11 Songs Where the Addiction is Realâ features songs courtesy of Amy Winehouse, Big K.R.I.T, Billie Eilish, J. Cole, and Zedd. Â
Addiction is a word that more often than not, has a negative connotation. Typically, when addiction comes to mind, we associate it with substance abuse or being unhealthily hooked to something such as pornography or sex. Many songs that have been written about addiction often have a negative tilt as well, at least to some degree. On 11 SONGS WHERE THE ADDICTION IS REAL, we explore songs, with some form of the word in its title (addict, addicted, addiction), that reference being hooked to something. In some cases itâs drugs, in others its love, and in one particular case, it involves a serial killerâs twisted desire for vaginal skin⌠yeah⌠11 SONGS WHERE THE ADDICTION IS REAL features songs courtesy of Amy Winehouse (âAddictedâ), Big K.R.I.T. (âAddictionâ), Billie Eilish (âMy Strange Addictionâ), J. Cole (âOnce an Addict â Interludeâ), and Zedd (âAddicted to a Memoryâ) among others.
1. Billie Eilish, âMy Strange Addictionâ
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? ⢠Darkroom / Interscope ⢠2019
âYou are my strange addiction⌠My doctors canât explain / My symptoms or my pain / But you are my strange addiction.â Charming. Following the ukulele-fueled â8,â Teen alt-pop artist Billie Eilishâs scintillating debut LP, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? rolls on with an addictive gem, âMy Strange Addiction.â Like much of the album that precedes it, thereâs marvelous minimalist production (her big bro, FINNEAS), as well as her own enigmatic, unique musical approach.
Speaking of enigma, âMy Strange Addictionâ possesses elements of the odd and bizarre. The song is further amplified by its lyrics, such as âDeadly fever, please donât ever break / Be u reliever âcause I donât self-medicate,â which hails from the second verse. Thereâs also the catchy pre-chorus before the chorus excerpted at the top of this blurb that says, âBad, bad news / One of us is gonna lose / Iâm the powder, youâre the fuse / Just add some friction.â  The overall draw of the record â the allure, if you will â is simply irresistible. Adding to the allure is âstrangenessâ of the record, which includes an intro, interlude, and outro. Addicting? You bet it is!
2. Lil Pump, âDrug Addictsâ
Harverd Dropout ⢠Warner Bros. â˘Â 2019
âI been smokinâ since I was eleven / I been poppinâ pills since I was seven.â Charming. What does one make of the Lil Pumpâs âjunkieâ record âDrug Addictsâ from his 2019 LP, Harverd Dropout? In regard to flow, heâs respectable. In regard to what heâs actually rapping about, itâs quite shameful. Obviously, being addicted to drugs is bad, and definitely shouldnât be glorified â it can potentially ruin anyoneâs life. Unfortunately, no one sent that memo to the totally inept teen rapper, who seems to be glorifying his personal drug use from a young age.
On the hook, as the title suggests, he raps about a âWhole gang full of drug addictsâ which includes âStarting the day off with a pint (yeah, brr-brr).â He later brags on the verse, âIn the courthouse off of ecstasy,â and adds, âEverybody âround me like them Oxyâs.â Besides being filled with substances, he also throws in sex, twice, referencing himself as the beneficiary you might say. Even with solid production work, a respectable flow, and a Charlie Sheen music video, âDrug Addictsâ still easily earned its spot among the worst songs of 2018.
3. Big K.R.I.T., âAddictionâ (Ft. Lil Wayne & Saweetie)
K.R.I.T. IZ HERE ⢠Multi Alumni, LLC / BMG Rights Management â˘Â 2019
âTold him, dive in, this shit feel like water (Dive in) / Dive in, this shit feel like water /⌠Addiction / Addiction / Addiction.â Clearly, on the chorus of âAddiction,â Saweetie isnât rapping about drug addiction but rather the addictiveness of sex, specifically her private parts. âAddictionâ is one of the main attractions of K.R.I.T. IZ HERE, the 2019 by Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. In addition to Saweetie joining him on âAddiction,â Lil Wayne appears as well.  Interestingly, âAddictionâ doesnât find Big K.R.I.T. self-producing â Rico Love and Don Corleone handle production duties.
Following Saweetie setting the sexual tone, Big K.R.I.T. gets down to business on the first verse. A prime example: âShe was bustinâ out the pipes from all the pressure in it / Itâll never be the same if I ever hit it.â Wow. He also ends with a bang when he spits, âDamn, so much of the wet she had to change clothes,â and. âDamn, so much water I could sink though.â Naturally, Lil Wayne, being the sexually charged being that he is, is the perfect collaborator, dropping naughty lyrics like âShe got that splish-splash, waterslide, Six Flags,â which certainly isnât about a theme park.
4. J. Cole, âOnce an Addict â Interludeâ
KOD â˘Â Dreamville / Roc Nation â˘Â 2018
âLost in a cloud of marijuana / Young Carolina nigga, fish out of water / Step-daddy just had a daughter with another woman / Mama ainât recover yetâŚâ In April 2018, J. Cole returned with his highly anticipated, fifth studio album, KOD. On KOD, the North Carolinian rapper speaks about relevant societal issues including drugs, money, and sex, in addition to âschoolingâ SoundCloud rappers.  The title means three different things: Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed, and Kill Our Demons. The addictive record of the bunch comes by way of âOnce an Addict â Interlude,â which appears towards the end of KOD as the ninth track.
Despite the fact âOnce an Addict â Interludeâ is labeled as an interlude, itâs as long (or longer) than the other full-length numbers. Here, on the record, J. Cole speaks about his motherâs addiction. The aforementioned verse continues:
âCallinâ me at 12 at night
She drunk as fuck and Iâm upset
âCause why she always using me for crutch?
⌠She kill a whole bottle of some cheap Chardonnay
I gotta leave this house âcause part of me dies when I see her like this
Too young to deal with pain
Iâd rather run the streets than see her kill herselfâŚâ
Clearly, his motherâs issues highly affected him, so much so that he wanted to run away from his problems. Even so, heâs regretful about running: âLittle did I know how deep her sadness would go / Lookinâ back, I wish I woulda did more instead of runninâ.â
5. Charlie Wilson, âNew Addictionâ
In It to Win It ⢠RCA â˘Â 2017
Charlie Wilson is the model of consistency in R&B music. The former lead vocalist for the Gap Band arguably possesses one of the best voices ever. At 64, he proved he was still a musical force on his 2017 album, In It to Win It. That said, he also had a problem â a âNew Addiction.â Fortunately, the ânew addictionâ for Charlie, Last Name Wilson was a positive one; heâs not addicted to drugs yâall!
âGirl, I need more than I ever had before
But I know-ow-ow
You can be my new addiction
Girl, I need more, so letâs take it out the door
But I know-ow-ow
You can be my new addiction.â
Clearly, all Charlie Wilson needs is this awesome lady in his life. At the end of the first verse, he sings, âRight now, all that I need, is you right by my side.â Of course, fueling that positivity is bright, soulful production, thatâs also hip enough to hang in the late 10s.  The positivity continues to shine on the second verse, where her beauty transcends beyond looks â âYou got a beautiful heart and a beautiful soul.â Of course, Charlie is drinking too (âSo the bottom of the bottle is reached and doneâ), but according to him, âItâs your love gettinâ me too.â Fair enough.
6. Gucci Mane, âAddictedâ
WOPTOBER ⢠Atlantic ⢠2016
âWhen I was on drugs so bad, you know, I talked different / I was drinking lean like crazy every day, I was out my mind.â Since being released from prison in 2016, Gucci Mane has been one of the most prolific rappers in the game. In 2016, he quickly released his comeback album, Everybody Looking, while later dropping WOPTOBER, a stream-only project. The main attraction of WOPTOBER was the drippy âBling Blaww Burr,â but unfortunately, that has nothing whatsoever to do with addiction. Luckily, the mush-mouthed southern rapper gives us âAddicted,â a perfect fit for this list.
âHi, my name is Gucci Mane, Iâm addicted to everything / Bad bitches, fast cars, weed, and promethazineâŚâ Yep, that pretty much says it all. Over banging, minor-key production by Will A Fool, Gucci shares his various addictions, demons, and vices, as well as the effects his addictions have had on others, and the addictions of others have had on him.
âMy daddy was an alcoholic, momma sheâs a junkie daughter
Cousinâ smokinâ crack, I guess she forgot all my aunt done taught her
Plus, I got two brothers that I donât know from a addicted family
And all the pain I caused my mother, bet she wished she had a daughter.â
On the second verse, Gucci asserts, âDemons in my ear, got me seeinâ things wasnât even there.â Prior to that, he references wrecking his Yellow Lamborghini âhigh on drugs,â and Smashing his black Ferrari due to his addictions. By the end of the verse, he declares:
âLookinâ in the mirror at myself, had to catch my breath
And tell myself, âGucci, you an addict!â Thatâs the first step.â
7. Tyrese, âAddictâ
Black Rose ⢠Voltron ⢠2015
The crème de la crème of Black Rose, the 2015 album by six-time, Grammy-nominated R&B artist and actor Tyrese, is undoubtedly âShameâ. âShameâ earned âRese two Grammy nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards (Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Song). As much as âShameâ is being mentioned, you cant tell just how much I wish I could feature it on this list. I canât because it doesnât fit the parameters. However, âAddict,â which commences Black Rose, is a perfect fit, not to mention an enjoyable, totally respectable song.
Really, the intro says it all when it comes to âAddictâ: âI canât get you off my mind / Thinking of you all the time.â Basically, Tyrese canât stop thinking about this lady on this sleekly produced joint. On the first verse, he asserts, âJust like a drug but better, baby, Iâm stuck on that / Canât get enough of our magic.â Fair enough. On the second verse, he states, âSo when I need a fix, you be my connect / Go too long without it, girl, itâs like Iâm a mess.â Yeah, thatâs that withdrawal. On the pre-chorus, he says, âJust one more hit baby / Gives me that feeling one more time.â Clever. Of course, the first step is admitting you have a problem, which Tyrese has NO PROBLEM whatsoever singing on the centerpiece, the chorus:
âIâm a addict, Iâm a addict
Every piece of your body I gotta have it
Iâm strung out, so far gone
Running in my veins, I canât leave you alone
Iâm a addict, Iâm a addict
Every piece of your body I gotta have it
Iâm strung out, so far gone
I know I gotta have you no matter what it costs.â
Yeah, the manâs addicted AF.
8. Zedd, âAddicted to a Memoryâ (Ft. Bahari)
True Colors ⢠Interscope ⢠2015
True Colors, the 2015 sophomore album by Grammy-winning, Russian-German DJ/producer Zedd is an enjoyable, pleasant listening experience. Perhaps the album isnât always incredibly distinct, with many songs running into one another, but itâs sound by all means. True Colors has its share of fine moments, including the opener which fits the bill of this particularly addict-fueled list, âAddicted to a Memory.â On the five-minute-plus âAddicted to a Memory,â Zedd enlists the services of pop/electronic music duo Bahari for the assist. Â
âWe are, we are a violent chemistry / Love has taken us as far as we can reach / But I canât leave.â Well, thatâs certainly, um, moody and thought provoking. Over the course of two verses, Bahari beautifully sings about the inability to move past, well, the past â âHolding on to what we used to be / Addicted to a memory.â More of the same happens, in poetic lyrical fashion on the second verse, as the reality sets in on the relationship. âWe are, we are in love enemies / We are sentimental slaves on broken knees,â Bahari sings, closing out the verse with the titular lyric. As for Zedd, well, he definitely puts in work. âAddicted to a Memoryâ is solidly assembled, beginning with more of a pop-oriented sensibility, before evolving into Zâs electronic fantasies. His classical music background definitely shows on this addicting opener. According to Zedd, via Genius, this is the song that got him signed to Interscope, years before it appeared on True Colors.
9. Ne-Yo, âAddictedâ
Because of You ⢠Island Def Jam â˘Â 2007
âYoung, energetic / Famous, but donât really sweat it / Rich enough, fairly hot â so basically, sex is not / Difficult to get / That ainât my fault (Naw, naw).â Ne-Yo has a legitimate point on âAddicted,â the fifth track off of his 2007 sophomore album, Because of You. âAddictedâ was a personal favorite from this album, but there were definitely more high-profile numbers â âBecause of Youâ, âCrazyâ, and âDo Youâ among them. Still, âAddictedâ is a surefire bop, more than a decade after it first bowed.
Building off of the aforementioned lyrical excerpt from the first verse, the chorus confirms that while Ne-Yo has sex and certainly enjoys sex, he is NOT addicted to it:
âNo
I
Am
Not
Iâm not addicted to sex
But girl I guarantee that if you lay with me
You just might be.â
Honestly, thatâs the premise. Has sex, likes sex, good at sex, but not addicted to sex. Furthermore, he âWonât apologize for being just a little freakyâ (verse two), and heâs âNever been shy about myself and sexualityâ (bridge). Besides the fun lyrics, another thing that makes âAddictedâ quite sublime is the bright, brassy production work, courtesy of Shea Taylor.
10. Amy Winehouse, âAddictedâ
Back in Black ⢠Universal Island ⢠2006
âIâd rather have myself and smoke my homegrown / Itâs got me addicted, does more than any dick did.â Hmm, perhaps thatâs why originally âAddictedâ didnât appear on the U.S. version of Back in Black, the Grammy-winning, 2006 retro-soul album by the late, great Amy Winehouse. The final line of the third verse of this groovy, hella soulful closing cut finds Winehouse voice her preference for potent weed over sex. Sheâs addicted to marijuana throughout this colorful joint⌠no pun intended.
The colorfulness begins at the beginning, as Amy Winehouse asserts, âTell your boyfriend next time he around / To buy his own weed and donât wear my shit out.â Hmm, again, one sees why this particular track mightâve been replaced with âYou Know Iâm No Good (Remix)â back in 2006. On the chorus, she goes on to sing, âWhen you smoke all my weed man / You got to call the green man / So I can get mine and you get yours.â So, basically, her friendâs boyfriend needs to get his money right and pay for his weed. Â Also, preceding (and complementing obviously) the lyric excerpted at the top of the blurb, Winehouse sings on the third verse, âIâm my own man so when will you learn / That you got a man, but I got to burn.â
11. Cannibal Corpse, âAddicted to Vaginal Skinâ
Tomb of the Mutilated ⢠Metal Blade â˘Â 1992
âSlowly turning me, into a flesh-eating zombie / Know this spell can only be broken / By the vaginal skins of young women / I proceed to find the meatâŚâ From an R&B song released in 2019 (âMy Skin My Logoâ), we rewind back 27 years to 1992 â what a swing.  Furthermore, the aforementioned lyrics incite a reaction nothing short of WTF. On âAddicted to Vaginal Skin,â American death metal band Cannibal Corpse provide the perfect tone poem to infamous necrophiliac and cannibal, Ed Gein.
âAddicted to Vaginal Skinâ appears on the album Tomb of the Mutilated, which also features other colorful, explicitly-titled songs such as âI Cum Bloodâ, âNecropedophileâ, âEntrails Ripped from a Virginâs C**tâ, and âPost Mortal Ejaculationâ. Definitely NSFW⌠UNDERSTATEMENT. âAddicted to Vaginal Skinâ is quite disgusting and explicit. See the following lyrics if you need further confirmation:
âThe curse is broken
I have a dependence on vaginal skin
Itâs become my sexual addiction
I must slit, the twitching clit
Rotted cavity, hold the juiceâŚâÂ
Of course, if youâve read up on Ed Gein, you understand he was nothing short of, um, disturbed. âAddicted to Vaginal Skinâ has appeared on multiple playlists including 11 Intriguing Songs That Reference Skin, 33 Great, If Disturbing Songs About Serial Killers and of course, A Twisted Soundtrack for Ed Gein: Butcher of Plainfield. By the way, this isnât the only song about Mr. Gein that fits the parameters of this skin-driven affair.
11 Songs Where the Addiction is Real [đˇ: Atlantic, BMG Rights Management, Darkroom, Dreamville, Interscope, Island Def Jam, Metal Blade, Multi Alumni LLC, Pexels, Pixabay, RCA, Roc Nation, Universal Island, Voltron, Warner Bros.]