One of hip-hop’s most provocative voices, Kodak Black, revealed over the weekend the real meaning behind a line from his hit song “Super Gremlin.” The controversial lyric—“I knew the Perc was fake, but I still ate it / ‘Cause I’m a gremlin —has been both celebrated for its rawness and criticized for its recklessness. Now, Kodak Black shares the real story behind the words, giving a peek into how his mind works and the personal struggles that inspired it.
Kodak Black says he regrets saying the fake perc line in Super Gremlins: “I was chewing 100 percs a day, if them sh*ts was fake i would’ve been dead” PIC.TWITTER.COM/QEJ1MLN19S
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Kodak Black, whose real name is Bill Kahan Kapri, has never been afraid to express the highs and lows that occur in his life through music. A talent for transforming his pains into influential art is undoubtedly on full display in “Super Gremlin,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum. However, the line about fake Percocets—a type of prescription painkiller—wasn’t just a throwaway rhyme. It looked into the dark period of his life.
During one of his recent concerts, Kodak addressed the line directly, expressing regret and concern: “I knew it was fake, but I still took it. I was in a bad place,” he confessed to the audience. He was taking 100 Percocet pills a day at his highest use in one of his most troubling moments. Many fans related to the realness in his words; people felt just how serious this situation was.
The battle with addiction is well-documented. Kodak turned to Percocet to help him get through the pain of a gunshot wound in 2022. Though it enabled him dull the physical hurt, it wasn’t long before it became a crutch for his emotional and mental struggles. As noted earlier, one line from “Super Gremlin” was a brutally honest depiction of dependency—a cry for help wrapped in a catchy hook.
By revealing the truth behind the lyric, Kodak Black is giving not only a view into his past but also issuing a stark warning from his platform. “I’m not proud of it,” he said. “It’s dangerous. I don’t want anyone to go down that road.”
Despite all the drama, “Super Gremlin” has become one of the biggest songs in Kodak’s discography. One can feel its haunting melody and raw lyrics, vividly translating a chaotic vibe of somebody wrestling with personal demons. To Kodak, however, it is a bittersweet success—the song showcases his talent and creativity but serves as a painful reminder of one of life’s harsh lessons.
The journey to sobriety has been a sweet and sour ride for Kodak Black. Reports state he spent an enormous $350,000 on rehab—a price he issues was very much worth paying into his future and sanity. Now sober, he is refocusing his attention on health and fatherhood. “I’ve got to be here for my kids,” he said. “They need me, and I need to be the best version of myself for them.”
This openness to his struggle has garnered him much respect and admiration from fans and peers alike. He hopes his story can help people going through the same. “It’s not easy, but it’s worth it,” Kodak said. “Every day is a step forward.”
The highly personal, potentially controversial line of “Super Gremlin” testifies to Kodak’s commitment to authenticity in his music. He wants to touch his audience deeper; through lyrics, he wants to show real rawness and discomfort stories. “I ain’t here sugarcoating nothing,” he said. “Life’s messy, and my music reflects it.”
Even with all of his growth, both as a blossoming artist and, more importantly, as a human, Kodak Black remained one of the most polarizing figures in rap. He had a remarkable ability, willingness really, to stare demons right in the face for the public eye and answer if not honestly, at least open up about them. “I’m just trying to be real with y’all,” he said. “We all got our struggles, but we ain’t got to let it conquer us.”
Although it is the very beginning for Kodak Black, his candor about his past and commitment to a healthier future do instill hope for redemption. “Super Gremlin” has turned from a song of personal turmoil into what now serves as an anthem for resilience and redemption, and in itself, that truly matters to Kodak Black.
