Paul Wall is looking back on what he says was the impact of lean-focused reports involving Justin Bieber, arguing that pharmaceutical company Actavis “didn’t care” about their cough syrup being used recreationally until it became associated with the superstar in tabloids.
Speaking with The Art of Dialogue for a recent interview, the Once Upon a Grind artist spoke at length about his own past among “real drank sippers,” pointing out that the aim was never to “spotlight it like it’s the Batman signal to the whole world.” From there, he noted that doctors these days could wind up in trouble “because some dumbass put it on Instagram Live” instead of moving with discretion.
“We were real drank sippers,” Wall said. “We ain’t do that. … Even when we would talk about mentioning the brand names of the drink, nobody gave a fuck.”
In fact, Paul argued, it was only when their product was mentioned in reports about Bieber circa 2013 and 2014 that Actavis, specifically, started to take notice.
“Even Actavis, when that was around, nobody cared,” Wall said. “They didn’t care until Justin Bieber got caught sipping drank and when he had a bottle of Actavis in his house. Police went in there because he was egging his neighbor’s house and they went in there to see if he had the same eggs or some shit, and they found a bottle of drank. And now it’s all over TMZ and the news everywhere that Justin Bieber got cough syrup. That’s when Actavis said, ‘Nah, we don’t care if the rappers are doing it but if Justin Berber’s doing it, this has influenced a different type of generation.’”
In 2014, an Actavis rep was quoted in a TMZ report as citing “unlawful and dangerous use” of its promethazine and codeine syrup when announcing the end of its production and sales. Months earlier, the publication had reported on Bieber’s alleged use of the product.
“They don’t want the Justin Bieber fan,” Wall told The Art of Dialogue. “They don’t care if the rap fans drink it but they don’t want the Justin Bieber fans drinking it. So initially, that’s when they shut down all operations of making Actavis and that’s when all these other brands popped up and this and that. They make it the same but it’s different so it tastes different, feels different, all of that. It’s just different, but it is what it is.”
Bieber is currently fresh off the surprise release of a SWAG sequel, marking his second new album of 2025. In the wake of its release, many fans were quick to speculate about a possible third SWAG entry being on the horizon, though there's been no official word on that just yet.
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