As Kanye West returned to the Windy City for a two-night stay, he had some support from an old friend.
On Saturday, Kid Cudi defended performing with the controversial 24x Grammy-winning artist the night before at Soldier Field in Chicago, telling a critic that although “I understand ur frustration,” “I don’t really care if ur disappointed in me” over making amends with West, who signed the “Day n Nite” artist to his GOOD Music label in 2008.
“That man is my brother. U don’t have a relationship w him like I do. Damn near 2 decades of art and friendship,” wrote Cudi. “U not family. So I get it. I’ve been around Ye, and I can honestly say talking to him now is how it use to be when I first signed to him, but even better.”
The Free artist added, “He was dealing w mental health struggles for years and now he’s good. Everyone deserves some grace when they family. I was the hardest on him out of anybody. I held him accountable. He apologized and it was sincere. But like I said, u not family so I get it.”
Following West’s antisemitic behavior last year, including a pro-Hitler song, for which he apologized with a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal in January, Cudi told West he was “done” with the Donda artist, who had also made insulting remarks about the late Virgil Abloh.
“And it breaks my heart, because I loved Kanye, you know?” said Cudi. “I really loved him, he was a part of my life changing. And at some point, he was a really good friend, but the man that he has become, I just don’t know that guy anymore. I don’t know him, I don’t know that version of him, and it’s really heartbreaking.”
Following his public apology, West embarked on his Ye Live Concert Tour in April, which he continues on Oct. 24 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Amid the tour, he’s run into trouble entering the U.K. and France over his past antisemitic remarks.
