During a recent interview with James Corden, renowned hip-hop mogul and producer Dr. Dre recently shared insights into his harrowing battle with high blood pressure, commonly referred to as the silent killer, noting that it’s one of the most dangerous health conditions for Black men.
He also admitted to overlooking several warning signs that could have potentially averted a brain aneurysm, which occurred during his tumultuous divorce from Nicole Young in 2021.
Corden’s “This Life of Mine … with James Corden” podcast was posted on Sirius XM on March 14 and dug deep into the traumatic experience.
“It’s just something that you can’t control that just happens, and during those two weeks, I had three strokes,” said the N.W.A founding member whose real name is Andre Romelle Young.
Adding, “I got up [on Jan. 5], and I went on about my day, and I thought that I could just lay down and take a nap. My son had a female friend that was there and was like, ‘No, we need to take you to the hospital.’ So they took me to urgent care.”
The son and his friend took the “Chronic” chart-topper to urgent care at a local hospital, Cedars-Sinai.
“Next thing you know, I’m blacking out. I’m in and out of consciousness, and I ended up in the ICU. I was there for two weeks. I’m hearing the doctors coming in and saying, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are,'” the 55-year-old recalled.
During an appearance in the interview, the entertainer recounted experiencing excruciating pain behind his right ear shortly after waking up. Little did he know that was a common symptom associated with aneurysms. Despite the discomfort, he attempted to dismiss the sensation.
Dre says he asked the doctors what could have stopped the aneurysm, but he could not get a straight answer. What he did discover is that while he felt physically well, there were internal factors contributing to the deterioration of his health.
In an earlier interview, Dre said his family was told that they should say their goodbyes to him following the aneurysm.
“I had no idea that I had high blood pressure or anything like that,” Dr. Dre said to Corden. “I’m lifting weights, I’m running, I’m doing everything I can to keep myself healthy.”
“High blood pressure in Black men, that’s just what it is. They call it the silent killer. You just have no idea,” Dre explained. “So, you know, you have to keep your s—t checked.”
Strokes and stroke-related fatalities are more prevalent among Black Americans than any other racial demographic in the United States, according to information from the American Stroke Association. Approximately 55 percent of Black adults have high blood pressure.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke states that untreated high blood pressure is a risk factor, as it has the potential to damage and weaken arteries, ultimately increasing the likelihood of a cerebral aneurysm.
Not all reasons are fully understood, but several health organizations recognize that this increased risk is attributed to a combination of higher prevalence of risk factors and societal challenges.
Chronic discrimination, stress, and depression stemming from experiences of racism are believed to contribute to this disparity. Common risk factors for stroke among Black Americans include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and smoking.
While the risk factors are many, 80 percent of strokes can be prevented by eating more fruits and vegetables, reducing salt from one’s diet, increasing physical activity, not smoking, losing excessive body weight, and managing stress.
Managing stress was not what the “California Love” rapper was doing.
Dre and Nicole were in the middle of a nasty divorce, where he was accused of being abusive and of hiding money despite all of her expenses, including a chef to prepare food for her every day. Both claims he denies.
Nicole also alleged that Dre coerced her into signing a prenuptial agreement, effectively barring her from accessing his considerable wealth amassed through his ventures in the music industry, including the lucrative sale of Beats By Dre to Apple in August 2014 for $3.6 billion in cash and stock.
Prior to suffering from the aneurysm, Dre was gearing up to confront Nicole in court on Jan. 6, 2021, where she sought to have a judge award her $2 million per month in temporary spousal support.
The music mogul vehemently opposed Nicole’s demand, contending that her actual expenses amounted to approximately $293,306 – a sum he had been covering since their separation.
Nicole wanted the court to make Dre cover what she said were her $5 million in legal fees.
Dre never made it to that court date. Still, the work got done and Nicole walked away with the temporary support. As the Grammy winner recuperated in his hospital bed, negotiations between Nicole’s legal team and Dre’s representatives ensued, and they agreed to grant the request of $2 million until the two could meet in court in the future.
In a subsequent court filing, months after the incident, Dre expressed that Nicole’s claims had been a source of immense stress for him, though he stopped short of attributing them to the cause of his aneurysm, AllHipHop.com reports.
By December 2021, the two reached a settlement in which the rapper agreed to pay his ex-wife $100 million.
