Rapper Charles Hamilton was once revered as one of the most talented emcees on the mic. Along with his lyrical prowess, at one point, the Harlem rhyme-slinger had been highly considered as a worthy candidate to be the face of Hip-Hop in 2009. After solidifying himself as a XXL Freshmen that same year—one thing was for certain—Charles was destined for stardom.

But instead of reaching his fullest potential, Hamilton hit a snag in his career, later checking himself into a hospital for bipolar disorder (plus almost committing suicide), which unfortunately stunted his artistic growth in so many ways. For a person who was once deemed to be one of the torch bearers for Hip-Hop, Charles sadly disappeared like a thief into the night, and embarked upon a lengthy hiatus, all in the quest to find himself once again. Now, after securing a brand new deal with Republic Records, the "Brooklyn Girls" rapper is back in the limelight – and, of course, he's ready to liberate some new material for those inquiring rap enthusiasts.

From his mental health issues, to run-ins with the law, Hamilton is now refocused on making an impact in 2015. With a brand new single with Rita Ora on the way, the man with a new lease on life also granted Billboard an exclusive interview, where he candidly opened up about his turbulent past and his suicide attempts. Here's an excerpt from his telling interview below:

On being dropped from Interscope Records and how it affected him:

"I was at a girlfriend's house. She was online on her computer, and said, 'Charles, you got dropped.' I was like, 'Oh my God,'" he said. 

He later continued by saying, "I locked myself in my house with the lights out and a turntable turning with no record on it. I was depressed, paranoid and confused."

Billboard also spoke to his mother, who discovered in 2010 that Charles had been occupying and living in an abandoned building in Staten Island, and was constantly telling his friends he was going to jump off Macomb's Dam Bridge in Harlem.

His mom also adds that her son tried to kill himself by overdosing on lithium. She states, "At one point, I thought my son was going to die. He didn't look like my child. He looked like an alien. He was just not there."

Gladly for him, he's back on the right track, and hopefully he's ready to deliver.

Source: Billboard