Hip-hop superstar Lil Wayne sat down and got real candid about his past mental health struggles — including a suicide attempt when he was only 12 years old. The 5-time Grammy-winner hopes that sharing his story will inspire others to take their mental health seriously and speak up when they need help.
Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., spoke with host, commentator, and activist Emmanuel Acho for his Uncomfortable Conversations series and reflected on surviving the suicide attempt as a child.
“[I’m] hoping I can help anyone else out there who’s dealing with mental health problems by… being vulnerable,” the “No Ceilings” rapper shared. “To me, I look at it by being brave and stepping up.”
Lil Wayne said he realized he had mental health struggles at the age of 10. He went on to explain that his thoughts were everywhere after one of his aunts told him that he wouldn’t be able to work on his rap career after getting in trouble with his mom for skipping class when he was 12.
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“I picked up the phone, I called the police,” the 38-year-old rapper revealed. “Yes, I knew where she put her gun and it was in her bedroom. And so I went in her bedroom, grabbed the gun. I already made the phone call, looked in the mirror.”
Lil Wayne revealed that he pointed the gun to his head before he got a little too scared.
“Then I said, ‘F**k it,'” he said while pointing a finger at the left side of his chest. “Biggie was on. I’m looking in the mirror. So, you could look through the mirror and the television was behind me. So, I was watching the video through the mirror. ‘One More Chance’ was on. And think Biggie was already gone or something.”
He continued, “So, I was looking, I was like, ‘You know what?’ Start thinking I had to get myself mad and noticed that I didn’t have to, that’s what scared me.”
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“How I knew I had a mental health problem was when I pulled the trigger,” the “6 Foot 7 Foot” rapper said, explaining that he aimed for his heart.
Lil Wayne said that he was…
