Kid Cudi was frank about a health issue that led him to pause his music career. It was a massive health scare that almost impaired his path before he was able to recover and return successfully.
In an interview with Esquire, the rapper disclosed that he suffered a stroke two weeks after entering treatment in 2016 for depression and drug addiction.
The 38-year-old stated that he required hospitalization after the stroke hampered his speech and mobility, telling the publication that "everything was f-ed."
After months of physical rehabilitation, Cudi felt he had finally made a breakthrough when he auditioned for the Broadway play "Lobby Hero" alongside Michael Cera.
The "Mr. Rager" rapper had to remember a substantial amount of dialogue for a role that ultimately went to another actor.
Nonetheless, Cudi felt like a winner in the end because it made him realize that he was still very capable and that his brain, unlike his body, was very strong. It made him think of his situation differently because he saw that he did not lose everything, after all.
During the same interview, the "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper discussed his ongoing dispute with his ex-friend Kayne West. Cudi stated that the "Donda" rapper should "be an adult" and accept Kim Kardashian's divorce petition.
"If you can't be a grown man and deal with the fact that you lost your woman? That's not my f-king problem. You need to own up to your s-t like every man in this life has," he said, adding, "I've lost women, too. And I've had to own up to it. I don't need that in my life."
When Kardashian was dating comedian Pete Davidson, one of Cudi's close pals, his feud with West intensified. Despite their close friendship, West ultimately excluded the rapper Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi from his "Donda 2" album.
The choice "infuriated" the "Day 'N' Nite" rapper, who claims it would take a "motherf-ing miracle" for the artists to mend their relationship, given the toll it has taken on his mental health. He said having to wake up one day, check his social media to find someone saying all the bad things about you is a surreal feeling. The fact that the person got fans trolling Cudi on his behalf was a draining experience.
"Do you know how it feels to wake up one day, look at your social media, and you're trending because somebody's talking some s-t about you?" he explained. "And then you got this person's trolls sending you messages on Instagram and Twitter? All in your comments?"
He is known mental advocate and he said that while it is a hard role, it keeps him alive so he'll never tire of it.
"It's a lot of pressure, but it keeps me alive. So I'll take it. It doesn't stress me out," he told the outlet when asked if he ever gets "tired" of being a mental-health spokesperson.
"It keeps me thinking, 'Nah, Scott. You gotta be here. Let old age take you out.'"
