Words by Nick Slay
Just weeks after New Jersey’s Attorney General sues Purdue Pharma LP for deceptively marketing Oxycontin and fueling the state’s opioid crisis, famed producer Timbaland admits to Rolling Stone his relationship with the addictive pain medication. Opioid misuse and dependency is at an all time high in America. It’s even to brink where President Donald Trump has declared the “opioid crisis” as a health emergency. Adding to the controversy that pharmacies and doctors are now under fire for illegally selling the drug, it seems like the problem is only getting worse. However, Timbo still dropped a bombshell by admitting the drug almost took his life.
Many people don’t realize that Timbaland suffered lingering nerve damage from a gunshot wound he received in his teens. So like many Americans he was prescribed the powerful drug, without knowing it’s addictive effects if used daily. Due to the euphoric effects of oxycodone, many people abuse the drug despite the risks. Those who begin abusing oxycodone (which is formulated to make the Oxycontin pill) on a regular basis are likely to develop a dependence on the drug. Oxycodone is extremely addictive because it is derived from opiates, making it similar to morphine and heroin. The magazine quotes Timbaland as saying:
He eventually did suffer what he believes to be a near-death overdose while sleeping three years ago. All I can tell you is that there was a light. 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.
The producer who has just finished working on Justin Timberlake’s new album, was to point that his girlfriend Michelle even recounts that she truly believed he was going to die in his sleep. Michelle said, “It was so bad, to the point where I couldn’t even sleep…I’d put my hand right by his nose, just to see if he was still breathing.” Fortunately, Timbaland was able to turn it around and get back to the magician of rhythm we know him to be. He is currently working on a solo album, which will feature Zayn Malik, Rick Ross and Timberlake. We’re looking for forward to the sounds from his new project.
