(KTLA) – Hip-hop legend Dr. Dre says he dealt with several health scares while he was hospitalized after a brain aneurysm in January 2021.
The Compton, California-born music icon, whose real name is Andre Romell Young, was recently a guest on SiriusXM’s “This Life of Mine with James Corden” podcast, and he discussed the ordeal he experienced while at Cedars Sinai Hospital.
“It’s just something that you can’t control, that just happens, and during those two weeks, I had three strokes,” Dre said to Corden, per The Hollywood Reporter.
During his conversation with Corden, the eight-time Grammy winner remembered the day he suffered the aneurysm.
“I got up and I went on about my day, and I thought that I could just lay down and take a nap,” Dre said. “My son had a female friend that was there and was like, ‘No, we need to take you to the hospital.'”
Dre was taken to urgent care, where doctors informed him that he was suffering from a serious medical event. He recalled blacking out while at the facility.
“I’m in and out of consciousness, and I ended up in the ICU,” he told Corden. “I was there for two weeks. I’m hearing the doctors coming in and saying, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are.’”
The hip-hop mogul said he was also confused about what caused the traumatic event. Dre explained to Corden that he regularly exercises and does everything he can to stay healthy. He didn’t realize that he had high blood pressure.
“High blood pressure in Black men, that’s just what it is. They call it the silent killer,” Dre said. “You just have no idea.”
The Southern California native admitted that the medical scare didn’t necessarily prompt a “significant change” in his life, but he did say it left a mark.
“Definitely makes you appreciate being alive,” Dre said. “That’s for sure.”
Dre will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday. It will be placed next to the star of longtime friend and fellow hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg on Hollywood Boulevard.
