Kanye West: "I Contemplated Suicide"

Kanye West says that he thought about killing himself, but "will not give up on life again," according to The Associated Press.

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"There were times that I contemplated suicide," the rapper told the audience at a Monday screening of his abstract 35-minute film, Runaway. "I will not give up on life again."

The self-proclaimed "soldier for culture" — who did not say when he considered taking his life — added that he wanted to help people who will never have their voices heard. "I do it for them," he said.

Runaway, a mostly dialogue-free film, features nine of West's songs and a prelude with narration from rapper Nicki Minaj. The film will premiere this weekend on MTV, VH1 and BET.

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Following West's Video Music Awards incident with Taylor Swift last year, the rapper took some time off. "I left America. I stopped doing music all together," he told Ellen DeGeneres during an appearance on her show airing Tuesday. "What was good about going away [was that] it was the first time that I got to stop since my mom had passed. ... It was time to take a break and develop more as a person, as a creator, and focus more on my thoughts and my ideas and what I wanted to bring to the world."

West's upcoming album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, will hit stores Nov. 22.