Lil Wayne admits attempting suicide at age 12

American rapper Lil Wayne recently opened up about how he tried to end his life when he was 12-years-old.

According to his new Billboard cover story released on Thursday, on an unnamed track from his upcoming album 'Tha Carter V', Wayne told how he found a gun in his mother's home when he was 12-years-old and shot himself in the chest, just missing his heart.

In the past, Wayne had called this an accident but he now "admits this was a suicide attempt, undertaken after his mother told him he would no longer be allowed to rap," according to Billboard.

After recovering from his gunshot wound, the rapper's mother allowed him to join the Cash Money team but under one condition- he couldn't swear.

The confession wasn't originally a part of the unnamed song, but Wayne stated that he added new lyrics after the suicides of designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain this year.

Talking about his retirement plans, the rapper said he is still thinking about it."I do think about retirement," he said, adding, "I think about how I don't think I ever will."

Wayne has sold over 100 million records worldwide, including more than 15 million albums and 37 million digital tracks in the United States, making him one of the best selling artists of all time.

After being delayed multiple times, his 12th studio album, 'Tha Carter V', is set to release this fall.