Kid Cudi: I turn my pain into art

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Kid Cudi turns his "pain" and depression into music.

The 'Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady' rapper opened up about his mental health battles during a speech for PBS's Washington D.C. station WETA and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Home's virtual event at the weekend.

The Day 'N' Nite' hitmaker - who checked himself into rehab in 2016 for depression and suicidal urges - admitted depression has "ruled" his life "for as long as he can remember".

However, the 36-year-old star explained how he came to realise that he could use his struggles and channel the emotions into his art.

He said: "When we're young, we face a lot of pressure to do things that harm us.

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.

"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."

Cudi had previously admitted he was "ashamed" to speak about his mental health problems.

He explained: "I was really good at keeping my troubles hidden ... even from my friends.

"I really was good with that. And it's scary because you hear people say, 'I had no clue.'"

He'd also previously touched on how expressing himself creatively has helped him to cope his depression.

Speaking earlier in 2018, the rapper - who has collaborated with the likes of Eminem, Kanye West and Jay-Z - shared: "I'm just creating a lot, with more love in my heart for what I'm doing and for myself.

"Living a healthy life, keeping my family around and staying on a mission, which is making music that means something.

"I'm focusing on my art again and throwing myself back into it and wanting to write something with more of a positive outlook on things, because I've written the dark so well for so long.

"I wanted to bring the opposite of that, you know? I'm at a place where I was able to do that."