The BET Experience 2017 kicked off at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Thursday night (June 22), with the first of four nights featuring a number of today’s most popular acts. Kid Cudi made his return to the stage for the first night of the festival after a three-month-long absence. Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Pusha T, Desiigner, and Playboi Carti also took the stage, prior to Cudi’s set.
Kid Cudi addressed the audience as he began his set. “From the back, what’s up how y’all doin?” he asked, grinning into the mic. “So we all go through things, you know. It’s a part of life. It’s how we get through the shit. We become stronger, we become better. That’s what makes us better people. It tells us what type of people we are.” He continued by informing the crowd that he loves them, ending his address with, “I just wanted to tell y’all, I’m good!”
Cudi’s declaration follows a stint in rehab after “depression and suicidal urges” made public by a Facebook post from the entertainer last October. “I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me. If I didn’t come here, I would’ve done something to myself.” he said in the lengthy update. A few weeks prior to his announcement, Cudi lashed out at Kanye West and Drake on Twitter, setting up some high-profile responses from the artists.
Cudi performed a number of his most notable songs on Thursday night, including “Day N Nite,” his verse from “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” and “Kitchen.” At one point, he even brought out longtime collaborator and friend King Chip. Cudi closed his set out with “Erase Me.”
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Since being released from rehab, Cudi has only had a handful of performances — one being with Travis Scott at Complex Con last November and another on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he performed “Kitchen” in March.
His last tweet came in February, and also seemed to show him in a positive space.
