Kid Cudi breaks his silence on mental health struggles in fearless new memoir

Kid Cudi isn’t holding anything back in his highly anticipated new memoir, “Cudi: The Memoir”. 

The Grammy-winning rapper, actor and designer - born Scott Mescudi - delves into some of the most challenging periods of his life, revealing the struggles that accompanied his rise to fame and how he ultimately found a path back to himself. 

Published by Simon & Schuster, the memoir is a raw and fearless account of survival through depression, addiction, isolation and self-doubt.

In his own words, Cudi charts a deeply personal journey, offering hard-earned lessons on vulnerability, reinvention and the courage to keep moving forward even in the darkest times.

For years, Cudi has been open about his mental health, but the book takes that honesty to a new level. It tells the story of a kid from Cleveland who found purpose amid the darkness and emerged as a guiding light for a generation of listeners. 

Across a trailblazing career, Cudi transformed pain into poetry, producing anthems like “Day ’N’ Nite”, “Pursuit of Happiness” and “Mr. Rager”. 

His music gave a voice to the unheard and hope to those feeling unseen. Yet behind the soaring success, he was quietly unravelling.

In a recent appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast on Wednesday, August 13, Cudi spoke candidly about hitting rock bottom and seeking help through rehab.

He reflected on a period between 2015 and 2016 when he relapsed, admitting, “It was like the decline was getting just darker and darker and darker. And, um, suicide was on my mind like all the time. Like I would daydream about this s***, you know?”

The relapse, he explained, was a harsh reality check. “I thought I was past it, but obviously I wasn’t,” he said. “That was f*** me up. I felt like I was going in circles. People don’t want to keep seeing you be a f***** up. You’ve got to get your life together. You’re not in your 20s anymore.” 

It was this wake-up moment that led him to rehab, and Cudi credits that decision with saving his life.

“Ever since then, I haven’t been like this before. Yeah, I get down sometimes, but I get over it. Before, something bad would hit me and I’d be miserable for weeks. Since 2016, I’ve been a thousand times better.”

Cudi also shared a personal moment with his wife, Lola Abecassis Sartore.

He recalled an incident from 2010 when he was arrested - a story he had long seen as a “dent in (his) armour.”

Reading a news article about it aloud with Sartore, she laughed, and in that moment, Cudi said he “found peace” with something he had carried for years.

“Cudi: The Memoir” is Mescudi’s most intimate work yet - a candid exploration of pain, triumph and self-discovery from an artist who has inspired millions. 

It’s a reminder that even in the deepest darkness, there’s a way forward, and that resilience and self-honesty can turn life’s hardest moments into a source of strength.

If you know of someone who needs help, encourage them to contact Sadag on 0800 567 567.