YCee is going public with a six-year health battle he's kept largely private, a bipolar disorder diagnosis he received in London in 2020.

The rapper made the disclosure on Arise TV, detailing how the diagnosis reshaped his outlook and exposed major gaps in Nigeria's mental health system.

"I have been living with bipolar disorder since 2020. I was diagnosed in London because I was in London during that period, and I was in and out of hospital. I went through different diagnoses before we arrived at that," he said.

Before the diagnosis, he said mental health barely registered as a topic in his life. "Before 2020, I don't think I had even ever said the phrase mental health or come across it in conversation, especially coming from Nigeria," he said.

He drew a sharp contrast between his experience in the UK, where mental health helplines and support stayed visible even during the pandemic, and what he found back in Lagos.

"I was supposed to continue treatment in Lagos, but that was where I saw how much of a challenge it is to deal with that kind of condition. There was a lack of personnel," he said, pointing to a shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists as of 2024.

He linked the gap to a wider strain on Nigeria's healthcare system, which he said leaves many without access to basic care, let alone specialist mental health support.

The rapper said the condition contributed directly to a quiet stretch in his career, with his 2021 project Love Drunk receiving far less promotion than planned because of what he was going through at the time.