Busta Rhymes says the murder last year of rapper Nipsey Hussle was one of the main things that prompted him to get healthy.
Just before attending Nipsey's funeral in Los Angeles, the "Protect Ya Neck" rapper had a procedure to treat throat polyps. Then, while mourning Nipsey, Busta realized he needed a change in his life.
"I said, 'If this is not the sign to get yourself together, I don't know what else will be,'" he said, according to the New York Post. "And at that point I made my decision to get my life together, and I immediately got into this transformation journey."
He added, "When you really sit back and you think about it, it's selfish … Why are you putting yourself in a situation when you can actually collapse and die, and you got all of these people that love you that you're responsible for? It was unfair to them — and unfair to myself."
Busta soon turned to Weight Watchers to help him out. He also started riding his Peloton bike and worked out with personal trainers.
"It's been a blessing to be able to see this through and be able to share it with people and inspire people," he said, "because that's the goal at the end of the day for me."
Last month, Busta shocked his fans when he posted a before-and-after image of his transformation on Instagram.
"I was 340 pounds — and it was challenging as hell to come to terms with that — but I currently weigh 254 pounds, so I'm almost down 100 pounds," he said. "I had the stomach that looked like I was nine months pregnant, and then I had the stomach with the six-pack."
On his Instagram Story on Nov. 6, he posted a preview of an upcoming interview with Van Jones in which he spoke of his dramatic weight loss.
"I have breathing issues, I ended up on two blood pressure medicines. I wasn't really driven to do anything outside of what I had to do to care of my family," he said in the snippet.
Busta said friends were telling him that he wasn't looking healthy.
"I'm hearing… 'You look like you need to go see the doctor,'" he said. "I'm hearing… Dad, I'm scared for you.'"