Any fan of Kid Cudi will know that his is a genius that transcends music alone. From his animations and vivid imagery to his unique vocals and lyricism that is, put simply, a fine art of storytelling, Kid Cudi has long been someone who put his heart and soul into his music. Where other rappers used to shy away from speaking about personal demons and mental health, Cudi put it all in a song, expressing his struggles with depression and substance abuse.
Not surprisingly, Cudi has come to be seen as a mental health advocate for those struggling around the world. To peruse the comments section of his social media or music videos on YouTube is to see just how great an impact his music has had on the lives of many.
But while Cudi has always been open about such struggles, the extent of his mental health issues has never been so widely known until now. Fronting the cover of Esquire’s September issue, Cudi revealed in an interview that after checking into a rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for depression and suicidal urges in 20116, her also experienced a stroke.
At that time – before the release of his album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ – Cudi wrote an emotional letter to his fans, saying: “I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me. If I didn’t come here, I would’ve done something to myself.”
“I simply am a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions everyday of my life. There’s a ragin violent storm inside of my heart at all times. Idk what peace feels like.”
kid cudi
Just two weeks into receiving treatment for mental health issues, Cudi suffered a stroke and needed to be hospitalised. It left him with slow speech and movement to the extent of which his manager and friend Dennis Cummings suggested he take a break from music. “Everything was fucked,” Cudi told the publication.
It took weeks of physical therapy for Cudi to regain his strength and health, but in 2017 he recovered. For Cudi, a turning point was an audition for Michael Cera’s Broadway play Lobby Hero. The audition required Cudi to memorise his lines while still going through his recovery. It was a challenging – if not daunting – task, but ultimately one Cudi was able to get through as he completed the audition. He might not have landed the role, but it showed him just how far he’d come in his recovery process. “I proved to myself that I could do it,” he said. “I needed that at the time. I was happy. Like, damn, my brain is still strong. I didn’t lose something in that shit that happened.”
As Cudi revealed, the work he’s done and continues to do on himself as seen him land on the other side of mental health issues, expressing that he’s at peace and in a great place. “I’m so in tune with my emotions,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how to manage and control those emotions. I’m ready to wear those shoes and be a role model.”
