All language subtitles for black.market.with.michael.k.williams.s01e04.480p.hdtv.x264.rmteam

the American culture,

You know, it's escapism
at the end of the day,

which I -- you know,

I've been known to subscribe to
in my life.

What's the situation with the
lean out here on the streets?

Man: All it is is heroin
back over again.

Yeah, liquid heroin.

When you first start...
with it, though, like,

you don't really know,
you know what I'm saying?

Tastes just like candy.

Mother...will just
try to sip it to be cool,

but after you try to sip it
to be cool,

you started getting hooked.

And let's say one week,
you're like,

"I ain't got it."

You're gonna need it.

[ Door creaks open ]

Michael: Our goal is just
to simply show the world

a window as to why people
do the things they do,

where that desperation
comes from.

It's like they say,
when the system fails you,

you create your own system.

[ Engine starts ]

♪

Right now, we're
in Houston, Texas,

invited to a little
local barbecue

at this spot, Fly Rydes.

Show me a little
southern hospitality.

So, we about to get it in,
Houston style.

♪

-What up, homie?
-What's going on, man?

All right, all right.
What you got on the grill today?

Man, I got some, uh, pork ribs,
beef ribs, some wings.

I got some steaks
I'm fitting to put on.

Oh, man, bro.

It just so happened,

I just -- I just happened
to bring my appetite

'cause I'm hungry
as a mother...

Baby, around here, we fix
everything but a broken heart.

-Oh, man.
-[ Laughs ]

Yeah, we cook,
we build cars.

we do everything, man.

Michael: I met up with a DJ
and record producer, OG Ron C.

And like all the rest
of these dudes out here, man,

he's proud
of the Houston culture.

OG Ron C: Oh, you know,
it's the homie spot, man.

This is where they come
to get fly at, man.

That's why
it's called Fly Rydes,
you know what I'm saying?

Whoo!

Whoo!

Michael: There's no beer
at this barbecue.

These dudes are all drinking
what's called lean.

Come on, fellas.

Basically,
lean is a mixture of codeine

promethazine cough syrup,
soda, and candy.

♪

So, what's good, man?

Drinking big, eating big.

I heard that.

So -- so, I see various
glass bottles.

Check it out, man.
Check it out.

Just sniff it, man.

Yeah, man, we got this down
to a science, man.

That's what we do.
-Yeah, it smell like candy.

That is candy --
grown man candy.

Especially like --
grown man candy.

Michael:
Dudes call it sizzy, oil,

drank, just to name a few.

Yeah, I overpoured
a little bit, but it's cool.

Everybody was just chill,
you know?

It's relaxing.

How much did you pour
to make you a drink?

A whole one of these.
You would pour
a whole one of those.

In a 2 liter.
-2 liter. Gotcha.

-That's a good drank.
-Okay.

Or you can pour you
a half of this here.
Uh-huh.

That's what
the baby bottle for.

Y'all don't see no kids.

So, how did it start?

Shit, we couldn't buy
them, you know,

$100 bottles of Cristal.
-Yeah, yeah.

We was more on some
doing our own thing,

and it's been that way.

Hey, this is some shit
we -- we -- we originated.

♪

Michael: Drinking lean got
started in Houston,

but now the whole country
seems to be enjoying it.

I'm curious to find out how
this prescription cough syrup

became so popular
on the black market.

To understand lean culture,

you have to understand
Houston's music.

And OG Ron C invited me
to the studio.

That's where the best work
is done, man.

Got to find
your comfort zone.

He's, like, one of the kings
behind the chop and screw sound.

He's a DJ. He has one
of the hottest radio stations

in Houston, Texas.

Yeah, so this is where
the magic is done right here.

Man, just liking the pitch
you know, with the record,

you know,
you pitch it down.

You know, everybody chilling,
having a good time.

DJ Screw is always,
you know, at the turntables.

DJ Screw, he's like the pioneer
in the hip-hop community.

Slowed down the music
to the vibration of the people

and the high of the day.

I got to live
my alter-ego dream

of one day becoming a rapper.

And this dude, A.C.,

he's mixing lean over
in the kitchen.

You want the right
type of ice.

Shit.

This is the original one

that, you know, you hear about
in all the songs.

Actavis, the purple stuff.

When Actavis came out,

that's when it got,
like, crazy popular nationwide.

And now Actavis is discontinued.

This is the new shit, the red.

Hi-tech is the champagne,
the...Jordans of drank.

You can spend from, like,
$700 to $1,000.

Changes colors,
makes things look pretty,

you know what I'm saying?

People -- oh...

There's a hole in that one.

Michael: A.C. -- dude is like
a chemist, man.

Just, he's so serious about
how they make their lean drink.

♪

Worst thing in the world
in the drank game

is an oil spill.

That's when you spill
your...drank.

It's like an oil spill
in real life.

It...up the environment,
everybody's sad.

Mic check, one, two.

[ Distorted rapping ]

Can you turn it up
a little bit?

[ Rap music playing ]

♪ I'm the Baltimore bad guy ♪

♪ Like old Georgetown Hoyer ♪

♪ Gun for hire,
equal opportunity employer ♪

♪ But you don't know
just who I am ♪

OG Ron C:
Oh, yeah, baby.

-You heard me?
-Unh.

[ Record scratches ]
Check it out.

[ Distorted ]
♪ I'm the Baltimore bad guy ♪

♪ Like old Georgetown Hoyer ♪

♪ Gun for hire,
equal opportunity employer ♪

I got to hear myself
on the chop and screwed track.

I think that's definitely one
of the highlights of my career.

That's love right there, man.
That's love right there.

Yeah, brother.
I appreciate that.
Like, damn.

Appreciate y'all, man -- y'all
showing me your talent, man.

Thank you
for coming out, man.

Thank you for just, you know,
embracing the city, man.

A lot of people don't really
actually know deep.

We ain't just
doing it on a season,

like, this is what we do every
day, you know what I'm saying?

Been doing it.
Nothing but love, baby.

Yes, sir.

♪

Michael: If I was a betting man,
this looks like this

is what you do
in Houston, Texas.

Nice way to spend
a Sunday afternoon.

What's up, my brother?
What's up, baby?

Interesting thing
to see in Houston,

no one was drunk, you know,

and with that came
a certain calmness

in all this heat
and all this blackness.

I didn't see nobody
get belligerent or ignorant.

Everybody was just chill.

Ron: Now, if someone
was doing heroin,

they're gonna look at them
and say,

"Man, what's wrong
with this guy?"

But if somebody has a little
lean in their cup,

that's a player.

You're drinking player potion.

They're opiates, but one
has high social approval,

and the other one doesn't.

♪

Michael: Lean originated
in Houston, but eventually,

it spread to cities
all across Texas.

We on our way to Dallas right
now to hang out with A.C.

to see how he does
his thing with his lean.

[ Cellphone dialing, ringing ]

This is -- this is Aaron.

I'm on my way over there

to pick up a refill --
Promethazine with Codeine,

the cough syrup.

But I use it like
how I always do.

And now I'm out.

We got to go to the hood
to go get, like,

these...up flavored sodas

like peach Crush or Big Blue,
you know what I'm saying?

Should I go with the Faygo?
What's up, man?

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Fully stocked,
Styrofoam's already ready.

Yeah, I need a cup.

I drank.
I need some syrup.

That's up.

[ Laughs ]

People will cruise
and go to these 7-Elevens.

And there's this one soda
that people just hoard,

the mango pineapple,

'cause it goes so well
with the red.

Syrup drinkers,
that's what we are.

See, everybody
know what it was.

All the chicks,
they already know

what it is -- everybody drink.

♪

Michael: You know, um, with me
being a recovering addict,

I could get sucked
into tying my shoe

if it makes me feel good.

On a summer afternoon,

you see those colorful drinks,

ice and the white cup.

It sounds sexy.

Man: How old are you?

Ah.

Back in the day,
I knew mother...who would,

like, rob pharmacies,

do all kinds of crazy
shit like that.

Yeah.

[ Man laughs ]

A.C.: It got popularized
through the music and shit.

[ Man laughs ]

A.C.: People just
drinking...drank like it's beer.

♪

Michael: One of the main
reasons lean got so popular

was through the music.

You know, when you got artists
like Lil' Wayne, Future,

even Justin Bieber singing
about it in music,

it's only a matter of time
before that shit catches on.

Soulja Boy is a Grammy-nominated
rapper in Atlanta,

drinking lean proudly.

Soulja Boy: Every time I drink,
I got to work.

It just calms you down.

It does make you
more creative.

And my music just
start going crazy.

My number was going 5
million views,

7 million views
was 'cause of the lean.

Everybody want it.
It's mainstream now.

Actavis.
Y'all see my cup.

Look at my cup, though.

In Houston,
the users that I met

are predominately grown men.

They drink their lean,
they eat their barbecue,

and they play their music.

You know, they drive around
in -- in their slabs,

and everybody goes home

and, you know,
make love to their girl.

[ Chuckles ]

But what I saw in L.A.
was, uh --

that was a whole 'nother horse
of a whole 'nother color.

So, we gonna lock in
with the homie Ochoe, you heard?

[ Laughter ]

Man:
Mother...jug, man.

Drank man.

Good cup of lean tatted on me
'cause I love lean.

Michael: Yeah, just out
here in Cali right now,
you know what I mean?

We're trying to find out
what's really going on

with the lean scene.

Ochoe: The first time I tried
my first cup, Texas.

They put me on, you feel me?

I thought I was cool
and everything.

The homies did it --
all right, cool.

This is something like the new
rich man's drug, you feel me?

-Mm.
-Before, it used to be coke.

This is really what mother...
are on now.

If you got bread, this is
what you're on right now --

the Actavis.
-Mm.

Man: Once that culture
come in, it's like,

you start treating this
like the high elbow,

because don't understand
when you sipping,

you got a cup in your hand,
that cup could be $500.

You know what I mean,
so it -- it's different.

Man: Do you link lean
with death?

-You can die off of it.
-Yeah.

♪

Michael: We spoke
with this dealer named Jimmy.

You know, he broke it down
to me how he gets it.

You're in California right now,
it's hard to get Actavis.

You go to the doctor,
you get a 'scrip.

That's the best way
to get it.

He did the stethoscope
on my back,

and then just wrote
the prescription real quick.

Michael: You know,
these companies got scared,

and so they started
to discontinue various brands.

Like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa,

we don't want any part
to do with this."

This bottle here, back in 1993,
costs about $100.

Actavis now costs
on the street anywhere

from $2,500 a pint to $3,500.

There's still some out there --
a pint.

The cartel stepped up
and started making Actavisa,

which is like this fake Actavis,

and they bring that shit
over in, like, fruit trucks.

If you get the wrong shit,
your life's over.

Michael: We got it in right now
with a direct liaison

with the Mexican cartel,
which is how

Actavisa is hitting
the streets of L.A.

I see you got
two bottles right there.

Tell me what's
in those bottles?

Is that the same
as Actavis?

Who do you work for
in Mexico?

How long have you
been in business?

Per shipment, how many
bottles will you get?

[ Horns honking ]

♪

Shane:
People call it liquid heroin,
you know, I'll be real with you.

But you got to know
what you're sipping.

If you're just sipping it
and telling yourself,

"Ah, it's...water.
It's candy."

Like, of course,
you're gonna...--

one day it's gonna hit you,
like,

"What the...am I doing?"

Michael: The way the --
the new generation

has decided to adapt
to the culture of drinking lean,

it's much more dangerous.

Ron: Young kids, they don't
drink it with just one drug.

It may be muscle relaxers.
It may be ecstasy.

It may be Xanax.

What else can we put
in the gumbo?

It's about to be here.
I can hear it.

♪ It's fittin'
to be a drop off ♪

It's promethazine with codeine.

It's just a different --
it's a brand that I didn't want.

Ron: They becoming their own
little chemists,

where everybody's trying to say

what goes good
with codeine promethazine.

It's just a little
extra little...medicine

for your nostrils
to help you breathe better.

I'm just gonna pour it.
G, how much do you
want me to pour?

Man: Pour the whole
thing in, man.

-The whole thing? All right.
-Yeah.

It's the same amount
of codeine as Actavis,

High-tech every other brand,

the same amount of codeine.

It's the fact that
it's QualiTest,

and in people's mind,

"Oh, my God, QualiTest
doesn't taste as good."

Man: He didn't pay, like,
75 bucks for that bottle.

You think so?

No, at the end
of the day, yeah.

Some people drop pills
in their drink

and let it dissolve.

Turn up.
He's turnt the...up.

It's these right here --
all of this.

This mixed with that.
[ Laughs ]

This is...

Oh, no.

[ Retching ]

The turn up is real.

Squaw, squaw, squaw.

Man: Like I was
doing last night.

Them things will do damage.

[ Dog whines ]

This game is...up.

[ Siren wails ]

Michael:
My last stop in L.A.,

I met up with these dudes
who showed me

how dangerous lean
can really be.

[ Tattoo needle buzzing ]

What is the situation

with the lean out here
on the streets?

-The lean is rolling right now.
-Yeah?

Mother...will just try
to sip it to be cool,

but after you try to sip it
to be cool,

you start getting hooked.

And once you're hooked,
that's when you start

really spending
your bread on it.

And that's when
it starts consuming you.

And let's say one week,
you're, like, "I ain't got it."

You're gonna need it.

Even when I stopped, like,
you go through them cold sweats

and shit, that crackhead shit,
you feel...

-Withdrawal?
-Yeah.

Niggas say they don't go
through that shit full of shit.

Go to this nigga house
one night, like, let's pour up.

...it, let's pour up.
Pour a four in a two.

Just me and him,
we sipped the whole 2-liter,

smoked hella blunts,
we go to a strip club.

Leave there,
we go to his homie's house,

pour another four
in the two.

Sip that, smoke up.

Then I get home, I must have
mother...fell asleep.

Something, I don't
know what it was,

but you know what I'm saying,
by the grace of God,

I opened my eyes.

And I was waking up,
trying to fight for the shit.

I had a heart attack
off that shit.

That shit right there,
nigga, was scary.

Like, nigga, like, you ain't
got no control over that.

You trying to sock
your...
Yeah, yeah.

You know, it's like,
they put that --

[ Imitates defibrillator ]
Pop nigga's heart,

so I'm just socking my shit,

and my shit's still
not coming back.

And then I finally
started breathing.

And I'm breathing in so deep,
I pass out.

-Yeah.
-Almost took my shit.

Like, I done been
in shoot-outs.

I done been shot at,
all kinds of shit,

but that shit right there,
nigga, was scary.

[ Rap music playing ]

Michael:
In 2000, the scene's pioneer,

DJ Screw, was found dead

in his recording studio
at age 29.

High levels of codeine
promethazine among other drugs

were found in his blood.

But, uh, you cannot
get one person to say

that DJ Screw died
from drinking lean.

They say get back to me
when you ask the people

who created cigarettes
and alcohol.

But with these opiates,
the lure of addiction

is definitely a reality.

A.C.: Yeah, like,
when I was in school,

I'd be in class sipping drank.

I spent, like, $15,000
just on my teeth

'cause it's like all the sugar,
like, rots your teeth.

It just became like
water or Gatorade.

All this belly
and all this extra weight.

I'm...36 now.

I have a kid,
and I don't want to be, like,

40 years old
and sipping syrup, you know.

I'll probably be
retiring very soon.

I've said that countless
times, though.

♪

Michael: I love A.C., man.

I think he's hella smart.

But I see he is
looking for a change,

but where he will be, I don't --

only -- only -- only --
only God knows, you know?

We can't take all the drugs
out of society.

We shouldn't blame these people

that are the lower level

because the real people
that are making the real money

that's putting this out are
these pharmaceutical companies.

And it's a lot of money
made off of this.

There are all types of escapism.

Some people do it through food,
gambling, shopping,

you know, television.

People are self-medicating,
you know.

It's -- it's a --
it's a vicious cycle.

♪