Andre “Doctor Dre” Brown, a hip-hop pioneer who co-hosted Yo! MTV Raps, says he’s lost his vision as he battles type 2 diabetes.
Dre sat down for a recent interview with ABC 7 New York to discuss the evolution of rap music, as well as diabetes prevention.
“I’m a type 2 diabetic who’s lost his vision,” he said. “I now have a foundation called the Doctor Dre V.I.C., which is called the Visually Impaired Can Do.”
Not to be confused with West Coast rapper and producer Dr. Dre, the Long Island native co-hosted groundbreaking Yo! MTV Raps with Ed Lover from 1988 to 1995. He was also a DJ in New York and Los Angeles, and went on the road with the Beastie Boys during the 1986 Raising Hell Tour.
Dre, 55, has been battling diabetes for years, but says other factors contributed to his vision loss.
“I had my retinas reattached, so I didn’t really go blind just from the diabetes, but in the reattachment I have what you call scar tissue behind my eyes, so when that kind of fluctuates, my vision comes back,” he explained. “It fades out, then it comes back.”
Dre is currently organizing a health fair to encourage other men to get checkups.
“I’m working on trying to put together an event that can help bring a lot of men into the fold,” he said. “What we’re going to do is test your blood sugar, do your blood pressure, and do this whole thing.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African American adults are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes “24% more frequently than adults of the total population.” Black people also die from the disease more frequently than other groups.
To prevent diabetes, doctors recommend losing excess weight; becoming more physically active; eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; and skipping fad diets.
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