Advertisement
Kanye West has sparked widespread conversation with the release of his latest song, Cousins, in which he shares deeply personal and controversial memories from his youth. The track is dedicated to a cousin of his who is currently incarcerated for a serious crime.
In the raw and emotionally intense lyrics, West reflects on being exposed to adult content at a young age—specifically magazines he found that belonged to his late mother, Donda. He notes that many of these magazines featured homosexual imagery. After sharing them with his cousin, the two reportedly began mimicking what they saw.
West suggested that his actions may have negatively influenced his cousin during their formative years. On X (formerly Twitter), he expressed remorse, saying he believes he might bear some responsibility for shaping his cousin’s behavior, which eventually led to a violent crime.
He also claimed that the experience became more explicit over time and candidly admitted to sexual activity involving his cousin, which he says continued into his early teens.
In the same social media post, West stated that his cousin is currently serving time for the murder of a pregnant woman—an act committed years after they allegedly grew apart and stopped engaging in the behaviors described.
The music video for Cousins includes a compilation of video game footage and some suggestive clips, adding to the controversial nature of the release. According to Page Six, both West and his former wife Kim Kardashian had reportedly looked into the cousin’s case during their marriage.
This isn’t the first time West has publicly mentioned his cousin. In a 2018 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he briefly spoke about him while discussing politics, saying, “My cousin is locked up for murder, and I love him. So he did a bad thing, but I still love him.”