Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
Motown legend Smokey Robinson got real candid about his longtime battle with drug addiction during an eyebrow raising interview on VladTV.
Before his cocaine addiction spiraled out of control, the iconic Miracles frontman said that initially, weed was his “drug of choice” because he “hated the taste of alcohol,” according to the Atlanta Black Star.
DJ Vlad went on to ask the hit making soul singer if ever used crack. Robinson said he never dabbled with the addictive stimulant, but he did admit that he used to sprinkle a tiny bit of cocaine in his weed for an extra kick.
Smokey Robinson says he lost so much weight from his cocaine addiction
Further along in the interview, Robinson revealed that he battled with cocaine addiction throughout his 40s. At one point, he lost so much weight from his cocaine use, that he began to look like a “walking corpse.”
“I got to that point where I was just walking around and uh, you know I’m 5’11 and I’m walking around and I weigh 120 pounds,” he shared. “I don’t have any belts or any pants or anything like that to fit me.”
Due to his dramatic weight loss, Robinson had to use safety pins to hold up his pants.
Looking back on his struggle with addiction, the 82-year-old often reflects on the passing of his father, and how the tragic life event may have contributed to his battle with drug abuse.
“My dad died, you know, my dad was my man,” he continued, “then Marvin [Gaye] died, you know. It’s just a lot of stuff was going on that was getting to me psychologically, which I didn’t realize it was.”
In 1986, the Grammy-award-winning artist finally kicked his cocaine habit to the curb after seeking help from a minister at his church.
“I walked into church that night I was a junkie. I was hooked on cocaine and weed, you know. I came out, I was free. That was it,” he said.
Social media reacts to the Smokey Robinson interview
Since the interview aired, social media has been talking up a storm about Robinson’s candid drug confessions. Many social media users are wondering why he chose to do an interview with DJ Vlad on the topic. Some folks in the entertainment industry have often referred to the notorious interviewer as an “informant” because of his incriminating questions.
“Why is Smokey Robinson on YouTube doing a interview with Vlad talking about getting addicted to cocaine in his 40s?” pondered rapper Jae Millz.
Another person tweeted: “Smokey Robinson should be going on better platforms then VladTV man,” while a third user commented:
“Unfortunately it says a LOT that true architects of American music like Smokey Robinson have to resort to appearing on a culture vulture’s platform.”
Yikes!
What do you think? Was it wise for Smokey Robinson to put all of his business out there on VladTV?
Watch more of the interview below.
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