I consider myself to be a fan of Kid Cudi, even though I was not in love with his album, “Speeding Bullet to Heaven,” I still respect him as an artist. He has written some great songs such as “Pursuit of Happiness,” “Erase Me,” “Mr. Rager” and many other songs that reach people in a powerful way.

However, even those on the top have their issues. Kid Cudi recently checked himself into a rehab facility to help overcome his depression and suicidal urges, reported CNN.

Cudi took to Facebook and explained to fans, “I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me. If I didn’t come here I would have done something to myself. I simply am a damaged human being swimming in a pool of emotions everyday of my life”, reported CNN.

I fully support Kid Cudi’s treatment and need for help. Depression is not something to joke about, and I give him props for having the courage and ability to seek out help on his own. Some people never seek out that help and end up taking their own lives or hurting themselves.

It can be hard to admit that you need help, but the important thing is that a person gets it. So, shout out to Kid Cudi for doing what he needs to do to take care of himself. That should always be a priority.

I am writing about this because recently Drake, another rapper, decided it was appropriate to rap about Cudi’s mental illness, which was both disrespectful and disappointing.

Drake just released a bunch of brand new songs through Apple Music on Monday, reported The Huffington Post. But, the new song, “Two Birds, One Stone” is getting all kinds of backlash for calling out Kid Cudi on his depression.

The song goes…

“You were the man on the moon, now you go through your phases

Life of the angry and famous

Rap like I know I’m the greatest and give you the tropical flavors

Still never been on hiatus

You stay xan and perked up so when reality set in you don’t gotta face it”

I do not know about you but I was not overly thrilled to read about this. I mean it is one thing to not like someone, but something completely different to make jokes and call someone out for having a mental illness.

Drake, just so you know, people do not stay “xan and perked up” so they do not have to face reality. They take those medications because they need them. So, please have a little more respect and class, because you are not talking about an issue to joke over, you are talking about someone’s mental wellness. I do not care how much you may dislike someone, but poking fun of something like this is completely distasteful.

A lot of people are wondering if the motivation behind Drake’s words come from Kid Cudi tweeting about him and Kayne West back in September, according to The Huffington Post. Basically, Kid Cudi accused Kayne West and Drake of being fake rappers and “jealous.” But, that is not an excuse to call a person’s depression a ‘phase.’ While the beef between Drake and Kid Cudi seems to go back a while, it does not change the fact that what Drake did is rude, distasteful and, frankly, incredibly insensitive.

Fans are obviously not pleased with Drake either, with one stating “Kid Cudi disses Drake’s talent and Drake’s only comeback is to insult Cudi’s health and not musical abilities,” the New York Daily News reported.

Another fan stated, “Drake sells himself as the guy who is open about his feelings and has albums that are like journal entries, slandering Cudi is a very bad look,” according to The New York Daily News. 

I could not agree with these fans more. Drake does sell himself as the “sensitive man” but it is super hypocritical of him to judge Cudi for his depression. If I were him I would be thinking about how this looks for his image. I am calling it hypocritical. Call yourself sensitive and yet you feel that it is appropriate to call someone out for their mental illness? That does not quite add up for me.

According to the World Health Organization, about 350 million people around the world suffer from depression. Out of those 350 million people, I am sure some of them are Drake fans. Well, maybe not anymore since Drake made these comments.

I have to say that I am incredibly disappointed that Drake did this. Depression or any mental illness is not a joke nor is it okay to accuse someone of going through phases or using medications to avoid facing reality; reality for people with depression looks different, so do not judge. Those medications are equally as important as medications for other health related issues.

All I am saying is, this is not a joke. This is beyond disrespectful of Drake and it shows that he obviously lacks the sensitivity he brags about. Mental illness is equally as serious as physical illness and passing judgment and making fun of those that suffer from it is just inexcusable in my book. Drake, I thought you were better than this, guess I was wrong.