Kanye West
Following the release of his latest album, the Grammy award-winning rapper talks about his mental health and how music helps him.
Kanye West has said he was diagnosed with a “mental condition” at the age of 39, although he hasn’t said what it is.
The 40-year-old revealed the news during a radio interview after releasing his new album ‘Ye’ at a listening party in Wyoming late last week.
The 21-time Grammy award-winning rapper said, “I had never been diagnosed until I was, like, 39 years old.”
Regarding the “mental condition”, he added, “Like I said on the album, it’s not a disability, it’s a superpower.”
It is not known what the condition is but West has referred to bipolar disorder in the album and the artwork features a photo of mountains with the words: “I hate being bipolar it’s awesome”.
Asked how he decided on the album name, he told radio personality Big Boy, “I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible.
“And in the Bible, it means ‘you’.
“So… I’m you. I’m us. It’s us… I’m just more of a reflection of who we are.”
Big Boy asked him if he used music as an outlet for his feelings and he replied, “I’m so blessed and so privileged.
“Think about people that have mental issues (who) are not Kanye West and can’t go and make that (music).
“I think everybody’s got something but it’s not a disability – it’s a superpower.”
West was recently the target of criticism after an interview with TMZ during which he suggested slavery in America was “a choice”.
He referred to the episode on the album with the lyrics: “They said build your own, I said, ‘How, Sway?’ I said slavery’s a choice, they said, ‘How, Ye?’ Just imagine if they caught me on a wild day.”
-SkyNews