Kanye West’s return to Twitter in April of this year was momentous. It began with an onslaught of semi-philosophical tweets and then quickly turned political, as his support for Donald Trump became evident and he began to react to the world’s general disapproval. He’s been tweeting periodically since, but Friday’s tweets have attracted particular attention once again. Prompted by the new Alexander McQueen documentary, Kanye tweeted out some of his thoughts on suicide.
"I know how it feels to want to take your life back into your own hands even if it means taking your own life," he wrote in one tweet. "I’ve had these kinds of thoughts and I’m going to tell you things I’ve done to stay in a content place," he added in another. His first "tip," so to speak, sounds rather obvious but anyone who has struggled with mental health issues will understand its importance. "Avoid being around people who make you want to kill yourself," Ye wrote.
I saw the Alexander McQueen documentary and I connected with his journey. I know how it feels to want to take your life back into your own hands even if it means taking your own life.
To make this clear and not weird
I’ve had these kinds of thoughts and I’m going to tell you things I’ve done to stay in a content place.
How to NOT kill yourself pt 1
Avoid being around people who make you want to kill yourself
At the time of writing, these are the only tweets Kanye had shared so far.
Kanye has admitted to having mental health issues before—the cover art for his newest album, Ye, referred to being bipolar—and recently spoke about being diagnosed at age 39.
Alexander McQueen was a visionary fashion designer who died by suicide at the age of 40 in 2010. A new documentary on his life, titled McQueen, was released in June in the UK and on July 20 in the U.S. Harper’s Bazaardescribed it as “accurate, sensitive and moving.” The documentary, which was made by filmmakers Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, makes use of interviews with colleagues, friends, and family of the designer, as well as McQueen himself.
Kanye has been a longtime outspoken fan of McQueen. He and Kim Kardashian even got a private tour of an exhibit devoted to the designer at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum back in 2015. McQueen is seen as a revolutionary yet controversial force in the fashion world, so it's not hard to see the parallels between the Chicago rapper's work.
