Kid Cudi Says He’s “Done” With Kanye West After Years of Fallout and Hurtful Comments
Avery Sinclair here. Can’t wait to see how this turns out. Spoiler: it is exactly as messy as you’d expect.
Kid Cudi, real name Scott Mescudi, has publicly declared that his friendship with Kanye West is over with no chance of reconciliation, according to his new memoir and a recent TV interview. In Cudi: The Memoir and an August 13 appearance on CBS Mornings, the 41-year-old rapper confirmed he cut off contact with Kanye, saying the split is final and heartbreaking. Cudi explained that Kanye has said things he cannot forgive, specifically referencing West’s extreme remarks about the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, which Cudi called among the “most evil, vile, disturbing” statements he has heard. Cudi told CBS Mornings that because of those comments, “There’s no coming back from that,” and that he is done with Kanye.
This is not a sudden breakup; it is the latest chapter in a decade-plus friendship that has been rocky since at least 2014. The pair met years before Cudi signed to Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music in 2008, and Cudi once described West as a “big brother” and a pivotal figure in his career. Yet tensions have flared repeatedly. In 2014 Kanye used old Cudi vocals on Yeezus without prior consent, prompting Cudi to publicly question why he was not brought into the studio. They patched things up enough for onstage reunions in 2016 and 2017, but their relationship soured again by early 2022, amid public fights involving Kardashian family dynamics and social media jabs.
Cudi’s memoir and CBS remarks make crystal clear that this break is personal. He said Kanye has “broken my heart over and over, multiple times,” and he expressed disbelief at “the man that he has become.” Cudi emphasized that the person he used to know is gone and that he does not recognize Kanye today, adding that while it hurts, he has survived heartbreak before and will move on. E! News and other outlets have noted Cudi’s history with West and documented the public spats, including Kanye’s 2022 Instagram post excluding Cudi from Donda sessions because of perceived alliances. At the time Cudi responded bluntly on X, calling Kanye “whack” and saying, “BYE.”
There is real weight to the fallout. Cudi pointed to Virgil Abloh’s death in 2021 as a turning point, stating that Kanye’s attacks on Abloh crossed a line and sparked anger that made reconciliation impossible. Cudi described Virgil as “an angel to everyone,” framing Kanye’s comments as unforgivable. Given the public evidence—past feuds over credits, social media callouts, and now Cudi’s memoir and network interview—the finality of their split is supported by multiple corroborating accounts.
For the casual observer, this might read like celebrity theater: two high-profile creatives at odds. For those who were invested in their onstage chemistry and shared influence on hip-hop and fashion, it is a substantive rupture. Cudi went from calling Kanye a mentor to saying he is done, and he backed that up on the record in print and on national television. Kanye’s representatives have not publicly responded to Cudi’s latest statements.
This moment underscores a larger pattern of public friendships in entertainment imploding under the weight of personal change, social media escalation, and crossing of moral lines. Kid Cudi is making a clear choice to close a chapter that once defined his rise. Whether Kanye will respond, double down, or quietly accept the cut remains to be seen.
Final note: this is not an ambiguous “they will work it out” tabloid tease. Cudi used a memoir and a national morning-show appearance to say he is finished, and that carries a different level of intent. Watch for any further public responses from Kanye or mutual friends, because when this duo has drama, the ripple effects in music and fashion are real.
And that’s today’s dose of reality. You’re welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, CBS Mornings, Complex, Billboard
Attribution: Neil Rasmus/BFA/REX/Shutterstock (Creative Commons)
