Rick Ross Speaks On “Hurricanes” Memoir, Admits To Former Codeine Abuse

As Rick Ross has lived his lavish life in the limelight for over a decade, fans believe that they know the ins and outs of Rozay. Still, there is much that the rap mogul hasn’t shared with the world, but he’s ready to give us an inside look with his forthcoming autobiography, Hurricanes. He announced that he was working on his memoir back in May, and recently he offered more details about the project when he caught up with PEOPLE.

The 43-year-old rapper partnered with writer Neil Martinez-Belkin to pen his book, a completed project that Ross admits he has yet to read. “Everything I said, I lived so I didn’t have to read it,” he said. “I think it’s a triumph. Everybody don’t admit rising from failure.” Ross shares details of his childhood in Florida’s Carol City and the struggles he’s faced as his career began to take shape. “My life really a movie,” he added.

And before you ask, yes, he does talk about his years-long beef with 50 Cent, his animosity with Birdman, and the health issues that caused his loved ones concern. Ross admitted that his abuse of codeine is what led to his seizures and shares in Hurricanes that he began using the opioid cough medicine to manage his stress.

“When I woke up in the hospital and I had so many people around me, so many homies, it felt like I was in V.I.P. or some sh*t,” he said. “But it was more like, ‘Damn, we gotta do some special things.’ That mixed with the things I was drinking, the other drugs I was doing, and on top of not resting. [I don’t think] one particular thing would have killed me. But everything combined?”

Ross is now codeine free and has adopted a healthier, cleaner, doctor-prescribed lifestyle. Hurricanes hits shelves on September 3.