Earlier this year, Dr. Rude was suddenly struck by a brain hemorrhage. The news hit the scene like a bomb, and to this day he still gets questions about it. “I had a brain hemorrhage. There was so much talk about it online, and I still get questions every week. This is a great opportunity to share my story, so people know what happened and that it’s behind me now.”
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“At that moment your whole world collapses, my first thought was: then I can never play again”
The evening after King’s Day, disaster struck. Dr. Rude was at home on the couch when he suddenly lost all feeling on his right side. “I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t move. When I tried to call my girlfriend, she thought I sounded drunk, but when she saw my face drooping on video, she immediately called an ambulance.” What followed was a terrifying night in the intensive care unit. “I didn’t even recognize my girlfriend when she came in. My right side didn’t work at all, and I had no idea what was happening.” Only once he regained some clarity did one thought cross his mind: he had to play that Saturday. “The seriousness of the situation only sank in much later.”
That reality hit hard when doctors told him there was a chance he might never walk again. “At that moment your whole world collapses. I cried like a child. My first thought was: then I can never play again. That may sound sad, but music is my life.” The days that followed were a rollercoaster. One day he was lying helpless in bed, the next he managed a few steps with a walker. “My hand didn’t work, my coordination was gone, but still, every day I improved a little.”
To everyone’s surprise, his recovery was much faster than expected. “After five weeks I was almost fully back. The doctors couldn’t believe it. It really felt like a miracle. Of course, I still have some aftereffects, but compared to how it could have ended, I count myself very lucky.”
A second chance
The experience brought about a complete turnaround in his life. “I completely changed my lifestyle. I don’t drink alcohol anymore, I work out every day and live healthily. It was an emotional hell, but now I look at life very differently. Without that incident I might never have taken this step.” Mentally, too, he feels reborn. “I’m super happy and super grateful. Honestly, I feel better than ever. I wouldn’t say it had to happen, because I hope never to go through it again. But without it, I don’t know if I’d be where I am now.”
The support from the scene made a huge impact. During his recovery he received thousands of messages from fans and colleagues. “That’s the beauty of this scene: it really feels like a family. At my first shows after recovering, like Intents and Harmony of Hardcore, people mainly wanted to see if I was still standing. That was very special to experience.”
Limitless: back to freestyle
His recovery meant not only a fresh start for his health, but also for his music. “I always wanted to return to freestyle and jumpstyle. After the brain hemorrhage I thought: I’m going to do what I really want. What makes me happy. Life can be over tomorrow.”
That realization led to Limitless, an ambitious album project that Dr. Rude is releasing in phases over the coming months. “I’m releasing a new track every three weeks on labels like Dirty Workz, Rebl Records and FVCK GENRES. All releases are connected by the Limitless logo, and eventually there will be a vinyl collector’s item.” The project features collaborations with The Darkraver, Ruthless, Bass Chaserz and LNY TNZ. “For me, this is the first time in a long while that I’ve put so much passion into a project and stood fully behind it. I’m super hyped and super happy to be back. I’m really looking forward to the reactions.”
With Limitless, Dr. Rude also wants to make a statement. “I think the time for putting music in boxes is over. Freestyle has always existed and has always been popular. Why should you restrict it? To me, freestyle means anything goes. And that’s what I want to show with this album.”
