Yung Lean opened up about his complicated relationship with Kanye West, reflecting on how the rapper’s antisemitic remarks and erratic behavior ultimately led him to step away, as he revealed during a recent episode of The New York Times’ “Popcast.”
The Yung Lean interview peeled back the layers of a once-promising creative relationship that unraveled under the weight of mental health concerns and public controversy.
Lean spoke openly about his decision to cut ties with West, citing personal boundaries and a desire to protect his own well-being.
“Kanye is mentally ill,” Lean said. “I’ve been there and I feel for him, and I think all this stuff that he says about Jewish people — my grandfather was Jewish … I don’t know, I can’t defend him, but it’s a mentally ill person who still did ‘Flashing Lights.’”
He added, ” I haven’t seen him for a long time now, ’cause it’s too much. I can’t really be around it.”
Lean recalled a dinner with West about three years ago that initially felt inspiring. He described it as a moment of shared creativity between two artists. But things quickly shifted.
“I mean, when I was alone with him like three years ago and we just had dinner, it was lovely,” he said. “It was fun. It was like two kids sharing ideas, and he has a big heart, and you can tell that it’s all good. But then, the next time I saw him, I could feel that the vibe had gone darker, and then the tweets started coming. It was too much.”
Yung Lean Explains Why Kanye West Collab Off The Table
The rapper explained that his decision to step back wasn’t about public backlash but a personal reckoning with his own history of mental health struggles.
“I mean, the public s###, I don’t really care too much about, but I just felt like, ‘Oh, I’m being dragged into something that I’ve been dragged into myself. And the best thing I could do is not, you know, make a song with this man. It’s more like, ‘I’ve been manic, too, I’ve been psychotic. Lithium works, this works.’ But he’s not going to listen to anyone. And that’s his thing.”
Photos of Lean with West and Bianca Censori at Disneyland last year sparked rumors of a collaboration, but no music ever came from it. Lean’s remarks now make it clear why.
Ye and Yung Lean at Disneyland Today (2024) pic.twitter.com/Jv0pjvc2kJ
— Outlander Magazine (@StreetFashion01) April 17, 2024
West’s antisemitic statements have led to widespread fallout in the music industry. Multiple brands and artists have severed ties with the rapper in recent years.
West recently met with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto in New York City to apologize for his remarks and expressed “profound remorse,” attributing his behavior to bipolar disorder.