Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter Oludemilade Martin Alejo, better known as Ycee, has opened up about his battle with mental health.
He said in a recent interview that he was diagnosed with a mental health disorder in 2020. After medications and multiple hospitalisations, he said he lost a part of himself — his creativity.
“I was diagnosed with a mental health disorder in 2020. After medications and multiple hospitalisations, I had to accept that the version of me I knew wasn’t coming back. It affected my creativity. I could no longer freestyle like I used to”.
Ycee isn’t the only celebrity to speak about mental illness. A few years ago Chacha Eke-Faani’s struggles came to light when she announced she was leaving her marriage and hinted at being abused by her husband. Speaking at a mental health outreach, Chacha described how she would destroy property during manic episodes. She also told of a brutal scene at Rit Hotel in Enugu, where she said she smashed everything, wrecked the hotel and left her family with only the clothes they wore. Two years later, she said, a repeat episode led to hospitalisation; she was diagnosed and given drugs she would later flush down the toilet.
Afropop artiste Solidstar has also been open about trouble with drugs and mental health. In 2019 he shared a post about overdosing and bleeding, and apologised to anyone hurt. In 2022 he said he nearly died from drug abuse and addiction. In 2023 his younger brother, Joseph Iniyezo, publicly pleaded for help, posting a disturbing video saying Solidstar was critically sick and battling mental illness, explaining his withdrawal from the spotlight.
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