Kid Cudi has spoken out after facing criticism for reuniting with Kanye West during the rapper’s two-night return to Chicago.
Cudi joined West onstage at Soldier Field on Friday (04.09.26), marking their first public performance together in years following a long and very public falling-out.
When a fan challenged him online over the reunion, Cudi made it clear he wasn’t interested in apologising.
He wrote: “I understand ur frustration, but I don’t really care if ur disappointed in me. (sic)”
He told the critic that their friendship goes far deeper than outsiders realise.
Cudi went on: “That man is my brother. U don’t have a relationship w him like I do. Damn near 2 decades of art and friendship. U not family. So I get it. (sic)”
He said West’s behaviour in recent years had been shaped by mental health struggles, adding that he believes his former mentor is in a better place now.
Cudi 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. (sic)”
The pair’s relationship had appeared beyond repair. Cudi, who signed to West’s GOOD Music label in 2008, cut ties after feeling “hurt over and over” by the rapper.
In an interview last year, he said their friendship was “heartbreaking” to lose and insisted there was “no coming back” from comments West made about Virgil Abloh following the designer’s death in 2021. Cudi described those remarks as “evil” and said they changed how he viewed West entirely.
Their feud escalated in 2022 when West publicly announced Cudi would not appear on Donda because of his friendship with Pete Davidson, prompting Cudi to accuse him of lying “for a look on the internet”.
