Busta Rhymes Reflects on His Weight Loss Journey
After tipping the scale at 300 lbs during the pandemic and numerous medical scares, Busta Rhymes made a game plan to reclaim his health and well-being.
In a candid interview with Men's Health, the celebrated rapper, who received this year's BET Lifetime Achievement Award in June, opened up to the outlet on what motivated him to come to terms with his health and what he is doing to maintain his results.
The rapper told the outlet that not reconciling his father's death led him to compensate his grief with poor nutrition, drinking, and smoking. He also has polyps on his vocal cords which he attributes to 90% of a blockage on his throat.
But things took a turn during a night of passion. "I was having a really difficult time breathing, so I got up and I walked out of the bedroom so she wouldn't panic seeing me trying to keep myself calm," he recounted. When he finally returned, the woman confronted him. "She was like, 'You gotta lose this weight. This breathing is scaring me. When I met you, you wasn't like a musclehead, but you, you was slim, you was cut, you had your shit right. I need you to get back to who I fell in love with'", he explained.
The rapper had another scare in 2019 when he passed out in his car, and had to be carried into his house. Those things, plus being unable to playfully interact with one of his sons the way he was used to motivated change.
He told the outlet, "I was also scared about surgery for the polyps on my vocal cords because my voice is how I feed my family—the voice is the dragon."
"I ran from the surgery as long as I could, but after that weekend I saw the doctor and he looked at my throat and he said I could die in my sleep. That's when I got surgery and started to get back in shape", he continued.
In this new season of his health journey, Busta Rhymes said he has “transformed” his body three times and that “it's 'my season' again.”
He continued, “The most important thing in life is self-preservation…Find that balance mentally and spiritually so that you can find that peace of mind and that happiness to be your best self. Not just for you, but for the people that you love.”
