The rapper Kid Cudi is candid about his struggles with anxiety and depression. He first opened up about his mental health in 2016, when he wrote a letter to his fans saying he was attending treatment for anxiety and depression. In this letter, he said, “My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember, and I never leave the house because of it…It’s time I fix me.”[1]
He later talked at length on Jada Pinkett Smith’s show Red Table Talk about his reasons for attending treatment. On the episode, he discussed how the pressures of fame contributed to his drug use and depression. “I have to live up to be this person, and I don’t feel like that. It’s like doing a comedy but you’re miserable. It’s like my life was like this show and I was always supposed to be on, but when the show was over, I was completely miserable.”[2]
Despite these pressures, he says making music is how he processes his pain. “Once it was difficult for me to find the words,” he said. “Anxiety and depression ruled my life for as long as I could remember. I was scared, I was sad, I felt like a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions. I knew I deserved peace and to be happy, but I didn’t know how. It took me a while to get to this place of commitment…To know that we can take our pain and turn it into something.”[3]
In 2018, after finding a treatment plan that worked for him, he said he didn’t feel like he was fighting so much anymore, and that creating was making him happy. In December 2020, he released his album Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, which is part of a series in which he talks about his mental health and addiction in his music. When people speak openly about their struggles, it helps not only themselves, but anyone listening.
If you are struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder, there is help and hope. TruHealing Centers offers high-quality treatment for addiction and mental health disorders in facilities across the country. Our staff—many of whom are in recovery themselves—specialize in co-occurring disorders, and will help you build lasting recovery. To learn more, call an admissions specialist at 410-593-0005.
[1] https://people.com/music/kid-cudi-turn-my-pain-into-music-well-beings-town-hall/
[2] https://pitchfork.com/news/kid-cudi-talks-mental-health-with-jada-pinkett-smith-willow-smith/
[3] https://people.com/music/kid-cudi-turn-my-pain-into-music-well-beings-town-hall/