Kanye West has given a candid interview about his mental health, revealing he was diagnosed with a “mental condition” at the age of 39.
In an interview published on Big Boi’s YouTube channel, Kanye - who will celebrate his 41st birthday this week - was asked about his new album ‘Ye’ and using his music as an outlet.
He explained: “I think about people that have mental issues that are not Kanye West, that can’t go and make [an album] and make it feel like it’s all good.
“Think about somebody that does exactly what I did at TMZ and they just do that at work, right? But then Tuesday morning, they come in and they lost their job and they can’t go back and make that. That’s why God put that on me at age 40.”
Confirming he’d been diagnosed with a “mental condition” at the age of 39, he continued: “Like I said on the album, it’s not a disability, it’s a superpower.”
Kanye did not specify which mental condition he had been diagnosed with, though the quote he was referring to came from the ‘Ye’ track, ‘Yikes’, during which he also raps: “That’s my bipolar shit, n***a… that’s my superpower, n***a, ain’t no disability. I’m a superhero! I’m a superhero!”
The album artwork for ‘Ye’ also features the words: “I hate being bipolar... it’s awesome.”
The release of ‘Ye’ comes at the end of an especially controversial few months for the rapper, largely due to his public endorsement of US President Donald Trump and his infamous TMZ interview, which saw him declare he thought 400 years of black slavery “feels like a choice” to him.
He addresses the latter on the ‘Ye’ track ‘She Wouldn’t Leave’, during which he also suggests the ensuing backlash led to problems between himself and wife Kim Kardashian West.