In a new interview with Men’s Health magazine, Timbaland, 47, opened up about his personal life.
The photo-spread also showcased a fit Timbaland, highlighting his new physique after shedding 130 pounds.
In the interview, Timbaland recalled the factors that led to his transformation, which came after he got to the point where he appreciated nothing.
“I had to get whipped, because I didn’t appreciate anything. All my life, I felt it was a little too easy,” he said.
After seeing much success in his career, life still managed to throw obstacles at Timbaland, such as a divorce, addiction to painkillers, and accruing millions in debt with the IRS.
Speaking on his addiction to pills, he revealed that it was fun while it lasted, saying, “It put me in a great feeling of not caring, of just being free. I’m like traveling, doing shows, popping ’em, having fun, just being ignorant.”
However, after having a dream about him dying and seeing himself “with a white face,” Timbaland knew it was time to make a change.
“It’s like a bright light going on in your brain. That’s how you know what true love really is,” he said in reference to raising his kids.
“I had to downsize, get all that superstar stuff out of the way. The divorce at the beginning was very messy, but now we are good friends,” he said.
Next, he focused on his addiction to the pills he was originally prescribed following a root canal, then re-prescribed after an injury.
Timbaland revealed that he decided to work on his addiction by himself alongside God, adding that although it was hard and one of the “toughest” obstacles he’s ever faced, “This was the path chosen for me. God was rebuilding my character.”
“The only things that got me through it were my kids, my girl, the help of God keeping my mind still,” he continued.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The next part of the process was hitting the gym. At the start of the journey, Timbaland weighed 350 pounds.
For Timbaland, the workouts started out slow and eventually became harder. Although working out was challenging at times, he revealed that the withdrawals were extremely worse.
While things have turned around for Timbaland, he reveals that God still has him under “construction.”
“I don’t feel like I’m complete. I don’t want to ever feel like I’m complete, ’cause my mind would probably get idle,” he said. “God needed me to be clear so I could see what is needed, not what I want.”
“When you get beat up the way I got beat up mentally, this ain’t hard,” he added.
