CLEVELAND — Cleveland's very own Kid Cudi will be back home this weekend as he hosts his Moon Man's Landing Festival in the West Bank of the Flats.
The rapper, who's been transparent about his struggles with mental health, is once again showing his commitment to helping others who may not be comfortable seeking support.
Kid Cudi is using a hip-hop cultural lens to normalize conversations about mental health.
"There's a stigma across the board, but in the Black community specifically, the stigma is very prevalent," said Cleveland rap artist Archie Green.
Green's "Peel Dem Layers Back" works to break down that stigma through the power of music.
"The only reason I went to therapy is because someone who looked like me suggested that I do that," said Green.
Green's non-profit was born from his own experience with depression and anxiety.
He talked openly about his mental health in a song he produced that went viral.
"Going to therapy as a Black man, going to therapy as a rapper," said Green.
The journey Green found himself on was very similar to another rapper from Cleveland.
"Around the same time Kid Cudi had put out a letter about going to rehab, that was the same time I just started doing my mental health advocacy work," said Green.
Both artists were out there doing the same important work at a distance – that is until now.
This weekend, Green will be a part of Kid Cudi's Moon Man's Landing Festival.
"Out of all the pop-ups we've done, this is the most exciting," said Green.
Peel Dem Layers Back will have a space where festival-goers can pick up free stress relief balls, get creative with adult coloring books and lay in a pair of hammocks.
Green and his team will also connect them with coping mechanisms and mental health resources.
Green is hopeful the unconventional approach, not typically seen here, will help normalize the mental health conversation for everybody, but especially Black men and boys.
"There are people that now feel more comfortable knowing that they're not alone, knowing it's OK to not be OK," said Green.
As for how Peel Dem Layers Back got this unique opportunity, we turn to the power of social media and the message Green sent to Kid Cudi thanking him for his transparency and inspiration.
"Like one day we're going to work together, one day we're going to collaborate and the next thing I know he retweeted my tweet," said Green. "Our organization was brought up in conversation for a nonprofit to partner with the festival and the rest is history, man. It's something, you can't make this stuff up, it's only divine intervention, it's God."
