Ghanaian music producer Albert Serebo Ayeh-Hanson, popularly known as Ball J, has disclosed that his absence from the music scene was due to what he described as a “sudden breakdown” triggered by consuming a weed-infused cake.

Speaking about the incident on Asempa FM, Ball J said the experience was not gradual but immediate, forcing him to “vanish” from the scene at the peak of his career.

He explained that part of his creative process involved observing trends and blending them with his own ideas. He explained he would “look at what is nice” and widely accepted, and “I fuse it with what I have” to make his serial hits.

Ball J also noted that the contemplative part of the brain is “boosted” by cannabis (weed), recalling an earlier experience where he consumed a small portion of a weed cake and began laughing uncontrollably.

“The feeling was good, and one of the beats I played was ‘Let Me Do My Thing’ [for Kwaw Kesse],” he revealed.

However, he cautioned that there is a “delicate balance” that must not be broken, warning of the dangers associated with drugs and certain substances.

Recounting an incident during which he appeared to tamper with the said balance which led to his breakdown, Ball J said it happened during a party organised for a music video shoot for one of his artists. Weed cakes were served, and he initially assumed they contained only a small amount of the substance. He later realised otherwise after consuming them.

He revealed that he took four of the brownies, which led to severe effects and eventual hospitalisation. He remembered meeting a Jamaican who told him he was lucky to have survived the experience.

“I was in a place for a 100 years,” Ball J said, adding that he understood the experience to be “what people would call hallucinations.”

He described feeling isolated in what he perceived as a place of fire, seeing the world and its people as happy while he was alone and heavily burdened with guilt.

According to him, the experience mirrored his childhood understanding of hell.

Ball J said he was taken to Dampong Healthcare, noting that “one moment I was directing a music video and the next I was in the hospital.”

He explained that when his thoughts began racing, he realised the reaction was caused by the cake. He added that making that connection helped him avoid further mental distress.

He expressed gratitude to his wife and one Malik Ofori for assisting him to the hospital.

During the episode, he said he remembered misbehaving while also attempting to control himself.

Upon arrival at the hospital, he said, “the nurses were looking like ants to me; they were so small.”

The sound engineer and voice-over artist noted that while he was in hospital fighting for his sanity and life, some of his productions were performing strongly, including Lapaz Toyota by Guru NKZ, which had become a major radio hit, alongside other songs he produced for Castro and others.

He said he was injected at the hospital, after which he experienced what he described as torturous visions.

“I slept for four hours, but when I woke up, it was like I was there for a 100 years,” he said.

Ball J added that in his vision, hearing others in pain and turning to look at them felt like “one week.”

After being discharged, he said he chose not to speak about the incident at the time because he was dealing with anxiety.

“Now that I have totally recovered and my mind is clear, I look back and I laugh,” he noted.

He issued a strong warning to young people, stating: “The youth should just be careful.”

The rapper further emphasised the dangers of substance abuse, saying, “Drug abuse is very dangerous, people go and don’t come back. That is what actually took me off the scene.”