In 2020, the music industry has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in so many ways. This year, several rappers have gone on social media to reveal they have contracted the coronavirus and experienced its effects. You can now add Uncle Luke to the list of hip-hop artists who had the coronavirus.
In a Dec. 16 editorial published by the Miami New Times, the pioneering rap mogul said that during the pandemic, he was following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines, including wearing his mask whenever he went outside. However, Luke claims that due to peer pressure by a friend to attend a party, he tested positive for coronavirus. It was a decision he now regrets.
"I told myself I would go in for 15 minutes and duck out. As soon as I walked through the doors, it was like stepping into a coronavirus-spreading chamber," he wrote in the editorial. "Everybody was wildin' out and getting drunk. Almost no one was wearing masks. My buddies were all up in my face. Patrons and strippers were walking up to me and asking to take selfies. Of course, I obliged when they asked me to take my mask off. Even though I felt like everyone in the club was an asymptomatic carrier, I stayed late."
A few days after the party, Uncle Luke said he felt a little sick, but then things progressively got worse.
"A few days later, I started having a dry cough. I chalked it up to seasonal allergies," he continued. "When I lost my appetite, I told myself it was probably a stomach virus. I didn't want to believe I had COVID-19. When I lost my sense of smell and taste, I knew I had to get tested. I called a home testing service to come by and give me a rapid swab test. I was first told the result was positive, then informed it was a false positive when they called me a few hours later."
"I went about my business but started to feel worse," he revealed. "Soon, I had a fever and my temperature spiked to 102 degrees. I went to the hospital, where I had a second PCR test that came back positive. Because I wasn't having trouble breathing, they sent me home and told me to quarantine for two weeks."
Don't worry. Uncle Luke is fine and well, and he recently tested negative for the coronavirus. The 2 Live Crew frontman believes it's the peer pressure of going out with friends to bars and restaurants that's spiking the coronavirus infection rates across the country. He suggests that if you go to a club or restaurant to wear a mask if you are not eating or drinking.
"If the establishment has too many people not following the protocols, don't be afraid to go home and call it a night," he concluded in his editorial.
Now that's some good advice.
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