Belly Details Personal Struggle In Open Letter: "I Was Rock Bottom"

Belly shares an open letter on social media detailing the physical, emotional, and mental struggles he's faced in recent times.

BYAron A.
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Belly has been XO's secret weapon for years. An accomplished songwriter and rapper in his own right, he's proven his worth in the music industry throughout the past 15 years of his career, before breaking into the American market. In the past few years alone, his penmanship has received praise from the likes of Jay-Z and the late Nipsey Hussle.

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Unfortunately, not all has been well in Belly's world. Though it may have felt like he hasn't been as visible in the past few years, he shared an open letter on Twitter where he gave fans a brief update on what's been going on in his life.

"The last couple years have been fucked up for me in almost every way. I've been in and out of therapy for over a year (depression, PTSD). I gotta do physical therapy twice a week (back/neck injuries) and I can't even tour or travel too much. I got put on anti-depressants (I'm off now) lost my confidence and regained most of the weight that I lost. Emotionally, mentally & physically, I was rock bottom," he wrote.

However, he did acknowledge the silver lining in his situation -- there's only going up from here.

"If anything can bring me back from the ashes; it's music, my family & my fans. I don't need sympathy or pity from anybody, I'm only saying this to let y'all know: I won't let down and die," he continued before teasing the release of new music. "See you next Wednesday."

Read his post below. 

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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.