That same year, Rocky discussed the line during an interview with MTV News.
In 2013, A$AP Rocky rapped the following on his song "Phoenix": Bloody ink on my pen spelled suicide / Kurt Cobain even died cause you scrutinize. But most references highlight the toxicity of fame. A number of Cobain references exist in rap, some simply rhyming his name with the word "Cocaine" some using his self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head as a crude punchline. Rap seems to have followed in a similar manner. Where prior conversations were primarily centered around the late artist's rock star mythos and if he was "The last rock star," he's now used as an entry point to discuss mental illness in the music industry. In recent years, there has been a shift in the narratives surrounding Cobain. "Lithium," "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle," and "Pennyroyal Tea." The grunge singer articulated how these mental illnesses made him feel with a humor, poignancy, and wit that's still being analyzed and discussed since his death in 1994. The National Institute of Mental Health defines bipolar disorder as "a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks."Īlthough he never talked about being bipolar - and rarely discussed his bouts with depression - Cobain dedicated most of his music to those subjects.
Rap's relationship to Cobain is intertwined in these topics, with numerous rappers using him to highlight and speak on their own struggles with mental illness.Ĭobain was allegedly diagnosed with bipolar disorder - also known as manic-depression - according to his cousin Bev Cobain, a registered nurse with a background in mental health. Since Kids See Ghosts' release, the two artists have been applauded for talking publically about their individual battles with mental illness.Īlthough rappers have addressed topics such as suicide and depression in their music for some time, mental illness is still something of a taboo subject. Although "Cudi Montage" ends with Cudi's repeated affirmation of "Stay Strong," it's hard to forget Cobain's somber guitar strums, a dreary cloud over Cudi's luminous sun.Ĭudi has been vocal about his struggles with mental health both on and off music, while West revealed that he has bipolar disorder on his recently-released album Ye (in an interview following Ye's release the rapper said he was diagnosed with the mental condition when he was 39). Like West and Cudi, Cobain struggled with mental illness throughout his life and musical career and was one of the numerous factors that contributed to his suicide at the young age of 27. That the Nirvana frontman is featured on the track - the conclusion to an album centered around two men addressing their respective mental illnesses - is no coincidence. What starts this track isn't Cudi's voice or West's voice - but the dissonant and haunting guitar strums of the late Kurt Cobain, a sample from his song "Burn The Rain."
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