As the age old adage goes, it’s the battles fought in secret that are the worst kind.
Just ask Timbaland, who in a new interview is opening up about his private struggles with drug addiction and how he overcame it.
Head below for more…
In a gripping Rolling Stone feature, it’s revealed that the hitmaker started taking pain medication in his 30s, to help with nerve issues resulting from a gunshot wound he suffered as a teenager.
However his use spun out of control, and as his drug dependancy heightened. And thus started the downward spiral; his chart success declined, he blew through a lot of his money and his marriage collapsed. He ended up depressed and chronically addicted.
Speaking on the situation, he said:
“I was on drugs, dude. I was on OxyContin. Music is a gift and curse. Once you’re not popping, it plays with your mind. The pills helped block out the noise – I’d just sleep all day. I remember Jay-Z told me one time, ‘Don’t do no more interviews’ – because I was saying crazy shit.”
His new girlfriend Michelle added that she was worried that he may lose his life:
“It was so bad, to the point where I couldn’t even sleep. I’d put my hand right by his nose, just to see if he was still breathing.”
Scarily, it’s an occurrence that almost became a reality. Timbo explained:
“I woke up trying to catch my breath, like I was underwater. But through that whole thing I saw life – I saw where I would be if I don’t change, and where I could be if I did. [The next day] I thought about Michael Jackson I didn’t want to be old and taking these pills.”
Warning on the celebratory climate that surrounds use of powerful opiates like fentanyl in today’s music industry, he said:
“I came from the era of drug dealers [making rap hits]/ Now we’re in the era of drug users.
These kids come from a place where they don’t have money, don’t have a real home. It affects them, and you hear it in the music.”
As for himself, he’s in a much better place; focussing explicitly on family (especially his 10 year old daughter Reign), health, and new material.
He’s already crafted hits this for the likes of Sam Smith [‘Pray’] and is one of the integral players in the mix for Justin Timberlake‘s hotly anticipated new LP due next year. A project he says is “gonna put [JT] on another plateau.”
Also on his production plate are fresh releases from the likes of Zayn Malik, Rick Ross, Chris Martin, Wiz Khalifa, and a new solo record of his own.
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Kudos to Timbaland for shedding light on this.
We’ve lost far too many greats in recent memory to issues like those he was dealing with. Hence, by illuminating his struggles and recovery, he may very help save be saving others.