I've done somethings as a teen that still haunt me so I know about masking....The only rapper to really make me say "OK this dude has demons from doing dirt and he's speaking on how u just have to deal with it, live with it and keep pushing and leave that in the past" is Jay Z on his 2nd verse on the song Regrets
but it's this game love, I'm caught up all in it
They make it so you can't prevent it, never give it
you gotta take it, can't fake it I keep it authentic
My hand got this pistol shakin, cause I sense danger
like Camp Crystal Lake and
don't wanna shoot him, but I got him, trapped
within this infrared dot, bout to hot him and, hit rock bottom
No answers to these trick questions, no time shyt stressin
My life found I got ta live for the right now
Time waits for no man, can't turn back the hands
once it's too late, gotta learn to live with regrets
This is the number one rule for your set
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets
On the, rise to the top, many drop, don't forget
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets
U mentioned 50...But I say both 50 and Jay are both sociopaths....They can do regretful dirt and keep it moving. I feel the same about Monster Kody he's a sociopath because all 3 can come off like regular cool dudes Only difference between the 3 is Monster used drugs to mask his shyt and he fell off....those regrets got to him. 50 and Jay on the other hand dont do drugs and they went on to take the rap game by storm.....So that told me that if u got them demons from doing dirt and u can keep moving without drugs u can be a serious businessman on some takeover shyt. We call them geniuses but its really that sociopath drug free spirit in my opinion.
Look at G Dep....He killed ol boy and those demons got to him and he became a drug addict.....When he turned himself in the victims family even looked at him funny for turning himself in and confessing. He couldnt live with the regrets and stay drug free at the same time, he had to mask it till it broke him.