Kanye West Reveals Suicidal Thoughts

Calls himself "soldier of culture"

Kanye West claimed he's considered suicide in the past, but now feels an obligation tobe an artist and speak up for other people.

The singer, who infamously interrupted Taylor Swift's awards speech at the MTV Video Music Awards show last year, made the revelation at an L.A. screening of his film, "Runaway." He didn't say when he had the dark thoughts, though.

Calling himself a pop icon and "soldier for culture," West told the crowd "there were times that I contemplated suicide." But he said "I will not give up on life again."

"There's so many people that will never get the chance to have their voice heard" as loudly as his, West said Monday. "I do it for them."

West directed the abstract 35-minute film, which features portions of nine new songs and is set to premiere this weekend on MTV, VH1 and BET. It is being released in advance of his upcoming album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," which comes out Nov. 22. The film features dreamlike images of Michael Jackson, a phoenix and other animals.

The 33-year-old West told the audience that after a "long, hard year," he'd found his "creative sweet spot" by thinking like "a 5-year-old at all times."

"Everything has been taken away from me," he said. "I'm so not ... scared. I so don't care."

Selected Reading: The Associated Press, MTV.com, IMDb.

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