Kid Cudi says he suffered a stroke while in rehab in 2016 and spent months working his way back

Kid Cudi said he had a stroke in 2016 while he was in rehab.

The rapper, 38, in an Esquire piece published Wednesday, said he was two weeks into a rehab stint he had taken amid ‘depression and suicidal urges’ when he suffered the stroke, and was subsequently hospitalized.

The Cleveland native said that ‘everything was f****d’ during the timeframe, as his speech and physical abilities deteriorated, which led to months of physical rehab.

The latest: Kid Cudi, 38, said he had a stroke in 2016 while he was in rehab, in an Esquire piece published Wednesday. The rapper was snapped in LA this past April 

Kid Cudi said he had a positive milestone in 2017 when he auditioned for the Broadway show Lobby Hero; while he didn’t get the role he was encouraged by his progress.

‘I proved to myself that I could do it,’ said the musical artist, whose full name is Scott Mescudi. ‘I needed that at the time.

‘I was happy. Like, damn, my brain is still strong. I didn’t lose something in that s*** that happened.’

The Day ‘n’ Nite performer said he’s inspired by being ‘a role model’ to those dealing with mental health issues.

The Day ‘n’ Nite performer said he’s inspired by being ‘a role model’ to those dealing with mental health issues. He was pictured in concert in Miami last month 

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Kid Cudi said he had a positive milestone in 2017 when he auditioned for the Broadway show Lobby Hero; while he didn’t get the role, he was encouraged by his progress

‘It’s a lot of pressure, but it keeps me alive,’ Kid Cudi told the outlet. ‘So I’ll take it. It doesn’t stress me out. It keeps me thinking, “Nah, Scott. You gotta be here. Let old age take you out.”‘

Kid Cudi said he’s in a better place now, adding, ‘I actually can say, at 38, that I love myself. And I couldn’t have said that six years ago. I can say that with confidence now and truly believe it, and it shows.’

The Grammy-winning rapper previously opened up about mental health awareness in 2020 in a clip for the Washington D.C. PBS station WETA, according to People. 

 ‘When we’re young, we face a lot of pressure to do things that harm us,’ Kid Cudi said. ‘We pretend to be happy when there’s a raging violent storm inside of our heart. Once it was difficult for me to find the words.

‘Anxiety and depression ruled my life for as long as I could remember. I was scared, I was sad, I felt like a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions.’

Kid Cudi said he’s in a better place now, adding, ‘I actually can say, at 38, that I love myself. And I couldn’t have said that six years ago’

The rapper said that he knew he ‘deserved peace and to be happy,’ but ‘didn’t know how to tend to the situation.

He continued: ‘It took me a while to get to this place of commitment, to say I’m gonna get through this. To know that we can take our pain and turn it into something. I turn my pain into music. And my music is how I am different. And my difference is my power.’

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text ‘STRENGTH’ to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to 988lifeline.org.