Kid Cudi has defended performing with Kanye West again, after they reunited during West’s Chicago concert. Find all the details below.
The controversial rapper gave two homecoming concerts at Soldier Field in Chicago on Friday and Saturday (September 4 and 5), which saw him reunite with Big Sean after years of feuding. Other guests included Travis Scott, Young Thug, Chief Keef and Rick Ross.
Cudi was among the list of West’s previous collaborators who appeared at the second gig, joining to perform ‘Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1’, ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ to close out the show together.
It came after years of public dispute between the two, who fell out in 2022 after West removed Cudi’s contributions from his album ‘Donda 2’. West had also allegedly been upset over Cudi’s friendship with Pete Davidson, who was dating West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian at the time.
During their time apart, West has become an increasingly controversial figure, going on a series of anti-Semitic rants, praising Adolf Hitler and denying the Holocaust. Earlier this year, West took an ad out in the Wall Street Journal to apologise.
Cudi has now addressed criticism of him joining West on stage. It comes as New York radio personality Peter Rosenberg called out those supporting the rapper. “A lot of people I love are being openly lame about Kanye,” Rosenberg, who is Jewish, said in a social media post “I am not saying no one deserves forgiveness or empathy but this man sang Heil Hitler ONE YEAR AGO,” before adding he was “disappointed in a lot of people.”
Rosenberg’s post was made hours before Kid Cudi took the stage, but the rapper responded by saying he understands Rosenberg’s frustration, but adding: “I dont really care if ur disappointed in me.”
“That man is my brother,” Cudi wrote. “U dont have a relationship w him like I do. Damn near 2 decades of art and friendship. U not family.”
“Ive been around Ye, and I can honestly say talking to him now is how it use to be when I first signed to him, but even better,” Cudi wrote. “He was dealing w mental health struggles for years and now hes good. Everyone deserves some grace when they family. I was the hardest on him out of anybody. I held him accountable. He apologized and it was sincere.”
Rosenberg clarified his original post in a response on Saturday, saying he wasn’t talking specifically about being disappointed in Kid Cudi, but stood by his criticism of people upholding West.
“If you saw me running out to support an artist a year after they made a song called ‘all hail the klan’ you would prolly feel a way,” the New York radio personality said, addressing Kid Cudi. “I am ALL for forgiveness and (empathy) but this man is being hailed as a HERO … f that. go get real help and sit down for a few years then lets talk before im going to run to put money in ur pocket.”
I understand ur frustration Peter, I fucks w u, but I dont really care if ur disappointed in me. That man is my brother. U dont have a relationship w him like I do. Damn near 2 decades of art and friendship. U not family. So I get it. Ive been around Ye, and I can honestly say…
— The Chosen One (@KiDCuDi) September 5, 2026
well i wasnt disappointed in you @KiDCuDi (i meant fans) but if you saw me running out to support an artist a year after they made a song called “all hail the klan” you would prolly feel a way. I am ALL for forgiveness and empatjhy but this man is being hailed as a HERO … f…
— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) September 5, 2026
The shows come as part of West’s ongoing, controversial comeback tour, which kicked off at SoFi Stadium in California, and has since seen him play in the Netherlands and Turkey. At the latter, Ye claimed that he drew 118,000 people to his Instanbul show and broke the record for the largest stadium performance.
Many of the dates have already been cancelled due to the rapper’s history of anti-Semitic comments and use of Nazi imagery – including London’s three-night Wireless Festival, which axed its 2026 event after the UK government blocked Ye from entering the country. Ye’s planned shows in Poland and Switzerland were also cancelled, a French date was postponed, and an Italian show was pulled over safety concerns too.
In the States, Florida Senator Rick Scott unsuccessfully urged the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel Ye’s two June shows, and the mayor of San Antonio also failed to get his show at the city’s Alamodome on July 4 scrapped.
More recently, a stadium in Russia has said that the two planned West gigs “cannot take place”.
The two shows in St Petersburg were announced last month, and tickets sold out within hours. They are set to take place at the Gazprom Arena on October 10 and 11, and will make West one of the first major artists to perform in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
