A Rap Artist Parents Can Applaud

Contributed by Mamamia.com

It can be easy to put all rap songs – and rappers – into the same basket.

But 28-year-old Kid Cudi is a rap artist who is intent on changing modern hip-hop.

He says that he’s sick of listening to songs about money and women, and instead wants to see rappers taking responsibility for their influence.

He says: “My mission statement since day one … all I wanted to do was help kids not feel alone and stop kids from committing suicide.”

In an interview on the Arsenio Hall Show last week, Cudi explained that, “I think the braggadocio, ‘money, cash, ho- -s’ thing needs to be deaded.”

“If you’re gonna be an artist, there’s a time where you just have to … embrace the responsibility and understand that the power of music is something so special,” Cudi continued. “And to be able to do it on this magnitude where you reach millions of people, it’s like why not use that for good? Why not tell kids something that they can connect with and use in their lives?”

When asked why helping kids feel not alone, and preventing suicide, were his two main goals, Cudi replied, “I dealt with suicide for the past five years … and I know what that feels like. And I know it comes from loneliness, I know it comes from not having self worth, not loving yourself. And these are things that, you know, kids don’t have music that can coach them and give them that guidance.”

Can we get a standing ovation, please?

Editor's Note: This post originally appeared on Mamamia and is reprinted with permission.