Boosie Badazz’s story has been filled with more ups and downs than a roller coaster. For every hit song and award-winning plaque, there have been legal battles and jail time that took him away from family and fans. Through it all, the resilient rapper has prevailed in all of these situations. But, there was one that had even him questioning whether he could survive it.
Last December, the Baton Rouge MC revealed he had kidney cancer that required immediate treatment. During a Monday morning interview with The Breakfast Club, Badazz shared that he wasn’t exactly sure of his odds in the fight against the disease. At the time, he reached out to his fans via social media, requesting their support — which they and many of his famous friends were willing to lend.
“I just felt like I needed help,” he said. “I just felt like I needed prayer, man. I’m from the South. I got a praying family. I was just like ‘It might be over this time. You just beat the death penalty. You ain’t never fight nothing like this’.”
In a way, Boosie almost self-diagnosed the situation during one of his routine diabetes treatments before hitting the road. He requested a MRI after he felt a sharp pain in his side that he knew wasn’t normal. The doctors checked and it was then that the cancer was discovered. Badazz wanted to get it taken care of ASAP.
“I ain’t have no damn insurance,” he explained. “I had to go to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. I went up there trying to write them a check and they was like ‘we’ll see you in the three or four months.’ I told them I had $96,000 cash for the surgery. They said ‘We’ll cut on you in six days’.”
He continued, “I was like I could be dead in three, four months. I just feel sorry for a lot of people who don’t have it to help they self.”
When the news first broke, Boosie had to deal with non-believers who thought he was claiming to have cancer as part of some publicity stunt. To kill the noise, he posted a picture of a huge scar from his operation just so people would get a clear picture of his grave the situation was. He knew the disease and the prospect of death weren’t a joking matter. “Not me,” he said on Monday. “I been through too much. You think I want some cancer?”
The ordeal helped changed him as a man. “I’m more grateful for everything I got,” he said. “I’m more grateful for my freedom. I’m more grateful for life, you know what I’m saying.” But, don’t think he’s going soft because he quickly added, “I’ll still will f*ck a n**** up” with a small laugh that garnered an even bigger one from the show’s hosts.
