Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has dropped a new song titled “COUSIN,” where he confesses to performing oral sex on his cousin until he was 14 years old. The track, released as a 2:17-minute music video on his X account on April 21, 2025, has stirred intense reactions due to its explicit lyrics and raw personal revelations. Alongside the video, Ye posted a confession that delves deeper into the story behind the song, shedding light on his troubled past and his emotional struggles.
In the accompanying X post, Ye writes about his cousin, who is now serving a life sentence in prison for killing a pregnant woman. He reflects on their childhood, recalling how they used to look at dirty magazines together. Ye suggests that this exposure might have influenced their actions, stating,
“Perhaps in my self-centered mess I felt it was my fault that I showed him those dirty magazines when he was 6 and then we acted out what we saw.”
He ends the post with a blunt admission:
“My name is Ye and I sucked my cousins dick till I was 14.”
The lyrics of “COUSIN” are striking and unfiltered. In the first verse, Ye raps,
"Hanging with my cousin reading dirty magazines / We seen some niggas kiss and we ain't know what that shit mean / Then we start reenacting everything that we had seen / That's when I gave my cousin head, gave my cousin head."
The repetition hammers home the confession, leaving little room for misinterpretation. In the second verse, he anticipates the backlash:
"And I know these niggas 'bout to judge me now / Started off when we was hanging out / Told my cousin not to tell nobody / People tell me take it to my grave / 'Truth will set you free someday' / I don't think they understand / That I'm not attracted to a man."
Here, Ye clarifies that the acts were driven by curiosity rather than sexual orientation, addressing potential assumptions head-on.
The chorus takes a different turn, revealing Ye’s current emotional state. He sings,
"Nitrous don't help me, it just put me in a trance / I'm talkin' about euphoria, I am not talkin' about a man / Told her, 'Don’t leave me ‘cause I need you by my side' / As long as you don’t leave me, then I’ll probably be alright."
References to nitrous and Percocet hint at substance use as a coping mechanism, while his pleas for companionship suggest a deeper vulnerability.
This release comes amid a turbulent time for Ye. His recent posts on X have drawn criticism for their provocative content, keeping him in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Reports indicate that his marriage to Bianca Censori is crumbling. The separation has reportedly taken a heavy toll on Ye, which may explain the raw emotion pouring out in “COUSIN.” The song feels like a cry for understanding, wrapped in the chaos of his personal life.
Given its sensitive subject matter, “COUSIN” is poised to ignite heated discussions online. Fans and critics alike are likely to have strong opinions, with some shocked by the explicit confession and others debating whether such private matters belong in music. Ye’s willingness to bare his soul, however controversial, is nothing new. His career has long been marked by moments of unfiltered honesty, from his early rants to his gospel-inspired works.
Looking at Ye’s past, there’s no clear public record of abuse tied to this specific story, but the song hints at a childhood shaped by confusion and experimentation. The magazines he mentions, Playboys from his dad and others hidden in his mom’s closet, paint a picture of a young Ye grappling with adult content he didn’t fully understand. This confession could be his way of reckoning with those formative years.
A creative angle emerges when you view “COUSIN” as part of Ye’s ongoing saga of sin and redemption. His music has always been a canvas for wrestling with guilt, faith, and forgiveness. From Jesus Walks to Donda, Ye has turned his flaws into art. Here, he’s not just confessing; he’s inviting listeners into his struggle, asking them to judge or absolve him. It’s a risky move, but one that keeps him a polarizing force in culture.
