Kids see ghosts explained (a thread):

Disclaimer: this album is fairly complex and has a lot of interpretations, this is just my theory.

To understand Kids See Ghosts, it is important to understand why it is called that. In my interpretation, Kids See Ghosts is representative of them feeling like kids, in that they see things, and people not believing them. It is reflective negative stigmas against mental health.

In a way ghosts are their version of how people say they have inner demons, but in their case, ghosts. Kids see ghosts is an album about mental health. Each track is park of Kanye and Cudi’s journey.

Feel the love is an incredible song. Pusha T raps from the perspective of a rapper who has experienced luxury and success and is interrupted by Kanye screaming, but he is Kanye in a sense, and the screaming really represents Kanye being viewed as erratic by the public eye.

It shows his struggle with mental health as sometimes he is doing well, but sometimes he can have a bad break, and though pure screaming is exaggerating, it shows this.

Fire is a song where Kanye gets a chance to address criticism of him and his behavior, but he embraces it.
At the end of the song we get the first true tinge of their faith in god. At the end we hear Kid Cudi talk about praying to god, and hoping to be taken into heaven.

He refers to his journey through mental health as being on a road and the scars he left behind represent bad things that have happened in the past.

4th dimension plays off of the whole ghosts theme of the album as well. It uses a sample asking “what is Santa bringing” which has two meanings that can be derived. Firstly, Kanye could be seen as Santa because he is bringing the gift of albums (5 that summer).

It could also be interpreted as that kids believe in Santa, adults don’t, which plays off of the album title. At the end we hear another reference to god when Kid Cudi says “I hope god heard me.” So on this song we have them trying to find christ in the path to recovery.

Freeee is a turning point for both of them, and possibly the most important song conceptually. Both sonically and lyrically upbeat, this track has both of them on the upswing as they have found god. This is displayed Ty Dolla Sign says “he lifted me up when I fell.” He being god.

They both say in this song that they no longer feel pain, but not in the literal sense. They both feel freed from their ghosts and able to go about life freed from their past demons.

On Reborn, Kanye and Cudi overcome their struggles with mental health, and are reborn, which is a metaphor for them improving their mental state. Kanye delivers an emotionally impactful verse where he discusses his social anxiety, as it pertains to him showing up to events.

They are able to be reborn because they have found their faith and god and they are are able to move forward, and past the issues they have encountered in the past.

On Kids see ghosts, Cudi delivers an introspective verse while Kanye talks about expectations and pressures that come with his fame. When Mos Def says “spirits” this is could be interpreted in a lot of ways, but I see it as Kanye & Cudi talking to spirits of people they’ve lost.

Cudi montage is a great thematic wrap up for this record. The song shows they have found their faith in god, and they are feeling better than ever. The song ends with them singing asking for god to shine his light on them.

The albums concept is shown with their live sets. In my interpretation, them being in a cage represents them being confined by societies view of mental illness and the fact that it’s raised off the ground is them rising to heaven and finding god as they do in the album.

Overall, this is a great record packed with some amazing thematic content and metaphors. Super excited to see what the cartoon is all about as well. Thank you @kanyewest and @KidCudi for making such an awesome record for us to listen to.