Kid Cudi. Kanye West. Even Pharrell. Some of the biggest musicians on the planet aren’t immune to depression and sadness, and Timbaland said that he is no exception in a new Rolling Stone interview.
A combination of a failing marriage, a lull in work and an addiction to prescription killers almost killed the mega-producer, he revealed in the interview. “Music is a gift and curse,” he says. “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 sh*t.”
After getting shot as a teenager, Tim started taking OxyContin to deal with the subsequent pain in his thirties. In 2014, he suffered a near-death experience from the drug.
“All I can tell you is that there was a light,” he says. “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.”
Determined to kick the addiction, Timbaland took himself off Oxy and re-dedicated his life to his music and his health. Since then he looks younger than ever, and he recently produced “Pray” on Sam Smith‘s chart-topping album The Thrill Of It All. He also has a collaboration with Young Thug on the way, and he confirms that he has completed work on Justin Timberlake‘s forthcoming fifth album.
(Side note: we’re still waiting on your beat battle with Swizz Beatz!)
The entire article can be read here.
