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Pennsylvania-born rapper Jonathan McCollum aka Rittz recently sparked concerns among fans after he shared a photo of himself in the ICU. The 44-year-old is a signee under Missouri rapper Tech N9ne's label Strange Music.
McCollum took to Instagram on November 25, informing fans that he was in the Intensive Care Unit since Tuesday. Although he did not mention a date, it appears from his statement that he had been hospitalized since November 19. The rapper continued:
"I know I have phone calls to make/ Features to write/ New music to write/ People to pay/ And a whole lot of other stuff to catch up on"
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He added:
"Let me get my feet and balance back underneath me and ill b back"
Seeing the rapper intubated and supposedly ventilated while the hospital gown covering him in a disheveled manner left fans worried.
McCollum's Instagram update was reposted on Reddit @r/techn9ne community where one user shed light upon the rapper's alleged drug addiction.
Reddit user @whatthatthingis called McCollum a "hardcore drug addict", adding the rapper had been clean for some years. However, McCollum supposedly relayed through his music that he would likely go through a critical health emergency for quite some time. The Reddit user added:
"It was an inevitability if he didn’t get/stay sober."
The user said McCollum mentioned that he preferred mixing drugs like MDMA and amphetamines. However, @whatthatthingis noted it is a "deadly idea", suggesting one should never mix stimulants and depressants.
Rittz was the winner of Hot 107.9's Battlegrounds in 2003
McCollum, along with his twin sister and a brother, grew up surrounded by instruments and the influence of Rock and Roll music. The rapper moved to Atlanta when he was eight and eventually became acquainted with the city's staple rap and bass music.
Some of McCollum's early inspirations for rap were Willie D, Geto Boys, Scarface, and OutKast. In 1995, the rapper formed a musical duo called Rollo and Rittz.
Talking about the drug usage in Atlanta's Gwinnett County, McCollum said:
"It’s a huge drug hub of Atlanta. A lot of the shit that goes down, the huge drug busts happens in Gwinnett. I got into a lot of shit growing up there, and when I was in high school, my parents split up so it got out of hand. I saw both worlds."
The rapper won Battlegrounds on Hot 107.9 in 2003, the same year Rollo and Rittz dissolved. McCollum almost retired from his music career. However, after many ups and downs, his collaboration with Yelawolf on his EP track Box Chevy marked a breakthrough in 2010.
In 2011, McCollum released his mixtape, White Jesus. He signed with Strange Music the following year. Rittz's debut studio album The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant dropped in 2013, on which he worked with Tech N9ne.
The rapper released more albums under Strange Music — Next to Nothing, Top of the Line, Last Call, and Put a Crown On It.
His fourth studio album Last Call made it to Billboard 200 in 2017 at the 43rd spot with the track F*ck Cancer.
For his albums, McCollum collaborated with several artists, including Mike Posner, Twista, MJG, E-40, Devid the Dude, Jelly Roll, and Paul Wall.
