On Monday, rap star Lil Wayne sat down with TV host Katie Couric for an exclusive interview in which he addressed his health issues, addiction to "syrup" and his plans to retire in five years.
The 30-year-old hip-hop artist talked about how he suffered seizures in 2012 and referred to himself as "sort of epileptic." Epilepsy, also called seizure disorder, is a medical condition that produces seizures, which are brief, strong surges of electrical activity affecting part or all of the brain, according to the Medical Daily.
In his interview with Couric, which airs Monday, Wayne mentioned his addictive personality as a reason why he began to abuse "syrup," a mixture of cough syrup with codeine and soda. Wayne said he no longer "sips" the drink due to his doctors' orders. "I was doing it too much," he told Couric.
The New Orleans rapper, who was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., also discussed being an honor roll student before dropping out of high school to pursue his rap career full time. He told Couric that his mother made the decision that he should get a GED once she learned he was carrying a gun in his backpack for protection. She preferred that he not go to school armed and instead hoped that he would go to college after getting a GED, he told Couric.
Wayne also opened up about his prison stint on a gun possession charge. Couric asked how the other prisoners treated the rapper. "It's jail," he deadpanned, when asked if the other convicts were star struck. "So, for the first 20-30 seconds you're like, 'Oh my God that's really him,' then ... the reality of where you're at clicks right back in."
Watch a clip of the interview below:
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