Kanye West was already using nitrous oxide in 2015

Fans are concerned about Ye's health and have started using the hashtag #SaveYe to raise awareness about his alleged addiction to nitrous oxide which they believe is diminishing his mental and physical abilities.

It all started when Ye’s former chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulous, publicly accused a dentist of giving Ye large amounts of nitrous oxide, making him addicted to it, which he said limited the rapper’s musical and business abilities. The allegations were made in a 22-page affidavit Yiannopoulous filed with the FBI and the California Dental Board.

Yet Ye apparently had already used nitrous oxide and started using it as early as 2015, when, in an interview with Paper Magazine, he said “I was in the dentist’s office once and I was given nitrous gas and I was vibrating. I guess it’s my version of Steve Jobs and his LSD trip – when I had this first thought: What is the meaning of life? Then I said in my mind – I’m still on the gas and I’m brushing my teeth – But I just want to be remembered. And I immediately corrected myself. I said, it doesn’t even matter if I’m remembered. I came off the gas and had a whole new attitude about everything.”

In 2022, Ye appeared at the BET Awards to pay tribute to Diddy, who was receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award that night. It was one of his few public appearances that year, and in his speech he said, “I was at the dentist’s office the other day, I was taking nitrous oxide, I suggest that if anyone’s stressed.”

What are the negative effects of recreational nitrous oxide use?

Nitrous oxide is a colorless gas that is commonly used for sedation and pain relief by medical professionals, but is also known to be abused by individuals to feel good. Called “laugh gas,” it produces a state of euphoria, similar to the high Ye described in his 2015 Paper interview and the stress relief he mentioned in his BET talk.

It actually relaxes the nervous system and induces a sense of calm and euphoria. It also reduces anxiety and keeps you from falling asleep.