Timbaland on Jay-Z & Drake Helping Him Through Darkest Moment of Addiction
Written by SOURCE on May 16, 2023
Timbaland credits Jay-Z and Drake for being voices of reason during the darkest moment of his life.
Timbaland spoke with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, where he said around the 1:04:00 mark that his addiction started with Vicodin, which “made me feel like Superman, it made me get over everything.” The Verzuz co-founder later revealed he was taking 160 milligrams of OxyContin every day.
“Everybody that I know who done that have died, so I think I even died at one point in time,” he recalled. “I had an out-of-body experience where I was laying in the bed, and I saw myself laying in the bed. From that point on, God has changed my mind, and I didn’t go to a doctor. I did it cold turkey.”
The legendary producer admitted that his addiction changed how he conducted himself in public. Jay-Z took notice, and advised him to avoid doing interviews. Drake also reached out to “check” him on his behavior, which he appreciated, saying, “those guys are special to the world.”
“Now, once they give you the information, it’s up to you to use it,” Timbaland added. “I didn’t come out until the darkness, man, and that’s why I say, it’s all love with these guys. They helped me during my darkest moment.”
About an hour into his discussion with Sharpe, Timbaland praised Jay-Z for not only helping him, but shaping their unique collaborative bond.
“Jay-Z is a prophet. … God sent him,” he proclaimed. “I’ve never seen nobody like Hov. Hov actually raised me, and he don’t even know it. He raised me in the music business. He was so prolific, so wise beyond his age, that I was just amazed at just watching him. That’s why I had a different bond with Jay when it comes to my music. It was like we were rewriting the Bible, in a way. Or rewriting history as it was gonna be.”
