Content warning: This story discusses sexual contact of minors.
Kanye West is diving deeper into his past.
After alleging that he had a sexual relationship with a cousin as a kid, the “Gold Digger” rapper explored the traumatic experience further on his new song, “Cousins,” which was released on April 21.
“Hanging with my cousin, reading dirty magazines,” he raps in the track’s opening lines. “We seen some n—as kissin’, we ain’t know what that s–t mean/ Then we start re-enacting everything that we had seen.”
And the verse goes on to say that the sexual nature of Kanye’s relationship with his family member evolved from there, ending with the repeated line, “I gave my cousin head.”
As for why the Grammy winner is only sharing his side of the story now? Kanye explained in the song—which also features Dave Blunts and Playboi Carti—that he made his cousin vow not to tell anyone and was told by others to “take it to my grave.”
“I don’t think they understand,” the 47-year-old rapped in the second verse, “that I’m not attracted to a man (They thought I was gay).”
Kanye—who shares kids North, 11, Saint, 9, Chicago, 7, and Psalm, 5, with ex-wife Kim Kardashian—first opened up about his alleged incestuous relationship in a message teasing “Cousins” and its accompanying music video.
“This song is called COUSINS,” he said in an April 21 post on X (formerly Twitter) alongside a clip of the single, “about my cousin that’s locked in jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few years after I told him we wouldn’t ‘look at dirty magazines together’ anymore.”
And the Yeezy founder—now married to Bianca Censori—went on to say that he felt responsible for engaging in the activity with his relative, who he has not identified.
“Perhaps in my self centered mess I felt it was my fault that I showed him those dirty magazines when he was 6,” Kanye continued, “and then we acted out what we saw.”
He also provided context on where he allegedly found the X-rated publications that sparked his sexual curiosity, saying, “My dad had playboy magazines but the magazines I found in the top of my moms closet were different.”
Kanye added, “My name is Ye and I sucked my cousins d–k till I was 14.”
Read on for more meanings behind Kanye West’s song lyrics.
“Hurricane”: “Ask Kim”
On the track, Kanye raps, “Heated by the rumors, read into it too much / Fiendin’ for some true love, ask Kim, ‘What do you love?’ / Hard to find what the truth is, but the truth was that the truth suck / Always seem to do stuff, but this time it was too much.”
“Hurricane”: “New Chick”:
Kanye also raps, “Here I go actin’ too rich, here I go with a new chick.” While he does not name the mystery woman, the album was released more than two months after the rapper was spotted vacationing with supermodel Irina Shayk. The two cooled things off after a couple of months.
A source close to her told E! News, “It was never serious. [Kanye] wanted to pursue something with Irina that wasn’t going to happen. He got very busy with work, and they were in different places. It kind of fizzled out from there. They are still friendly and there’s a lot of mutual respect. It just was never going to turn into a full-blown relationship.”
“Hurricane”: “Never Went Home”
Also on “Hurricane,” Kanye references the Southern California home he and Kim bought in 2014 and later renovated to feature a mostly white interior. Architectural Digest featured it in a 2020 issue, alongside an interview with the duo.
“Architectural Digest, but I needed home improvement,” Kanye raps. “Sixty-million-dollar home, never went home to it.”
In 2019, Kanye purchased a $14 million ranch in Wyoming. He later spent much time there. In January, a month before Kim filed for divorce, a source told E! News that it had gotten to the point where the pair hadn’t spent time together as a married couple in months, adding, “They’ve seen each other for the sake of the kids but have been living separately. Kim knows the marriage is over. She’s known for a while.”
“Off the Grid”: “Had to Move Away”
“Off the Grid” includes the lyrics, “Had to move away from people that’s miserable” and “We off the grid, grid, grid / This for my kid, kid, kid, kid / For when my kid, kid, kids have kids / Everything we did for the crib.”
“Off the Grid”: “Fell in Love With Me”
On this track, Kanye raps, “I pray that my family they never resent me / And she fell in love with me as soon she met me.”
“Come to Life:” North West Shout-Out
On the track, Kanye sings, “Brought a gift to Northie, all she want was Nikes.”
“Lord I Need You”: “Give Me a Ring”
“When you said give me a ring, you really meant a ring, huh?” Kanye raps. “Turned out to be more than just a fling, huh?”
The song also contains the lyrics “You know you’ll always be my favorite prom queen.”
“Lord I Need You:” A Gesture of Love
On the track, Kanye raps, “But you came here to show that you still in love with me.”
“Lord I Need You:” “Baby Mama” Drama
“Cussin’ at your baby mama,” Kanye raps. “Guess that’s why they call it custody.”
He and Kim have yet to finalize their divorce. Both are seeking joint custody of their kids.
“Lord I Need You”: “Freedom”
On the song, Kanye alludes to a relationship break or breakup. The track includes the lyrics, “Startin’ to feel like you ain’t been happy for me lately, darlin’ / ‘Member when you used to come around and serenade me, woah / But I guess it’s gone different in a different direction lately / Tryna do the right thing with the freedom that you gave me.”
“Jail”: “Single Life”
On “Jail,” Kanye sings, “Guess who’s getting ‘exed? / You made a choice that’s your bad, single life ain’t so bad.”
