Lil Wayne is opening up about his mental health.
The 38-year-old Grammy award-winning rapper appeared on the internet series Uncomfortable Conversations With Emmanuel Acho on Saturday (August 15) and shared that he began dealing with mental health struggles around the age of 10.
Click inside to read what he said…
Lil Wayne explained that it had to do with being “told that I couldn’t have what I wanted, what I dream of, what I desired, and that was to rap. I was willing to die for it.”
He then described experiencing suicidal thoughts, which he eventually acted on at 12-years-old.
“Up until this point your fans have been led to believe that the scar from your chest was because you were playing with a gun,” host Emmanuel Acho said.
Lil Wayne then recalled lying to his mom, Jacida Carter, about his schedule at school so he could stay out of the house longer. When his mother found out, his aunt called him and said that he was in trouble and wouldn’t be allowed to rap anymore.
He then called the police to notify them prior to his suicide attempt, informing them that he knew where his mom kept her gun.
“[I] aimed for my heart,” the rapper said. “How I knew I had mental health problems was I pulled the trigger.”
The police arrived shortly after and Lil Wayne said he was saved by an officer.
He added that he thinks that the lack of transparency in his family contributed to his suicide attempt.
“So when you have no one to vent to, no one to get this out to, you can’t bring it to your friends at school. You’re still trying to be cool to them,” he said.
The experience also affected his mother’s parenting style, causing her to become less focused on discipline.
“The mom that I knew before that day, on my life and everyone’s life, I have never met or seen or heard that lady again in my life,” he shared. “So I didn’t die that day, but somebody was gone.”
He finished the interview by telling fans watching, “What I wish they knew is that it’s real and there is no bar to measure how real.”
Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) if you or anyone you know needs help.
See more celebrities who have opened up about their mental health in recent years.