple drank comes from dyes in the cough syrup. Recently, the term has expanded to cover mixtures including over-the-counter cough syrup [such as Vicks 44: hence the expression "tippin' on 44's."]

Other slang terms for purple drank include syrup, drank, barre and purple jelly. So, long story short, purple drank will give you that painkiller euphoria combined with a hallucinogen-like haze. We have never had the pleasure of trying sizzurp ourselves, but, like Wikipedia says, it is popular in the hip-hop community of the southern United States. We verified this a long time ago when we started listening to artists such as DJ Screw and Mike Jones.

Three 6 Mafia’s single “Sippin’ on Some Syrup,” featuring UGK is arguably what brought the term “purple drank” to a nationwide audience.

DJ Screw (1971 – November 16, 2000), was actually the first DJ/Rapper to make the “chopped and screwed” form of music: designed for the sole purpose of enjoying while feeling the effects of some sizzurp. Unfortunately, DJ Screw is no longer with us. However, the style of music he created lives on with a number of producers.

There have been commercial (legal) spin-offs of the popular drink:

In June 2008 Innovative Beverage Group, a publicly traded company based in Houston (Other OTC:IBGH.PK), released a beverage called “Drank.” The commercial product contains no codeine or promethazine, but claims to “Slow Your Roll” with a combination of herbal ingredients such as valerian root and melatonin^.

In November 2008 PurpleDrank.com was launched as a street wear label. It is a New York based company, created due to the hype surrounding the recreational drink and the hip hop culture. Its goal is to provide designer clothing and enhance the experience surrounding the phenomenon.

At any rate, enough from Wikipedia and all. Time for some musics.

First off, here’s a DJ Screw track,

“Drank Up In My Cup (Screwed and Chopped):”

Here is a Mike Jones track inspired by DJ Screw from disc two of the limited edition version of the Jones record “Who Is Mike Jones?”

“Still Tippin’ (Feat. Slim Thug & Paul Wall):”

Now for the original, non-chopped and screwed version, so you can see the difference. Wouldn’t you rather listen to the first with some drank up in your system? Oh yeah.

“Still Tippin’ (Feat. Slim Thug & Paul Wall):”

Here’s a bonus Mike Jones track we like. Who? Mike Jones.

“Flossin’ (Feat. Big Moe):”

Lil’ Wayne actually got busted for possession of the prescription-strength cough syrup needed for making drank–along with lots of other pills and drugs–when crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona. In case you didn’t already know, it’s extremely easy to get any kind of prescription medication you want in Mexico, and no, you don’t need to have an Rx slip from a doctor. Oops! So, to continue, Lil’ Wayne is from Louisiana. Southern rapper. Not only is he a southern rapper, but he’s probably the best southern rapper in hip-hop right now. So, can you blame him for enjoying some sizzurp? We don’t.

Here’s a video of one of our favorite tracks from Weezy (which was actually on the original leaked Carter iii, but then not released on the official version.)
“I Feel Like Dying:”