Rapper Ycee opens up on six-year battle with mental health issues

Nigerian rapper and singer Ycee has disclosed a six-year struggle with bipolar disorder, a condition he was diagnosed with in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown while living in London. The 33-year-old artist shared on the Afropolitan Podcast that the diagnosis marked the beginning of a challenging period that affected his mental health, creativity, and music career.

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In 2020, I got diagnosed with a mental health condition, and that was during lockdown. I was in London, deep down into lockdown. I was in and out of the hospital for maybe 3 months.

Ycee, whose real name is Oludemilade Martin Alejo, explained that his initial understanding of mental health was limited when he received the diagnosis. He underwent treatment and navigated recovery while away from home, eventually returning to Lagos due to visa restrictions, where he continued his medical care. The artist described the subsequent years as a "very long six years" in Nigeria, characterized by ongoing medication, therapy sessions, and repeated hospitalizations.

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Before 2020, mental health was a statement that I hadn’t uttered before. Coming back to Lagos and getting into mental health in Nigeria, it was a very long six years.

The illness significantly impacted his creative output and contributed to his extended absence from the music industry. Ycee mentioned that his 2021 project, "Love Drunk," and a single released in 2022 did not receive the promotion he would have otherwise provided due to his mental state. He also spoke about the arduous process of reconnecting with his former self, noting that by the end of 2024, he began to feel more like himself again. The rapper highlighted that the most difficult aspect was how the condition affected his natural ability to create music.

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I was on medication, and I was hospitalised several times. I was dealing with therapy. So many things. Sometimes, it looked good. Sometimes, it just gets like really dark.