Kid Cudi defends Kanye West reunion after Chicago concert: 'I was the hardest on him, he apologised and it was sincere'

Kid Cudi has defended his decision to reunite with Kanye West after their years-long feud, saying the rapper had sincerely apologised for his behaviour and arguing that their nearly two decade of friendship gave him a perspective outsiders did not share.

Kid Cudi defends his friendship and reunion with Kanye West

The two artists performed together at West's Chicago concert at Soldier Field on Friday night, marking a dramatic public reconciliation after a bitter fallout that had played out in full view of fans.

Cudi later responded to criticism over the reunion by saying that, despite the controversy surrounding West, whom he referred to as his family, he believed there was room for forgiveness.

The defence came after radio host Peter Rosenberg wrote on X, “A lot of people I love are being openly lame about Kanye. I am not saying no one deserves forgiveness or empathy but this man sang Heil Hitler ONE YEAR AGO. Disappointed in a lot of people (sic).”

In his response, Cudi did not dismiss Rosenberg's frustration. But he made made clear that he was not prepared to allow outside criticism dictate how he handled his relationship with West.

“I understand ur frustration Peter, I f--ks w u, but I dont really care if ur disappointed in me. That man is my brother. U dont have a relationship w him like I do. Damn near 2 decades of art and friendship. U not family. So I get it. Ive been around Ye, and I can honestly say talking to him now is how it use to be when I first signed to him, but even better. He was dealing w mental health struggles for years and now hes good. Everyone deserves some grace when they family. I was the hardest on him out of anybody. I held him accountable. He apologized and it was sincere. But like I said, u not family so I get it,” wrote Cudi.

Many fans praised Cudi regarding his stance. One person wrote, “i’m actually glad that you were the loudest person to call kanye out on his BS. that shit he was saying recently is still hurtful & extremely offensive but if he proved himself to you, well then that’s a good start i suppose (sic).”

Another person wrote, “I’m with Cudi on this. You can hold someone accountable for what they’ve done AND still leave room for forgiveness, growth and reconciliation. If Kanye apologised sincerely and these two brothers found their way back to each other after everything, I’m happy for them. 🤝🏾❤️ (sic).”

But all the comments weren't in favour of Cudi and his reunion with West. A user remembered Tupac and wrote, "They are all entertainers who will never check their "friends" because they are also too yes man! 2Pac never lied about these rappers 🤣😂 (sic)."

A second user commented, “'everyone deserves some grace when they are family' is beyong dumb to say. mental health doesn’t cause someone to be racist and praise hitler. It’s people like you that give people like him the runway to do & say whatever they want because they know you will always forgive them (sic).”

What happened between Kid Cudi and Kanye West?

The comments followed one of the most closely watched moments of West’s two-night Chicago homecoming. West, who now goes by Ye, returned to Soldier Field for his first hometown performances since 2021, with the shows featuring a long list of guest appearances

Cudi emerged as one of the biggest surprises of Friday's concert. The pair performed ‘Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1’ and ‘Ghost Town’ together before Cudi closed his appearance with ‘Pursuit of Happiness’. The performance was a striking reversal for two collaborators whose creative relationship had once been among the most influential in modern hip-hop.

Their fallout became public in 2022 after West removed Cudi’s contributions from Donda 2. West had been angered by Cudi’s friendship with Pete Davidson, who was dating West’s former wife Kim Kardashian at the time.

The Chicago reunion does not erase the controversy surrounding West or the criticism directed at those choosing to work with him again. Cudi, however, appeared to acknowledge that tension while drawing a distinction between public judgement and personal reconciliation.