Depression is a condition affecting a widespread percentage of Americans on a daily basis, but the social stigma attached to it -- and the lack of resources afforded our public mental healthcare system -- means it's often swept under the rug. On his debut album 'Long.Live.A$AP,' rapper ASAP Rocky is doing his part to raise awareness.

Rocky discussed the topic during a recent interview with MTV (embedded above), delving into the dark thoughts that inspired his song 'Phoenix.'

Reflecting on the lyrics "Bloody ink on my pad spelled suicide / Michael Jackson even passed cause you scrutinized," Rocky told the network, "Those are natural feelings that we all get sometimes. You hurt so bad and you're going through so much pain to the point where sometimes you don't even wanna live anymore. That's how a lot of people think, whether we'd like to admit it or not and that's all I was showcasing. It was that emotion... suicidal kinda emotions."

As MTV's report points out, 'Phoenix' comes at a poignant time in the hip-hop community, given the recent suicides of rappers Capital STEEZ and Freddy E. And for Rocky, it's all about shining a light on a subject too many of us would rather ignore.

"I'm not glorifying it at all," he concluded. "I'm just basically telling you that sometimes I have suicidal thoughts. And maybe I should seek help, or maybe it's not that deep."

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