Content warning: This article about Lil Wayne discusses suicide. If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Lil Wayne recently delved into his childhood mental health battles during a candid conversation with Emmanuel Acho on his YouTube series, Uncomfortable Conversations.
During the interview, Lil Wayne acknowledged that he first experienced tumultuous mental health at age 10, a decline that progressed to suicidal ideation. The rapper detailed a volatile encounter he had with his mother, where she threatened to ban him from rapping and discard a folder of his material.
“[The] main thought was, ‘I’m gonna show you.’ So I picked up the phone, I called the police. Yes, I knew where she kept 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…”
The encounter escalated, Lil Wayne explained that he initially took the gun to his temple, but “got a little too scared”. He instead shot himself in the chest, but “didn’t feel a thing” because of the shock. He passed out and woke to the sound of police knocking on his mother’s bedroom door.
The rapper thanks a sheriff he nicknamed Uncle Bob for saving his life. Recalling the incident, Wayne details that upon the police arriving, multiple officers walked over him when entering the home, looking for drugs and weapons, but Uncle Bob stopped to come to his care.
“It took a guy named ‘Uncle Bob.’ When he got there and he got to the top of the steps and saw me there, he refused to step over me,” Weezy recalls. “One of them yelled, ‘I got the drugs’ and that’s when he went crazy. He was like, ‘I don’t give a fuck about no drugs, do you not see the baby on the ground?’.” The officer went on to transport Lil Wayne to the hospital.
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As TMZ report, Weezy and Uncle Bob crossed paths back in 2019, during a hometown visit to New Orleans for a radio show. Upon reconnecting with the sheriff, Lil Wayne offered him financial assistance — an offer Bob declined. Though there are talks of Bob joining the Lil Wayne team in an administrative role.
Watch Lil Wayne sit down with Emmanuel Acho on Uncomfortable Conversations:
There are several immediately contactable hotlines that you can call if you or anyone you know needs help:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
- Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
- Headspace on 1800 650 890
- QLife on 1800 184 527
