In 1994, the world of music was rocked when it was revealed that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain had died. The beloved rockstar committed suicide at his home in Seattle and was reportedly found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It’s been over 24 years since Cobain’s death, but the star’s legacy remains. His name has been mentioned in countless songs by other famous artists, his memory has been kept alive by family and friends, and occasionally, the star still makes headlines.
In a newly-unearthed interview, which took place four days before the release of Nirvana’s career-launching Nevermind album, the late rocker sat down with Roberto Lorusso and talked about the music industry and how he felt about white rappers, according to a report from Vibe magazine.
The short interview clip was shared online by Lorusso, who is now a physics teacher in London, Ontario. The interview was originally recorded on September 20, 1991, at the Opera House in Toronto, Canada. At the time, Lorusso was a 21-year-old aspiring musician and student host of his college campus’ radio station. While chatting with Canada’s CTV , he admitted he didn’t know much about Cobain and his band at the time of the interview.
During the interview, Lorusso question Cobain about a comment he had previously made in M.E.A.T. magazine, where he said white rappers shouldn’t be rapping.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Cobain responded after Lorusso read the comment back to him. “Was I drunk at that time? I’m a fan of rap music, but most of it is so misogynist that I can’t even deal with it.”
“I’m really not that much of a fan,” he quickly added. “I totally respect and love it because it’s one of the only original forms of music that’s been introduced, but the white man doing rap is just like watching a white man dance. We can’t dance, we can’t rap.”
Lorusso explained the circumstances of the conversation on the Dead City Beat Bandcamp page. He said he is aware that the interview isn’t the best by all journalistic standards, but he felt it necessary to release the interview because “it’s still history, despite how poorly done the interview was.”
He ended his explanatory note with an interesting observation.
“As we spoke I got a vague sense that he wasn’t really enjoying their success. I couldn’t understand it,” he said.
Lorusso said he was so caught up in admiring Cobain for his talent and all he had accomplished that he couldn’t quite understand why the rockstar didn’t seem happier about his success. But Lorusso understood later.
“A few years later it became very clear why,” he said. “When I reflected on this experience, I realized that success doesn’t mean a godd**n thing if your world is falling apart. Depression is a cruel thief that bankrupts your life with one fleeting moment of joy at a time.”
