In April 2026, Capital Bra (31) caused concern when he livestreamed from an ambulance on TikTok after an overdose. Now the rapper has spoken openly for the first time in an interview with "Spiegel" about that day, his years-long substance dependency, and his desire to finally get clean.
"At some point I couldn't feel myself anymore, I mean my body. That scared me", the musician recalls about the incident. After a passerby called emergency services, he was treated in the ambulance. "That coldness, it just wasn't normal. I was trembling all over my body." When asked whether he was afraid of dying that day, he responds: "Yes."
Severe dependency on cocaine and Tilidin
At the hospital, he was diagnosed with cocaine psychosis. Looking back, the rapper says cocaine has become his biggest dependency by now. "When I overdo it, it's always with that."
At the same time, Capital Bra also talks about his dependency on Tilidin. He started smoking, using marijuana, and consuming the painkiller at the age of eleven. Today he even gets Tilidin by prescription. Without the medication, he suffers from pain and panic attacks. He has already been through several withdrawal treatments - even a year-long withdrawal in Dubai ultimately remained unsuccessful.
"I don't want to see my children when I'm high"
Particularly difficult for the family man are the effects of his dependency on his private life. Together with his wife Charlyn, Capital Bra has five children.
"I don't want to see my children when I'm high", he confesses. In some cases, he therefore waited until his children were asleep or withdrew to hotels. "I am ashamed of that."
His marriage has also suffered from the dependency. "I love her, and it's terrible for me that I've been disappointing her for so long and over and over again."
Difficult childhood and early substance use
In the interview, the musician also talks about his childhood. Born in Siberia, he moved to Berlin-Hohenschönhausen with his mother at the age of seven. There he grew up in difficult circumstances, sold substances as a teenager, and was also involved in burglaries.
At the age of eleven, he started rapping. A few years later, he achieved his breakthrough - today Capital Bra even holds the German record with 22 number-one hits, surpassing the Beatles.
His greatest wish
Despite all setbacks, Capital Bra has a clear goal in mind: "I don't want to end up in a psychiatric facility anymore. I don't want to have to do withdrawal treatment somewhere at some point anymore. I want to get clean. And be able to be there for my children."
His faith gives him hope. "When I think about everything I've done and am still alive, then I say: Thank God. God must love me that he still lets me live."
