Two weeks after he was released from a Pennsylvania prison, Meek Mill joined Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club for a wide-ranging interview that included discussion of his addiction to opioids, his friendship with Philadelphia 76ers owner Michael Rubin and much more.
Mill discussed his addiction to Percocet, which he says he was reintroduced to by a female acquaintance after initially taking the pills for dental work. “I thought it would be OK because it’s a pill that a doctor would give you,” the Philly rapper explained.
Mill said that he realized he was addicted and sought counseling, but finally kicked the habit after doctors flushed the drugs out of his system intravenously. “After that, I never took a Percocet again,” he said.
One of the biggest revelations in the interview was how Jay-Z, who owns Roc Nation, the label to which Mill is signed, paid some of Mill’s legal fees. The Philly rapper said Hov paid “millions of dollars. I don’t even think I could have afforded it.”
Jigga penned an open letter about Mill’s case and the need for criminal-justice reform to the New York Times and was vocal throughout Mill’s five-month incarceration.
Other highlights from The Breakfast Club interview:
- Meek Mill’s friendship with billionaire 76ers owner Rubin: “I was sitting next to him at the All-Star game, people were taking a lot of pictures, and he turned to me and said, ‘Who are you?’ I told him, ‘I rap. I’m from Philly,’ and he said, ‘I’m from Philly, too!’”
- On the need for criminal-justice reform: “I’m trying to use my platform and my voice. ... We’re in the process of starting an organization now. It’s going to be big.”
- On Patriots owner Robert Kraft: “He came to see me in jail. I said, ‘You’re a billionaire! Have you ever visited a prison before?’ He said no.”
- On Beyoncé shouting him out: “I played that joint back. I was like, ‘I know Beyoncé ain’t say no shit like this out of her mouth.’ I had to play it back again. Then I heard her say, ‘I’m in the hood screaming Free Meek’ ... That’s mega support—from Beyoncé and Jay-Z—because they don’t have to say it. You know Beyoncé ain’t shoutin’ no niggas out in jail.”
Mill says he is back in the studio trying to create more music and reaching out to younger rappers trying to keep them from making the same mistakes he made.
“I got a platform to make something happen. I am not turning into a full-time activist,” Mill said. “I have a job to do and I’m going to do the job because I’m actually interested in helping people get out of these crazy situations.”