is featured in this month’s edition of Men’s Health Magazine that sees the mega-producer open up more than ever before about his 130-pound weight loss, previous addiction to prescribed painkillers and his changed life. The 47-year-old detailed how his life changed after he had a dream that signified that “death was near.” With that in mind, along with his children Reign, Demetrius and Frankie Timbaland (born Timothy Mosley) figured it was time to switch things up. 

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“I had to get whipped, because I didn’t appreciate anything,” he said. “All my life I felt it was a little too easy.” Painkillers came into his life after a root canal, leading to an addiction that got out of hand. “It put me in a great feeling of not caring, of just being free,” he said. “I’m like traveling, doing shows, popping ’em, having fun, just being ignorant.”

Timbaland’s addiction didn’t help him with his divorce and growing debt to the IRS. “I had to downsize, get all that superstar stuff out of the way,” he told the publication. “The only things that got me through it were my kids, my girl, the help of God keeping my mind still.”

When Timbaland first hit the gym he weighed in at 350 pounds and the difficult journey only got easier over time but according to him, it’s a path he’s still on. “I don’t feel like I’m complete. I don’t want to ever feel like I’m complete, ’cause my mind would probably get idle,” he added. “God needed me to be clear so I could see what is needed, not what I want.”