Prelude to a Legacy 9.25.09: Kid Cudi

Posted by Fred Richani on 09.25.2009

The best rapper to come out of Cleveland, Ohio since Bone Thugs-N-Harmony!



If you thought Drake came out of nowhere, then maybe you haven't heard of Scott Mescudi, better known to the music world nowadays as Kid Cudi. Success when it comes to Cleveland, Ohio. LeBron James is doing his best with the Cavaliers in basketball, but they have yet to win a championship. The MLB's Cleveland Indians made the American League Championship Series a couple years back, only to eventually fall to obscurity. And don't get me started on the Browns football team, chalk filled with bad coaching, $3,000 fines for not paying for a three-dollar water bottle (I wish I could make that up), and stock piles of losing seasons.

Heck, even rap has suffered in The Forest City. Not since Bone Thugs-N-Harmony has there been a rapper(s) that's made a significant impact from Cleveland, Ohio. Ray Ca$h had a decent track called "Bumpin My Music" out for a minute and disappeared. Then again, it's hard to follow in the huge footsteps of a legendary, Grammy-winning rap collective, especially as a solo artist. Sure, Bone Thugs came out with Strength and Loyalty a few years back, but it is disheartening at times to be the only big game in town. Compare that to the hypothetical scenario of G-Unit being the ONLY successful artists out of New York City. Now THAT would be a lack of variety.

Kid Cudi does try to fill Cleveland's void in hip-hop. Born in 1984 as a true 80s baby in Cleveland, Mescudi was raised in the suburb of Shaker Heights. His father of Mexican-Native American decent was a World War II veteran via the Air Force, who juggled two jobs after his military tenure as a painter and substitute teacher. On the flip side, his mother was a school choir teacher of African-American decent. Unfortunately for Mescudi, he would spend less time with his father than most kids. The main reason being due to his father's passing when Mescudi was only 11-years-old.

Obviously, the death had a huge impact on the Cleveland native. After bouncing around a few schools, Mescudi started getting into hip-hop and interested in the music industry. The group that really sparked his interest was A Tribe Called Quest, famous for infusing hip-hop and jazz through hits in the form of "Can I Kick It?" and "Check The Rhime". It was towards his final years of high school that he started rapping and taking his craft seriously. He had freestyled here and there years prior, but deep down inside, a part of him knew the young man was going to be involved in music at some point in his life.

After receiving his GED, Mescudi got into cinematography, studying at the University of Toledo before dropping out his freshman year (Kanye West isn't rap's only college dropout). Like Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G., Kid Cudi figured he could get his biggest start in New York City. He moved to Brooklyn, NY at age 20, shortly after leaving Toledo. He worked at the local Bape store (famously owned by Pharrell Williams) and attempted to distribute his music via demos and mixtapes. While no major label hit him up, a New York street-wear brand named 10.Deep became interested in his skills and collaborated to release a mixtape with him as a free download. It was under the stage name Kid Cudi that the Cleveland native put out a mixtape called A Kid Named Cudi in 2008.

A little-known artist from Cleveland was all of a sudden starting to build a nice groundswell of buzz. Bloggers and internet hip-hoppers took a liking to Kid Cudi's original sound, an uncanny, but well put-together blend of hip-hop, alternative rock, jazz and soul. As 2008 progressed, the mixtape was getting circulated at a much greater rate on the net, in large part due to the underground popularity of "Day 'n' Nite". In reality, the track was leaked in late-2007, way before A Kid Named Cudi was even released. Not that it mattered, considering the mixtape was a free download anyway and helped give the artist a head start on building up the hype that surrounds him today.

The song became so popular online and in clubs that Kid Cudi eventually released it for digital download on iTunes. Hey, you got to make that paper! The song, in conjunction with a hot mixtape caught the attention of some rapper from Chicago. So who cares? Well, when that rapper was KANYE WEST, you probably should take notice. Within a short time of meeting Kid Cudi, Kanye West offered him a deal with his GOOD Music record label, which he graciously accepted. So Kid Cudi had some buzz, a deal with Kanye West, and potentially nice cash flow to top it all off. Now he needed to get himself acquainted with mainstream America.



Cudi's first television appearance was at MTV's 2008 Video Music Awards with Travis Barker and the late DJ AM. He also appeared on Snoop Dogg's MTV show Dogg After Dark and even got to perform ""Day 'n' Nite". Not a bad start with the MTV audience, especially with the network's young demographic. Hell, he even got featured on MTV News' special MCs to Watch. It was all so much to take in for a guy that suffered through uncertainty, scholastic setbacks, and the death of his father at a young age. There was still a ways to go in order to really hit the big time.

Luckily for Cudi, "Day 'n' Nite" skyrocketed to the top of the charts in 2009, peaking at #3 on Billboard's Hot 100. Nearly 2 million downloads have been sold thus far. 2 million is no easy feat. Even the remix was a hit! Now it was time to prove the doubters that he was not a one hit wonder. Cudi was certainly assisted greatly by Kanye West, as he was featured on the Chi-town native's experimental autotune album 808s & Heartbreak. He sang with 'Ye on the introductory single "Welcome to Heartbreak" and helped him write "Paranoid" and the smash hit "Heartless". A feature on a Kanye West album and writing credits to boot. Not a bad start at all for the rap rookie.



September 15, 2009. The moment of truth was about to arrive. After years of hard work, everyday struggles, and months upon months of performing, Kid Cudi was ready. He had no choice but to live up to the expectations that had been placed upon him by fans, fair or not due to his association with Kanye West and the success of "Day 'n' Nite". Well, it sure as hell delivered commercially, scanning in 104,000 units. Over 100 grand scanned for a new artist is extremely rare these days, especially in hip-hop where it seems more like a flavor-of-the-month genre at times. For example, Flo Rida has had a ridiculously number of singles downloads sold, but hasn't come close to even going Gold two albums deep. Then again, his style is completely different from Cudi's and in large part, his music is not nearly as good, but I'll get to that in a second.....

Oh yes, the music! Kid Cudi's debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day is not just a really good joint. In my opinion, it's one of the best albums I've ever heard. Over 100,000 people must agree with me. From the variety of awesome, yet relatively unknown producers outside of Kanye West, to the album's theatrical set up, Man on the Moon is like nothing you will hear up to this point. Instead of a normal track listing, the singles are organized as acts, as if they are scenes of a play. Let's take a look:



ACT 1: THE END OF THE DAY

1. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)
2. Soundtrack 2 My Life
3. Simple As…

ACT 2: RISE OF THE NIGHT TERRORS

4. Mr. Solo Dolo (Nightmare)
5. Heart of a Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music)
6. My World ft. Billy Cravens

ACT 3: TAKING A TRIP

7. Day N Nite (Nightmare)
8. Sky Might Fall
9. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1)

ACT 4: STUCK

10. Alive (Nightmare) ft. RATATAT
11. CuDi Zone
12. Make Her Say ft. Kanye West & Common
13. Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) ft. MGMT & RATATAT

ACT 5: A NEW BEGINNING

14. Hyyerrr ft. Chip Tha Ripper
15. Up, Up & Away (The Wake & Bake Song)

Uncanny indeed. You'll also notice that there aren't that many guest stars, giving Cudi the opportunity to show fans from the get-go that he can carry an album all by himself. Much like his A Kid Named Cudi mixtape, his debut is extremely successful in combining elements of rap, jazz, soul, and alternative rock. His style may not be for everybody, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and firmly state that his debut album is the Illmatic of this hip-hop generation. I say that with sincerity and mean that this is such a good first album from a new artist that I believe other rappers need to bow down and recognize. Sure, you may think I'm crazy, but that's fine with me. Outside of Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and old favorites like Jay-Z, I doubt any rapper that's still a relative newcomer has released an album THIS good. It has it all—stellar production, deep lyrics, humor, inspiration, and most importantly, ORIGINALITY.

People, bear in mind, this isn't the case of "Oh this is weird and sounds different so it must be genius!" This is more a case of "Holy crap! I've never heard this kind of hip-hop before, but I love it!" Yes, I know there are a ton of indie guys out there more than capable of going toe-to-toe with hip-hop's heavyweights on a lyrical basis, but those same artists were also not endorsed by Kanye West and Jay-Z. They were also not recipients of a Platinum plaque for a hit single. And they sure as hell didn't sell over 100,000 their first week.

The only rookie in this year's rap class I can really see making just as much noise, if not more than Kid Cudi is Drake, who I profiled here last week. Either way, Man on the Moon: The End of Day has my vote for album of the year thus far. Don't believe me? Check the review our very own Patrick Robinson's conducted. Here's an excerpt:

This certainly isn't your typical hip-hop album and in the end is just simply, good music. Kid Cudi may not be the most technical rapper around, but he doesn't try to be as he knows what works for him and sticks to it. That's not to say he's a slouch on the mic as he crafts songs that are relate-able without being overly ‘conscious' and blends his singing and rapping together quite nicely. It's an excellent album that is yet another one that will make many Year End lists, definitely recommended.

Whether you're feeling his music or think his style is whack, know that Scott Mescudi got famous off of one single, but became successful through hard work, dedication, and putting in the time to perfect his artistry, unlike some artists (Gucci Mane, guilty as charged.). Between an excellent debut album and displays of versatility through singing AND rapping quite well, this guy looks like he's here to stay. Drake, you had your spotlight last week. This week it's Kid Cudi's turn. No matter who the spotlight is on, both will be sticking around for awhile. And this hip-hop lover couldn't be happier. I know I said hip-hop was dying weeks back. Kid Cudi assures me that the genre's future is bright. I'll take his word for it. Forget Allstate. With Kid Cudi—hip-hop's in good hands.