On October 5th, 2016, artist Kid Cudi expressed to social media that he would undergo treatment for his depression and suicidal urges. With an open letter to his fans that read:
“Yesterday I checked myself into rehab for depression and suicidal urges. 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. . . .My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it. I can't make new friends because of it. I dont [sic] trust anyone because of it and I'm tired of being held back in my life...”
Following his courageous declaration, a plethora of his peers in the music industry posted heartfelt messages in regards to Cudi’s message. Pete Wentz of band ‘Fall Out Boy’ commended Cudi for being inspiring by “speaking out and letting the world see (his) humanity.” Travis Scott who recently just released an album featuring Kid Cudi, made sure to reassure Cudi of his importance to the culture of hip hop, with the resonating words, “you mean everything to us.” Though Kid Cudi’s frankness brought attention to a conversation about mental illness, black men, masculinity and hip hop, rappers hailing from Notorious B.I.G to Kanye West have been entailing their mental battles in their music since the beginning of the era.
From Lil Wayne’s The Drought Is Over 2, a song titled “I Feel Like Dying,” where Weezy expresses the terrible pain of coming down from drugs where it is medically proven that some people get physically sick and depressed, the lyrics amplify the role of drugs in this rapper’s life. In September of 2009, Lil Wayne admitted to Katie Couric, during an interview, that he smokes to relieve his frequent migraines that make him suicidal. The rapper recently was featured on Solange Knowles’ album A Seat At the Table on a song titled “Mad”, which he refers to a previous suicide attempt, “I went out and tipped the suicide, I didn't die / I remember how mad I was on that day. Man, you gotta let it go before it get in the way / Let it go, let it go.”
Jealousy and hate being exerted towards one's progress can take a toll on one’s mental health and it is a reoccurring theme in the community due to resulted propaganda of systematic opression. As DMX, who has been diagnosed to be bi-polar, once said in “F**kin’W’D”: “Listed as a manic depressive with extreme paranoia/And dog, I got something for ya/Hear my name, feel my pain..starting off hard, then only getting tougher!” Lil Wayne’s urging to “let it go, let it go”, is much easier said than done.
With rap being an eminent part of a culture that our society feeds on for trends and inspiration, rappers face the pressure of putting their platform to good use as black men and women are victims of a failed justice and prison system. Black men face the immense pressure of being providers and leaders that lead them to resist facing their mental battles but push them to do the “masculine” thing which necessarily isn’t always the right thing to do. Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniel came forward about his depression with reactions from those around him that would raise an eyebrow to any millennial today. “When I was gonna kill myself, I said, ‘I’m depressed.’ And people were telling me, ‘how you gonna be depressed, you’re DMC!’” Money doesn’t buy happiness and as 9-5 working class people, students and fans we sometimes tend to overlook the fact that these appointed celebrities are human as we are and are as well susceptible to the same mental illness battles.
"And if I told your secrets/ The world’ll know money can’t stop a suicidal weakness.” - Kendrick Lamar
