Absolute: The tale of Kid Cudi

Posted by Will in Archive on 05 4th, 2009 | one response

It’s worrying to think that, 6 months ago, most people hadn’t even heard of Scott Mescudi, or Kid Cudi as he is now known in the industry. And yet, Cudi has already threatened to bow out, having achieved his dream in that time. Where did he come from, and how did this 25 year old from Cleveland, Ohio work out the path of least resistance so easily?

His story is a nice reminder that the music business still moves incredibly quickly. I can’t think of many other industries (barring film) where a man can start off as a relative nobody and threaten to bow out from the pressures of fame only a few months later.

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It all started with mixtapes, as it often does these days. ‘A Kid Named Cudi’ was released as a free download in collaboration with 10.Deep, a New York street wear brand. Kanye- amongst others-picked up on this, and this led to his eventual signing to the GOOD Music label. His profile continued to build, a turning point being his VMA performance with Travis Barker and DJ AM. He quickly followed this up with a featuring spot on one of my favourite tracks of 2008, ‘Welcome To Heartbreak’, from Kanye West’s ‘808’s & Heartbreak’. All this hype amounted to Kid Cudi’s prominent placement on a of up and coming lists for 2009. Many (myself included) were skeptical that he couldn’t possibly follow through on his stellar 2008, and for the first few months of this year, the steady stream of material fizzled out.

Kid Cudi ft. Kanye West, Common and Lady Gaga- I Poke Her Face (Link 2)

It was, however, a false alarm, and the pressure is now building once again. The tables turned incredibly quickly, with more mixtapes and a number of new albums planned. Some of Cudi’s latest material has had his previous mentors falling over themselves to help out. ‘Poke Her Face’, his genius re-tune of Lady GaGa’s worldwide smash-hit brings out the best in Common and Kanye, both featuring:

“Getting brain in the library ’cause I love knowledge. When you used your Medulla Oblongata, and give me Scoliosis until I Comatosest.
And do while I’m asleep, yeah a ‘lil Osmosis. And that’s my commandment… you ain’t gotta ask Moses.”- Kanye West

‘Man On The Moon: The Guardians’ -his debut album- is out this summer on Universal Motown Records. And yet, there is much more exciting material in the pipeline. Only a few days ago, Cudi revealed an upcoming collaboration with Ratatat. And collaboration has been crucial to his appeal- it seems that there have always been a number of artists watching out for Scott, and it all began with Crookers- their remix of Day’N'Nite was hugely important in his crossover appeal.

Kid Cudi- Day N Nite (Link 2)

“THERE ARE A TONNNNNN OF ARTISTS I WANT TO WORK WITH CUZ AT THE END OF THE DAY IM JUS A DUDE WHO LIKES TO CREATE MUSIC…. SOOOOO, AFTER THE CHIP THE RIP COLLAB, I WILL DO ANOTHER ALBUM WITH ALL NEW SONGS, ALL COLLABS WIT SOME OF THE BEST AND MOST CREATIVE ARTISTS IN MUSIC. AND THEN AFTER THAT IM DOING A COLLAB ALBUM WITH RATATAT, WHICH WILL PROLLY REALLY BE THE BIGGEST ALBUM I WILL EVER CREATE.”

A collaboration album with Ratatat is a genius move, again showing his eye for the long game. Rap and mainstream music are colliding in a big way. However, it appears as if the pressure is getting to Cudi, and he has already vented through his blog a number of times. It’s the kind of weakness that will be dangerous to his image once his album is released.

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These bouts of anger and frustration were what brought him to a proposed retirement. Wale assured us all through Twitter that Cudi will continue to record music, despite the following message:

‘AFTER THE RELEASE OF MY FIRST LP THIS SUMMER, IAM NOT MAKING ANY MORE SOLO ALBUMS. IAM FALLIN BACK ON BEING A ARTIST. THE DRAMA THAT COMES WITH IT IS MORE OVERWHELMING THAN THE SHIT I WAS DEALING WIT WHEN I WAS PISS POOR BROKE.’

Kid Cudi- Is There Any Love? (ft. Wale) (Link 2)

I sympathise with Cudi- his reasons are valid… that the pressure is ruining his normal life. However, this is a by-product of celebrity, and we can’t have it all. For now, at least, it looks as if he is seeing the positives of these new experiences.

Ultimately, as long as he is enjoying making music, the guy should stay in the game. And, Cudi, yes, that’s exactly what it is. You are on to a good thing, don’t throw it away.

Cudi’s site is always worth a few laughs. Check his Wikipedia entry for a full history. His debut album is out this summer on Universal Motown Records.