Those “before they were famous” stories often consist of tales connected to what random jobs celebrities held prior to becoming stars. However, for some, the way they made money was scamming, stealing, or engaging in some other nefarious activity, and such was the case for CeeLo Green. The famed musician recently discussed those days in his youth when he would rob people—and after he became famous, some of his victims approached him to remind him that he stole from them.
“I was robbing people by myself. You have to understand, I didn’t have any friends and I was not in school. My mom did not know. I dropped out of school, so I was fronting like I was [still] going,” the 46-year-old singer told Page Six. “So I would leave in the morning when school started at the same time every day. I used to ride the train all day. I was like 13, 14, 15 then. I was young.”
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According to Green, it was six years ago when a man approached him and said that many years ago, Green robbed him.
“I used to take people’s shoes and take people’s jackets and stuff like that. I would hang out at the train station and rob people. This was like ’87, ’88. I was the guy taking people’s Jordans, unfortunately,” Green added. “He basically said, ‘You took my shoes at Hightower station,’ which is a MARTA train station in Atlanta, Georgia. And I said, ‘Sir, I’m so sorry. That was so long ago. I was so young and ignorant. Please forgive me.’ Then he said, ‘I already forgive you. I forgive you 1,000 times.’ He said, ‘Your music let me know that it was an intervention in your life and healing. I was able to heal from your healing.’”
In another interaction, a woman messaged him on social media with a similar story.
“A young lady stopped in on Instagram and left a comment saying I had robbed her, too. I remember I robbed her at a bus stop for her jacket. I’m not proud of that stuff,” he shared. “All the good I proceeded to do has been intentional. My career has been intentional. It’s very concentrated for productivity’s sake because I actually love people. Music has a lot to do with being my love language.”
“If the music did not happen … that’s the thing, I think the music would have happened. I was not as received or welcomed as I would like to be, but maybe that was just negativity within me. People were seemingly negative toward me,” said Green. “I just acted out because I didn’t feel accepted. … I will keep my distance because I’m not one to be bullied. I’m not gonna be the victim, and I wasn’t. Life is a boot camp, and you have to make it through the basic training.”
Watch Green’s interview below.
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