Busta Rhymes recalls the 'mindf---' moment during sex that led him to lose 100 lbs

When Busta Rhymes first exploded onto the rap scene in the early '90s, he was lean and mean, just like the bars he spat.

But decades later he reached 340 lbs at one point and suffered a series of incidents, including one during sex, that inspired him to lose weight and get back into shape.

Rhymes discusses his health journey in a new cover story from Men's Health, celebrating hip-hop's 50th anniversary.

After his father died in 2014, Rhymes, né Trevor Smith, said he "drowned myself in work," eating, drinking, smoking, and working himself, it turns out, nearly to death. He had also developed polyps on his vocal chords, leading to a 90 percent blockage in his throat and to severe sleep apnea.

"One night I was getting ready to have, make, you know...I was getting ready to have an intimate moment with my ex," Rhymes recalled. "I had a breathing issue after the intimate interaction."

"I was trying to inhale, and it felt like it wasn't working," the "I Know What You Want" rapper continued. "I felt like I was having like an asthma attack—but I don't have asthma. So I walked out of the bedroom and went into the living room, and I was forcing myself to inhale, to relax. That was scaring me so much that it was a mindf---, because I had to stay calm and make sure she didn't hear me panic or hear me struggle to breathe. I'm butt-ass naked in the living room, trying to calm myself down."

When he went back into the bedroom, his partner told him that he had to lose weight as his breathing was "scaring" her. The next day, his son innocently slapped his belly when Rhymes had reached out for a handshake, further upsetting the legendary emcee. And then in May 2019, Rhymes had passed out and was unresponsive for 40 minutes after a night out partying.

Meanwhile, the polyps in his throat had gotten so bad his doctor warned him he could die in his sleep. Rhymes had feared the surgery to remove the polyps would forever alter his signature voice, one of the most distinct in hip-hop, but the threat to his life proved the kick in the pants he needed. After all that, Rhymes decided to get the surgery and to get back in shape.

Rhymes, who was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards, lost 100 pounds and is gearing up to go on tour with 50 Cent.

"It's gonna inspire people when they see you in shape when you walking around here moving and shaking. Me, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, a lot of artists now, understand the seriousness and significance of self-preservation," Rhymes said, adding, "Not just for you, but for the people that you love, bro."

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