Lil Wayne revealed he survived a suicide attempt at the age of 12.
The 38-year-old rapper discussed struggling with mental health issues from a young age while appearing on the Uncomfortable Conversations podcast with Emmanuel Acho.
Wayne — who’s full name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. — recalled the traumatic incident where he shot himself in the chest with his mother’s gun following a phone call with his aunt who said he wouldn’t be allowed to pursue music after ditching class.
Traumatic: Lil Wayne revealed he survived a suicide attempt at the age of 12
The musician described the series of events leading up to his attempt where his mother found out he had been truant from school and was on her way home to punish him for his actions.
Fearing the repercussions, Wayne told Emmanuel he found his mom’s weapon and positioned it against his head.
‘I was just looking and was like you know what — start thinking I had to get myself mad and then noticed I didn’t have to,’ he said. ‘That’s what scared me. And how I know I have mental health problems was [that] I pulled the trigger.’
Difficult time: The musician described the series of events leading up to his attempt where his mother found out he had been truant from school and was on her way home to punish him for his actions
‘I was just looking and was like you know what — start thinking I had to get myself mad and then noticed I didn’t have to,’ he said. ‘That’s what scared me. And how I know I have mental health problems was [that] I pulled the trigger’
He called the police and then shot himself in the chest.
‘As a kid, all you remember is that when you’re going to see the white and I thought that was the white — I swear to God I did.
‘Then, the knocking woke me up out of that, but then they stopped and once they stopped knocking I said, “OK, they must’ve left.” It took too long. It took too long for getting me to that death. I was still just laying there and didn’t feel a thing, but it was taking too long. So, I said s*** I am here for a reason.’
‘The blood was pouring out of my chest so much that it made it easy for me to slide with my shirt on the wood across the floor. I made it all the way there. All the energy I had left was to kick the door,’ he said.
Law enforcement officials found his body, but instead of administering medical attention, they searched the home for drugs and other weapons.
Tough: The 38-year-old rapper discussed struggling with mental health issues from a young age while appearing on the Uncomfortable Conversations podcast with Emmanuel Acho
‘The blood was pouring out of my chest so much that it made it easy for me to slide with my shirt on the wood across the floor. I made it all the way there. All the energy I had left was to kick the door,’ he said
A man named Uncle Bob ran up the steps and immediately helped Wayne, with the rapper recalling: ‘I was spitting all in his face, blood and everything and all I was trying to tell was I’m not a baby. He kept saying, “Do you not see the f***ing baby on the ground with a hole in his chest?”‘
‘He was screaming at them … and he must’ve been the boss because they all came in the room and was like, “Oh sorry boss, we called the ambulance” and he was like, ‘I don’t give a f—.'”
Wayne credited God with saving his life that day and added he was never truly able to discuss his mental health with his mother.
‘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 because you’re still trying to be cool to them, you’re not tryna let them know, “I got something going on at home,”‘ he said. ‘Also, what I never said was… 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.’
‘So I didn’t die that day, but somebody was gone. She’s never been that way ever again,’ he continued. ‘As far as the parents out there, obviously that was an eye-opener for her. And what she decided to do was, I let my flower grow.’
‘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 because you’re still trying to be cool to them, you’re not tryna let them know, “I got something going on at home,”‘ he said