Houston Drug Lord On Being Codeine Kingpin, Making Millions Every Day, Causing OPIOID CRISIS

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Johnny Mitchell

True Crime

4.3 • 562 Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2026

⏱️ 113 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode Houston legend Mike D — the man many call the original King of Lean — unpacks the true story behind codeine culture in the American South. Before “lean” was a mainstream rap flex… before double cups and purple memes… there was a street-level hustle that changed Houston forever. Mike D breaks down how promethazine with codeine went from a quiet substitute for heroin to a full-blown cultural phenomenon — influencing DJ Screw, the Screwed Up Click, and icons like Pimp C, Bun B, and Lil Wayne. What started as something passed around on the corner turned into an underground empire moving thousands of dollars a day — long before law enforcement even understood what was happening. In this interview, we cover: * How Mike D became Houston’s go-to supplier * The birth of “drank” culture inside DJ Screw’s house * The economics of the codeine black market * Street wars between Houston neighborhoods * Texas prison brutality and plantation-style incarceration * The real story behind Pimp C’s death * Addiction, droughts, and what happens when supply dries up * How music and drugs fed off each other to build a movement This isn’t just a drug story. It’s a story about culture, capitalism, addiction, loyalty, betrayal — and how one underground market reshaped Southern hip-hop forever. From Astroworld fights to state prison bids… from Mercedes at 16 to moving cases of syrup… Mike D tells it all. Go Support Mike! YouTube: @1on1wMikeDpodcast Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 00:00 Introduction & Mike D's Beginnings 01:20 Early Hustle, Music & Street Life 07:16 Houston's Hood Culture & Neighborhood Conflicts 17:51 Inside State Prison and Houston's Rap Legends 19:35 This Episode Is Sponsored By CashApp 21:12 Pimp C, UGK & Houston's Musical Roots 27:47 The Origins of Lean & Houston's Drug Culture 32:12 Spreading Lean Culture, The Detail Shop, and DJ Screw 38:42 This Episode Is Sponsored By Betterhelp 39:52 The Screw House, Houston Rap Scene & Lean Epidemic 45:50 Market Growth, Addiction & Codeine Business Expands 52:44 Scarcity, Turf Wars & Million Dollar Moves 59:42 The California Connection & Smuggling Lean 01:10:32 Law Enforcement, Risks, and Hustle Tactics 01:17:12 Market Collapse, Addiction, and the Opioid Shift 01:29:30 The Bust, Downfall & Lessons from the Game 01:42:43 Legacy, Chopped & Screwed, and the Codeine Cowboy 01:46:42 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Mike D Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	So you're making like $8,000.
0:01.9	Just say a day.
0:02.9	Brick money.
0:03.8	Easy.
0:04.5	What is bar exactly?
0:05.9	It's called lean.
0:19.0	It's called drink. It's called bar. I call it the devil's blood. Because once you take a sip, it's over. You started out drinking it. Were you even selling it? Or were you just giving it away at a party? Drink all you can and sell the rest, basically. That was the money. Because you have a pint for days.
0:20.0	It's the fastest selling drug.
0:22.0	It's the only one that. That was the night. Because you have a pint for days. It's the fastest selling drug.
0:22.6	It's the only one that people want all of it.
0:24.7	If you guys said we wanted and we're there.
0:27.3	Today, I sit down with Mike D, a Houston drug kingpin who became the biggest supplier of codeine to the American South.
0:35.8	Mike virtually introduced this opioid cough medicine to the masses in the early 1990s,
0:41.9	and had a huge influence on Southern culture and rap icons like Pimp C, UGK, 36 Mafia, Little Wayne, and so many more.
0:50.0	When you listen to your favorite rappers rapping about Lean and Syrup today, they got their
0:54.6	habit and their slang from Mike.
0:56.7	I've talked to a lot of drug kingpins on this show, but none who literally invented a market.
1:02.4	That was Mike D.
1:03.5	Make sure to check out one-on-one with Mike D on YouTube and anywhere you get podcasts.
1:08.7	Ladies and gentlemen, swanging down and sit in sideways,
1:12.2	it's the King of Lean, Mike D, right here on The Connect with Johnny Mitchell.
1:20.0	This is what we first.
	...

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