Content Warning: This story discusses sexual contact of minors.
Kanye West is sharing his side of a traumatic childhood encounter.
The "Stronger" rapper alleged that he had a sexual relationship with one of his relatives as kid—an experience that he said inspired his forthcoming song called "Cousins."
"This song is called COUSINS," Kanye said in an April 21 post on X (formerly Twitter) teasing the new track, "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."
The Grammy winner went on to say that he felt responsible for engaging in the activity with his cousin, who he did not identify.
"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."
And the 47-year-old also also shared where he allegedly found the X-rated publications, 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."
This isn't the first confession the Yeezy founder—who shares kids North, 11, Saint, 9, Chicago, 7, and Psalm, 5, with ex-wife Kim Kardashian—has made about his past as of late.
Earlier this month, Kanye apologized to his former friend Jay-Z for a since-deleted message he shared on social media that questioned the mental capacity of the "Empire State of Mind" rapper and wife Beyoncé's 7-year-old twins Rumi Carter and Sir Carter.
“I’m sorry Jay Z,” Kanye wrote on X April 10. “I be feeling bad about my tweet but I still feel I gave my life to this industry and thought so many people were my family but when I needed family on some real s--t none of these rap n----s had my back.”
E! News reached out to Jay-Z's rep for comment at the time but did not hear back.
For more meaning behind other Kanye West songs, read on.
"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."