The tragic story of Houston: The rapper who lost an eye and his sanity
Singer and rapper Houston was a relatively well-known artist in the early-2000s. The musician first burst onto the scene with his single ‘I Like That’ alongside Chingy and Nate Dogg and appeared to be on his way to becoming a prominent figure in the culture. However, behind the scenes, he was battling with drug addiction.
In 2005, Houston had a severe mental breakdown after taking a large dose of Angel Dust. As such, he began acting erratically and, while in London, decided that he wanted to commit suicide by jumping out of a hotel window.
After reports that he was trying to jump out of a high-rise window, hotel staff burst into his room and locked the door to keep him from hurting himself. However, he was determined to self-harm, and after attempts to try and restrain the artist, he then proceeded to gouge his own eye with a plastic fork.
Hip-hop has seen more than one rapper with one eye. From Slick Rick to Fetty Wap, it is not uncommon. However, what is strange is an emcee who happily decided to make themself blind in one eye. Following the incident, the rapper’s publicist released a statement concerning the act of self-mutilation, which asserted that Houston had “found himself in the midst of a spiritual battle against the evil that runs rampant in the entertainment industry.”
Following the incident, Houston’s bodyguard Marco Powell recalled the situation, telling the press, “I went to check on him before going to bed, and I saw blood on the floor. Houston was lying on his bed with a towel over his face, and I removed the towel to find his eye hanging out. He said he had to get the devil off of his back, and that’s the only way he could kill the devil.”
After gouging out his own eye, Houston was institutionalized and forced to remain in a psychiatric hospital. He continued to give interviews, but it quickly became evident he was a man suffering from mental illness.
He never made a comeback and continued to have skirmishes with the law. During this period, another rapper who had a similar experience reached out. In 1991, Bushwick Bill of Texas trio the Geto Boys forced his girlfriend to assist him in a suicide attempt.
His girlfriend shot him in the eye, but he miraculously survived. Houston’s predicament resonated with him. As such, he released a statement reading, “Fame will make you crazy! I want Houston to know that he is in my prayers and that I will ask God to give him peace of mind and peace of heart, and I hope his eye heals as well as his mind and his emotions.”
While in the hospital, Houston promised he would return, sharing, “I still love all my fans. Please pray for me and know I’ll be back with some more hits,” but he never did. You can hear the rapper talking about the incident in the video below.