Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Scott Mescudi
Born	(1984-01-30) January 30, 1984 Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop, rock
Occupations	Rapper, singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, Maschine production system[1]
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Wicked Awesome, Republic (current) Dream On, GOOD Music (former)
Associated acts	WZRD, Common, Dot da Genius, Kanye West, King Chip
Website	www.kidcudi.com

Scott Mescudi^[2] (born January 30, 1984),^[3] better known by his stage name Kid Cudi (/ˈkɪd ˈkʌdi/ KID KUD-ee, often stylized KiD CuDi), is an American hip-hop recording artist and actor from Cleveland, Ohio. A rapper, singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer, Cudi is signed under Republic Records, as well as his own record label imprint, Wicked Awesome Records. He first gained recognition after the release of his first official full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi, which he released in 2008. The mixtape caught the attention of American record executive and rapper-producer Kanye West, who subsequently signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label, in late 2008. Cudi's association with West and the GOOD Music label, as well as his breakout single "Day 'n' Nite", led him to prominence.

In 2009, Cudi's debut single "Day 'n' Nite", reached the top five of the Billboard charts. "Day 'n' Nite" was included on the mixtape as well as Cudi's debut studio album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), which was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The End of Day also features the singles "Make Her Say" and "Pursuit of Happiness", both of which fared well on several music charts. In 2010, Cudi released his second studio album and the sequel to his first, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. The sequel was preceded by the release of two singles "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager", which were both released to moderate success, with "Erase Me" peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, surpassing its predecessor in both sales and peak position. Very much like his debut, The Legend of Mr. Rager also went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA. In April 2013, Cudi released Indicud, his third studio album. The album, primarily produced by Cudi himself, peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming Cudi's highest-charting album on several charts as well as that one. The album spawned the singles "Just What I Am", "Immortal" and "Girls".

In 2009, Cudi had teamed up with American record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie, to launch their record label imprint entitled Dream On, in partnership with Universal Motown and Kanye West's GOOD Music.^[4] In October 2010, Cudi announced that he was teaching himself how to play the guitar and that he would be forming a rock band, now known as WZRD, with his longtime friend and frequent collaborator Dot da Genius.^[5][6] In February 2011, Cudi announced the Dream On record label had been dissolved due to creative differences.^[4] Later in April 2011, while performing at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom, Cudi announced he was launching a label on his own, Wicked Awesome Records.^[7] WZRD ultimately released their eponymous debut album on February 28, 2012, under Wicked Awesome and Republic. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and at #1 on both the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts.^[8] In 2013, Cudi announced his departure from GOOD Music, to focus on Wicked Awesome Records; he left on good terms and is still heavily associated with the label, appearing on West's sixth album Yeezus, later that year.

Kid Cudi has sold over 5.2 million digital singles and has worked with artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Common, Mary J. Blige, David Guetta, Shakira, MGMT, Ratatat, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bolton.^[9][10][11] With his originality and creativity, as well as the emotion he conveys in his music, Cudi has amassed a large cult-like following among high school students, college students and stoners alike.^[12][13] In 2010, Cudi starred in the HBO series How to Make It in America, as part of the main cast, until its cancellation in 2011. He has also starred in two short films Maniac (2011) and Cruel Summer (2012), directed by Shia LaBeouf and Kanye West, respectively. Kid Cudi is set to appear in the upcoming 2014 Need for Speed film, and has also made appearances on television shows such as One Tree Hill, The Cleveland Show and the Fox comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Early life

Kid Cudi was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Shaker Heights and Solon. He is the youngest of four children, with two brothers, Domingo and Dean, and a sister, Maisha.^[14] His father, a house painter, substitute teacher and World War II Air Force veteran, was Mexican-Native American, while his mother, a middle-school choir teacher at Roxboro Middle School, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, is African-American.^[15][16]

When he was eleven years old, Cudi's father died of cancer; his passing would have a significant effect on Cudi's personality and subsequently his music.^[16] Cudi attended Shaker Heights High School for two years before transferring to Solon High School. He was expelled from the school for threatening to punch his principal and would later earn his GED.^[17] Cudi studied film at the University of Toledo, dropping out after a year;^[14] he was determined to join the US Navy but was denied due to his juvenile police record.^[18]

Music career

2003–2008: Beginnings in New York

Cudi first began rapping towards the end of his high school career, inspired by alternative hip hop groups such as The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest.^[16] He moved to Brooklyn in New York City to pursue a music career.^[2] Upon his arrival, he stayed with his uncle:^[19]

"I was working at this restaurant in Cleveland. There was this white dude in his 40s who was cool as shit and would tell me, "You’re funny and people like you. You need to move the fuck out of Ohio and just do this." My uncle told me I could come out there and stay with him in the South Bronx until I got on my feet. I’d never met him; this was my father’s older brother, the last of my father’s siblings, so I wanted to make that connection anyway. I moved in 2004 with my little demo and maybe $500."

Shortly after he moved from Cleveland, a BAPE store opened up in the city, where he later applied for a job:^[20]

"I discovered what BAPE was when I moved to NY, the store opened up shortly after I moved from Cleveland. I was always a fan of the brand but it just wasn’t something I could afford back then. I remember working there my first couple of weeks in the same uniform cause I didn’t own anything prior to being hired. So it was a dream come true to be able to work at the store I dreamed of shopping in one day. Over a couple of years I might have applied at the store 3 or 4 times before the last attempt that got me hired. I fell in love with BAPE because of their color selection and artwork. I love the style of their cartoons."

While working there Cudi met future mentor Kanye West, for the first time after forgetting to remove an anti-theft device from a jacket West had purchased.^[20] His uncle later kicked him out, leading to his writing "Day 'n' Nite":^[19]

"My uncle that I lived with passed in 2006. We were actually beefing because he forced me out the house when I didn’t have another situation set up, so I was bitter. I never apologized for it, and that kills me. That’s why I wrote "Day 'n' Nite." If he wasn’t there to let me stay with him those first few months, there would be no Kid Cudi. It fucked me up watching him go, but it was like, "I have to fulfill this destiny now for sure." Things were moving but they weren’t solidified yet. I had "Day ’n’ Nite," we were just getting started, and I was like, "This shit has got to pop off." I wasn’t taking no for an answer."

In July 2008, Kid Cudi released his first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, in collaboration with New York street-wear brand 10.Deep as a free download.^[21] The mixtape caught the attention of Kanye West, whose then-manager Plain Pat, had introduced Cudi's music to him, subsequently leading West to sign Cudi to his GOOD Music imprint later that year.

Kanye West first called upon Cudi to reference hooks for American rapper and mogul Jay-Z, and while in the studio Cudi and West went from working on The Blueprint 3 (2009) to 808s & Heartbreak (2008).^[19] Cudi’s assistance on the latter includes co-writing credits on "Heartless," "Welcome to Heartbreak," "Paranoid," and "RoboCop."^[19] West later stated that he and Cudi were "the originators of the style, kinda like what Alexander McQueen is to fashion…. Everything else is just Zara and H&M."^[19] Kid Cudi was a prominent songwriter and featured artist on 808s & Heartbreak, with "Paranoid" and "Heartless" being released as singles, while "Welcome to Heartbreak" peaked at #87 on the Pop 100.^[22]

Cudi was promoted as an artist to watch for in media such as Rolling Stone, Vibe, The Source, XXL and BBC News's 2009 Sound of poll.^[23] MTV News reported on Cudi on a series of reports MCs To Watch In 2009.^[24] His first television appearance was at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, alongside Travis Barker and DJ AM.

2009–2010: Man on the Moon series

In late 2008, Cudi was revealed to be included in XXL's 2009 annual Freshman Class. He was featured on the cover alongside fellow up-and-coming rappers Asher Roth, Wale, B.o.B, Charles Hamilton, Cory Gunz, Blu, Mickey Factz, Ace Hood and Curren$y.^[25][26] On February 17, 2009, he appeared on Snoop Dogg's MTV talk show Dogg After Dark, performing "Day 'n' Nite" at the end of the show. Two days later on February 19, 2009, Cudi appeared on BET's 106 & Park, alongside Kanye West to debut the music video of "Day 'n' Nite". On February 25, 2009, Cudi self-leaked a teaser trailer^[27] for the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen film, using his song "Sky Might Fall" in the background; later he posted that he made the trailer himself and was in talks to possibly making it official.^[28]

In February 2009, Kid Cudi also made a cameo appearance next to Solange, in the video for her song "T.O.N.Y.". On March 16, 2009, Kid Cudi performed on mtvU's Spring Break special, and the following day he performed three songs on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly. Cudi teamed up with partner and record producer Emile Haynie, to produce an exclusive single titled "Switchin Lanes", for the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles, part of its "South Central Premium Upgrade" downloadable content (DLC), which came out March 19, 2009, for the PlayStation 3 and March 27, 2009, for the Xbox 360.^[29] He has also appeared as a musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In June 2009, he made a cameo in The Black Eyed Peas' video for "I Gotta Feeling", alongside David Guetta, where the two met for the first time and subsequently recorded their international hit "Memories". In 2009, he had also been on two magazine covers, Complex (August/September 2009) and URB (August 2009). Japanese clothing company Bape, awarded Cudi his own t-shirt in September 2009, in reward for his music and past employment there when living in New York City.

He revealed information about his future plans via his blog, saying that a possible collaborative album with Chip tha Ripper could be followed with a collaborative project with electrorock duo Ratatat.^[30] On May 5, 2009 Iranian-American progressive house DJ Sharam, released "She Came Along", the lead single from his debut studio album, Get Wild (2009).^[31] The song, featuring Cudi, charted for 15 weeks on the Bulgaria Singles Top 40. It entered the chart on position 40 on week 30/2009, and its last appearance was on week 44/2009. It peaked at number 11, where it stayed for 1 week.^[32]

During the summer of 2009, Cudi joined fellow up-and-coming rappers Asher Roth and B.o.B, for 'The Great Hangover' concert tour.^[33][34] In late 2009, Kid Cudi was featured on the highly anticipated Jay-Z album The Blueprint 3, on the song "Already Home".^[35]

Cudi's debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, was released on Universal Motown Records on September 15, 2009^[36] and sold 104,419 copies in the first week and charted at #4.^[37] The album's lead single "Day 'n' Nite", Kid Cudi's greatest commercial success thus far, charted well in both the U.S. and in Europe. The second single released was "Make Her Say" (originally titled "I Poke Her Face"), which features a sample from Lady Gaga's hit single "Poker Face" and performances by Kanye West and Common. Common was also featured throughout the album, as the narrator.^[38][39]

In a late 2009 interview, Cudi announced that the follow-up to his debut album would be a compilation album entitled Cudder and the Revolution of Evolution, which would have many collaborations. He stated he had already recorded songs with Snoop Dogg, Travis Barker, Clipse, Cage and Pharrell, and would also like to work with Drake, Green Day, Kings of Leon, Robin Thicke, The Killers and The Postal Service on the album. It was also rumored that Man on the Moon: The End of Day would be followed up by a sequel titled Man on the Moon: The Ghost in the Machine and that the Man on the Moon series would be a trilogy.^[40] Kid Cudi was nominated for three 2010 Grammy Awards, for his singles "Day 'n' Nite" and "Make Her Say".^[41]

In 2010, Kid Cudi was featured on Snoop Dogg's re-release of Malice n Wonderland, More Malice, on the lead single "That Tree".^[42] Cudi also teamed up with independent artist Johnny Polygon, to remix Polygon's "The Riot Song", which appears on his mixtape Rebel Without Applause (2010).^[43] On April 20, 2010, Kid Cudi announced that the name of his second album would not be Cudder and the Revolution of Evolution, but Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.^[44][45] On June 11, 2010, Kid Cudi was arrested in the Chelsea neighborhood of the Manhattan borough in New York City and charged with felony criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance.^[46] Despite his arrest, he was released and made it to Manchester, Tennessee in time to play at Bonnaroo.^[47]

The lead single from Cudi's second studio album, titled "Erase Me", features Kanye West and was produced by Jim Jonsin. The song debuted on a Cleveland radio station June 30, 2010, and was officially released to Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 17, 2010.^[48][49][50] The title-track "Mr. Rager", was released as a promotional single shortly before the album's release. The album, released November 9, 2010, debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 169,000 copies.^[51] In its second week it crossed the 200,000 sales mark.^[52]

In 2010, Kid Cudi appeared on several songs for Kanye West's weekly free music giveaway GOOD Fridays, including "Good Friday", "Christian Dior Denim Flow" and "The Joy", the latter of which later became a bonus track on the Jay-Z and Kanye West collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011).

2011–2012: New direction and WZRD

In October 2010, Cudi had announced that he would be forming a rock band with frequent collaborator Dot da Genius, tentatively called Wizard.^[53] In early 2011, he announced that he would be releasing a mixtape titled A Man Named Scott, reminiscent of his A Kid Named Cudi title, prior to the rock album.^[54] On February 26, 2011, Cudi took to his Twitter account to announce that Dream On, the record label he launched back in 2009 with partners Patrick “Plain Pat” Reynolds and producer Emile Haynie, has been dissolved.^[4] However in an interview with Complex Magazine Cudi explained they were all still on good terms: "I wanted to try something new, and I wanted to take control of things myself. Those are still my guys, Pat and Emile, and I'm still going to work with them in the future. When we start working on Man on the Moon III I’ll be calling them up to see if they want to be a part of it. I know Emile is definitely down. We had an issue, but we’re men and we were able to figure it out and move forward. There’s no hard feelings."^[55]

In March 2011, Cudi announced that a music video for "Marijuana" would be released in the spring, followed by a music video for "Mr. Rager" in the summer, then he would release a short film, directed by Shia LaBeouf, inspired by his song "Maniac", with Cage, in October 2011.^[56][57] In April 2011, while performing at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom Kid Cudi announced he was launching his own record label. The new label, which he will be releasing his third studio album on is called Wicked Awesome Records. He also renamed his band on the same occasion to 2 Be Continuum, renaming it from the original Wizard. Kid Cudi explained his reasoning saying: "I needed something more original, something different, but it’s still wizardry at its finest."^[7]

On August 12, 2011, Kid Cudi released the music video for "No One Believes Me", directed by Fright Night director Craig Gillespie. The song, produced by Dot da Genius, features Cudi singing and contains elements of rock music.^[58] On August 21, Cudi announced that he would no longer be releasing the A Man Named Scott mixtape, so that he can focus on his rock project and his third solo album Man on the Moon III.^[59][60] Kid Cudi released the music video for his second album's title-track "Mr. Rager", on September 8, 2011. The video has received all-positive reviews from critics and fans alike.^[61]

Despite saying he will not do many more features for other artists in Complex Magazine's October/November 2011 cover story,^[62] Cudi appeared on Bryan Greenberg's second studio album We Don't Have Forever (2011), Travis Barker's Give the Drummer Some (2011), The Knux's Eraser (2011), and Wale's Ambition (2011), respectively. On October 30, 2011, Cudi released MANIAC, a short horror film co-starring Cage and directed by Shia LaBeouf, through his blog.^[63] On November 13, 2011, a previously unreleased mixtape of material Cudi had recorded from 2002-2003, under the pseudonym Kid Mescudi, titled Rap Hard leaked online. On November 18, 2011 Cudi renamed his band for the second time to WZRD (pronounced W-Z-R-D).^[64] He also announced that the upcoming rock project would be released on his 28th birthday, January 30, 2012.

In late 2011, Cudi was mentioned in a viral video by vlogger Ben Breedlove, about his near death experiences.^[65] After Breedlove's death on December 26, 2011, Cudi commented on his thoughts about inspiring the young kid. "I am so sad about Ben Breedlove," Kid Cudi wrote on his Tumblr blog. "I watched the video he left for the world to see, and him seeing me in detail, in his vision really warmed my heart. I broke down, I am to tears because I hate how life is so unfair. This has really touched my heart in a way I cant describe, this is why I do what I do. Why I write my life, and why I love you all so much. Life is really f---- up sometimes, but I know Ben is at Peace, and I hope he gets a chance to sit and talk with my Dad. We love you Ben. Forever. Thank you for loving me. To Ben’s family, you raised a real hero, he’s definitely mine. You have my love."

In January 2012, Cudi appeared on two songs from Chip tha Ripper's mixtape Tell Ya Friends, "Ride 4 You" which also featured Far East Movement and "GloryUs", which credited the duo as they are collectively known, The Almighty GloryUs. This led to speculation that a long-awaited project from the two was underway. On January 31, Cudi announced through his Twitter feed that he had completed WZRD and that his next album was the collaborative effort with Chip tha Ripper.^[66] In 2012, Cudi was featured on the soundtrack to the film The Hunger Games, crafting an original song for the film titled "The Ruler and the Killer". Referring to "The Ruler and the Killer", Cudi wrote on his Twitter feed: "I could not have done it without my producing partners on the project for the film, The legendary and Godly T Bone Burnett and Greg Wells!".^[67]

While working on the band's self-titled debut, Cudi claims he had writer's block for almost 5 months because of his new sobriety; something that had never happened to him for such an extended period of time. According to Kid Cudi, bands that inspired the album include Electric Light Orchestra, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Pink Floyd. The album includes a song titled "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", a cover of the same titled song by Nirvana, who in turn were inspired by blues guitar legend Lead Belly's rendition of the traditional folk song.^[68] Following WZRD's release on February 28, 2012, the album debuted at #3 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 66,000 physical and digital copies in the United States.^[8] The album also debuted on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums at number one, and at #9 on the Canadian Albums Chart respectively.

2012–present: Indicud and Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon

In April 2012, in Geneseo, New York, Cudi performed before a sold out crowd and premiered a hip hop song, his first since 2010. During his set, he performed a new record, tentatively titled "The Leader of the Delinquents", which he did a cappella.^[69] On April 25, 2012 Cudi was officially back to rapping with the release of "Dennis, Hook Me Up with Some More of That Whiskey!".^[70] The song, the first ever solely produced by Cudi himself, samples his 2010 song "Ghost!".^[71] In June 2012, Cudi was seen in the music video for "Mercy," the lead single from GOOD Music's compilation album Cruel Summer, in which he, along with other GOOD Music recording artists were featured on. Cudi was ultimately featured on two songs from the compilation, "The Morning" and a solo track originally meant for Man on the Moon II (2010), titled "Creepers", produced by Dan Black.

In the summer of 2012, Cudi announced the title of his third studio album to be, Indicud when he tweeted: "My new album is entitled indicud, it will be my version of The Chronic 2001, some songs i'll produce, others i'll feat &/or play songwriter".^[72] On June 8, 2012, Cudi announced Indicud, will be a double-disc album.^[73] On August 12, Kid Cudi released the lead single from Indicud, a song titled "Just What I Am", featuring his friend and longtime collaborator King Chip (formerly Chip tha Ripper).^[74] The album was announced to be released in early 2013 with Cudi focusing on scoring movies, followed by the third installment of the Man on the Moon series.^[75] Cudi then added that Indicud "will feature more uptempos and that it will consist of at most 17 new songs."^[75] The music video for "Just What I Am", which marked Cudi's directorial debut, premiered November 6, 2012 on VEVO and was shot in Los Angeles with fans invited to participate in the video’s shoot. On November 7, he revealed the album's second official single's title to be "Immortal", and that it again was produced by himself like the two previous releases, "Just What I Am" and "King Wizard". He claimed the song "will make you feel amazing in the heart and soul."^[76] The song was officially released via iTunes on March 14, 2013.^[77]

On March 14, 2013 Kid Cudi performed at MySpace’s South by Southwest (SXSW) secret show in Austin, Texas and after performing his many hits, he previewed a new verse from Indicud. He also revealed that the album would feature 18 tracks, while officially confirming ASAP Rocky and Michael Bolton as featured guests.^[78] On March 16, Cudi announced that he would release the album's tracklist and cover art on April 2.^[79] Three days later, Kid Cudi announced via Twitter that the album had officially been completed and turned in to his label, Universal Republic.^[80] On March 26, the album's cover art and tracklist was unveiled by Walmart and later Complex.^[81] Later that day, Cudi appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and performed the album's lead singles; "Just What I Am" and "Immortal", as well as premiering "Mad Solar", which he performed a cappella.^[82][83]

On April 2, 2013, Kid Cudi announced on Power 106, that he was no longer under Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint. Cudi revealed he left, the label on good terms, with him saying West respected his decision and will always be "big brother". Cudi also stated he knew about this for six months, saying he made the decision to tell West after speaking with Jay-Z on the matter. Cudi's decision to move forward without West, was his desire to focus on his own imprint, Wicked Awesome Records and his friend, fellow rapper King Chip.^[84][85][86] After Indicud leaked online in its entirety on April 9, 2013, Kid Cudi decided to push the album's release date up to April 16.^[87] The album went on to debut at #2 on the charts by moving 140,000 copies.^[88] In late 2013, Kid Cudi went on tour in support of Indicud on The Cud Life Tour 2013. The tour was announced on July 15 with tickets going on sale the following day. Supporting acts on the tour included fellow American rappers Big Sean, Tyler, The Creator and Logic.^[89]

While on tour, on October 16, 2013 Kid Cudi announced he would be releasing an extended play (EP), sometime in the next three months.^[90][91] Cudi also revealed he would be producing it alongside Dot da Genius and that frequent collaborator King Chip, would appear on EP.^[90] He then called the EP a prelude to his fourth album Man on the Moon III, which he announced would be released in 2015.^[90] On October 19, 2013, Cudi revealed "Going to the Ceremony", a song he had released via online audio distribution platform SoundCloud, earlier in July, would be included in the EP.^[92][93] Cudi would also go on to reveal a remix of his hit single "Day 'n' Nite, which was briefly previewed on the intro of his 2008 breakout mixtape A Kid Named Cudi, would also appear on the EP.^[94][95][96] On November 25, 2013, via his Twitter, Cudi revealed the title of the EP to be Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon.^[97][98] On December 16, 2013, Kid Cudi once again utilized SoundCloud to release "Satellite Flight", the EP's title-track.^[99] On January 27, 2014, Kid Cudi revealed on Twitter that Satellite Flight: Journey to Mother Moon would no longer be an EP, but a full-length album instead. ^[100] In a February 2014 interview with MTV News, Cudi discussed the EP's transition to a full-fledged album and called the project his best work yet: "I'm really excited because it's my best work, and it's a surprise. People weren't really expecting it. I've never done two albums within a year of each other."^[101][102]

Acting career

In 2010, Kid Cudi made a guest appearance on American television drama One Tree Hill, starring as himself and performing his Man on the Moon II single "Erase Me", on the show.^[103] In 2010, Kid Cudi also began starring in the HBO comedy series How to Make It in America, as part of the main cast, being credited by his birth name Scott Mescudi, until its cancellation after 2 seasons.^[104] On October 31, 2010, Kid Cudi released a short film, directed by Shia LeBeouf, in which he and fellow American rapper Cage, star in as French-speaking serial killers. The short film, titled Maniac, was inspired by Cudi's song of the same name, from his 2010 album Man on the Moon II and is an homage to the 1992 Belgian black comedy crime mockumentary Man Bites Dog.^[105][106] In May 2012, Kanye West premiered a short film, which West directed, at the Cannes Film Festival. According to MTV, Kid Cudi is the lead character, playing a "car thief who falls for a blind Arabian princess." The film was shown on seven different screens that turned on and off, giving various angles of each shot.^[107] In October 2012, it was announced Cudi would star in an indie romantic comedy titled Two Night Stand, alongside Analeigh Tipton and Miles Teller.^[108][109] Also in 2012, it was revealed Cudi would also star in an indie thriller film titled Tacoma, alongside Patricia Clarkson.^[110][111] In 2013, Cudi guest starred in the animated TV series The Cleveland Show, voicing a character named Devon, in the Season 4 episode "Brownsized".^[112] In 2013, he also guest starred on the comedy television series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, where he played a criminal named Dustin Whitman.^[113] In 2013, it was revealed Cudi would then star in Goodbye World, alongside Adrian Grenier.^[114][115]

Personal life

Kid Cudi is lactose intolerant.^[116] In 2009, Cudi began dating model and environmentalist Jamie Baratta. They were in an on-again, off-again relationship, and were a prevalent couple in the music industry.^[117][118] They ultimately broke up in 2012, but not before Cudi dedicated a song to her titled "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie", which he recorded with his rock band WZRD.^[119]

On March 26, 2010, Cudi's daughter, Vada Wamwene Mescudi, was born.^[120][121] Throughout 2012, Cudi was in a quiet but bitter custody battle with the mother of the child. Reports surfaced that Cudi gave up custody after his child's mother accused him of being an absentee father, as well as having violent tendencies and a "long history of consistent drug and alcohol abuse." These claims were disputed by Cudi and his attorney in a statement, which noted: Cudi did not give up custody but reached an amicable agreement with the mother; that "both parents are fit and proper persons to have custody of their child," as stated in the final custody judgement; results came back negative for drugs in a drug test voluntarily taken by Cudi; and that the court acknowledged Cudi attempted to establish a relationship and visit his child since her birth and "voluntary provided financial support, including child support, rent and other monthly payments, for his daughter since her birth until the time that a child support order was entered as part of the normal course of the case." Details of the official custody agreement remain private.^[122] Cudi has since purchased a property in Chicago to be close to his daughter.^[123]

In a 2013 interview, Cudi revealed that he had stopped smoking marijuana 2 years earlier, both for the sake of his child, and due to frustration with constantly being associated with the drug and stoner culture.^[124]

Discography

• Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009)
• Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010)
• WZRD (with Dot da Genius, as WZRD) (2012)
• Cruel Summer (with GOOD Music) (2012)
• Indicud (2013)
• Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon (2014)

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	Maniac	Serial killer	Short film, directed by Shia LaBeouf
2012	Cruel Summer	Rafi	Short film, directed by Kanye West
2014	Need for Speed	Benny	Post-production
	Two Night Stand	Cedric	Post-production
	Goodbye World	Lev Berkowitz	Post-production
	Tacoma	Yanni	Post-production
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	One Tree Hill	As himself	Episode: "Lists, Plans"
2010–2011	How to Make It in America	Domingo Dean	Main cast, major supporting role
2013	The Cleveland Show	Devon (voice)	Episode: "Brownsized"
	Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Dustin Whitman	Episode: "48 Hours"

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kid Cudi.

• Official website
• Kid Cudi at AllMusic
• Kid Cudi at the Internet Movie Database
• Kid Cudi on Myspace
• Kid Cudi on Twitter

v t e Kid Cudi Discography Awards and nominations Videography Filmography Studio albums Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) Indicud (2013) Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon (2014) Compilations Kanye West Presents GOOD Music: Cruel Summer (2012) Mixtapes A Kid Named Cudi (2008) Singles "Day 'n' Nite" "Make Her Say" "Pursuit of Happiness" "Erase Me" "Mr. Rager" "No One Believes Me" "Just What I Am" "King Wizard" "Immortal" "Girls" Featured singles "Welcome to the World" "She Came Along" "Memories" "That Tree" "Symphonies (Remix)" "Run" Promotional singles "Did It Again (Remix)" "Focused" Other songs "Welcome to Heartbreak" "Soundtrack 2 My Life" "Marijuana" "Gorgeous" "All of the Lights" "The Morning" Films Cruel Summer Need for Speed Related articles WZRD How to Make It in America Kanye West GOOD Music GOOD Fridays Ben Breedlove

v t e GOOD Music Founder Kanye West Artists Current Big Sean CyHi the Prynce D'banj John Legend Malik Yusef Mr Hudson Mos Def Pusha T Q-Tip Teyana Taylor Former Consequence Common GLC Kid Cudi Really Doe Sa-Ra Tony Williams Producers Current Don Jazzy Hudson Mohawke Jeff Bhasker No I.D. S1 Travis Scott Former Devo Springsteen Keezo Kane Hit-Boy Compilations Kanye West Presents GOOD Music: Cruel Summer Singles "Mercy" "Cold" "New God Flow" "Clique" Other songs "To the World" "The Morning" "Don't Like" Related articles GOOD Fridays Cruel Summer (film)

Authority control WorldCat VIAF: 88112213 LCCN: no2009125239 ISNI: 0000 0001 0785 2300 GND: 139180532 BNF: cb16034000k MusicBrainz: 41867b4a-37f5-414d-821a-d09cc20bbf43

Persondata
Name	Kid Cudi
Alternative names	Mescudi, Scott Ramon Seguro
Short description	American alternative hip hop recording artist, singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor
Date of birth	January 30, 1984
Place of birth	Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Date of death
Place of death