Kid Cudi Addresses Mental Health Struggles & How 'Kids See Ghosts' Saved Him

The Cleveland-bred rapper discusses his depression and mental health battles in a new Rolling Stone Italy interview.

Kid Cudi graces the cover of this month’s Rolling Stone Italy, in the profile, the rapper reflects on his relationship with Kanye West.

Despite publicly speaking out about disagreeing politically with West over Donald Trump, he doesn’t dismiss the bond they have. In the expansive profile, he expresses that the creation of the 2018 collaborative album Kids See Ghosts was a guiding light for him. On the collab he shared, “Working on that record saved me: at the time I didn’t know if I was going to continue making music or not, and Kanye was there for me, to help me get up. At the moment I really needed it.” 

This isn’t the first time, Kid Cudi has shared his experiences overcoming mental health issues. Over the past few years, he’s opened up and shared that music has been a balm for him. 

On making music about his depression and innermost experiences he shared:

"When you make music, you tell your truth: in the same way, when it came to talking about my depression, I wanted to tell my story so that people could connect with what I was experiencing. After all, most of my albums were already made up of SOS messages that I launched to the world, hoping that someone would pick them up and respond to me, making me feel less alone. As far as I'm concerned it was already evident in my songs: I did nothing but be honest and sincere."

If you’re curious if he also touched on his recent No. 1 single “The Scotts,” a collab released with Travis Scott, he did. “Working with Travis was a wonderful experience, we've known each other for years and we always felt in tune, both musically and personally.”

Cudi also spoke about his role in the new Luca Guadagnino's HBO series We Are Who We Are, and politics. He even confirmed his forthcoming podcast, All Love No Sh*t Talkin.

Read the entire Rolling Stone Italy interview here.