"It would, when you're caught up, when you're actually caught up in the grips of addiction and all that, it's not like I could just stop, I needed to go to treatment. I needed to go to jail. I needed like something to happen in order for me to really hit that bottom."
Pittsburgh rapper Colicchie rose up from years of struggling with addiction to find success and hope in his music. A rapid decline into drug addiction in his teenage years led to troubles with the law and multiple stints in rehab in his early twenties. After getting clean at age 23, Colicchie began writing raps, turning stories from his tumultuous life into confessional, unflinchingly honest songs. Themes of addiction, depravity, and recovery came up time and time again in songs like "Drug Addiction," "Recover or Die," and "To Whom It May Concern." A video for "Drug Addiction" went viral in 2017, reaching millions of listeners, many of whom were struggling with addiction themselves and took inspiration from Colicchie's story.
Colicchie was born Chas Smith in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up without a father, raised by grandparents who picked up the slack for Smith's mother, who dealt with addiction herself. He began experimenting with drugs in his early teens and was fully immersed in heroin and crack addiction by the end of high school. Years of substance abuse led Smith to a dangerous life on the streets and multiple overdoses, all bracketed by short-lived attempts to give drugs up. In 2005 he began rapping, using the creative outlet to support his efforts to stay clean. Performing around Pittsburgh and working toward recording music, Smith drew content for his songs from his own harrowing experiences with addiction and recovery.
Social Media Links
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/colicchie
YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFODwqBogxHFegseFsVHh5A
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/colicchie
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