Kid Cudi sat down with Esquire for an intimate, wide-ranging interview published on Tuesday (Sept. 29), where the rapper discussed everything from his mental health, acting career, musical collaborations and, notably, his relationship with Kanye West.
The longtime partnership, Cudi explained, doesn’t necessarily mean that he is on board with West’s political agenda. “I thought some people would be foolish about it and be like, ‘Oh, he must’ve talked to Kanye’ or ‘Kanye must’ve got to him’ or some shit like that,” Cudi told the publication of West’s outspoken support of Donald Trump. “I think he knows where I stand, and I think he doesn’t bring it up to me. We just don’t talk about it. I totally disagree with it; I think he knows that. And if he doesn’t know, he knows now.”
“That’s my brother. I’ll go on record: That’s my brother. I love him,” he continued. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with everything he f—ing says and he f—ing does, you know?”
On his own beliefs, the rapper made them clear when discussing his Trump-supporting role on HBO’s new drama series, We Are Who We Are. “I read the scripts and at first I was taken aback, because I have my beliefs,” Cudi explained. “I’m not a Trump supporter. I don’t know if the world knows that, but I was just really concerned about what people may think.”
“I talked to [creator] Luca [Guadagnino] and it all made sense to me at the end of the day,” he said. “Look, it’s a character I’m playing and I was fully invested in that, you know? At the end of the day, I hope that people can accept that for what it is, and not go and be like, ‘Oh, s—, Cudi’s a Trump supporter now—he’s wearing a MAGA hat.’”
Read the full interview here.
