Kid Cudi stopped by The Arsenio Hall Show last night (Mar. 14) to discuss his Satellite Flight: The Journey To Mother Moon album, as well as the state of hip-hop. Blasting the popular subject matter of the genre, Cudi asserted that “the braggadocio ‘Money, Cash, Hoes’ thing needs to be deaded.” He elaborated his statement by highlighting the reach that artists have and the possibility of using their influence in a positive way.
“I feel like that’s holding us back as black people. It doesn’t advance us in any way, shape or form,” he said. “[…]I feel like if you’re gonna be an artist, there’s a time where you have to embrace the responsibility and understand that the power of music is so special and to be able to do it to a magnitude to reach millions of people. It’s like why not use that for good? Why not tell kids something that they can connect with and use in their lives?”
The Need For Speed star also opened up about his personal battle with suicidal thoughts, and his mission to help others combat similar issues.
“Really my mission statement since day one […] all I wanted to do was help kids not feel alone, and stop committing suicide,” he told Hall. “I dealt with suicide for the past five years. There wasn’t a week or a day that didn’t go by where I was like ‘You know, I wanna check out.’ I know what that feels like. I know it comes from loneliness. I know it come from not having self-worth, not loving yourself. […] Kids don’t have music that can coach them and give them that guidance.”
Along with his sit-down, the rapper also took to the stage to perform “Internal Bleeding” from his Satellite Flight LP. Check out Kid Cudi‘s Arsenio interview above and performance below.