Kid Cudi needs all the chicken heads to be quiet. After releasing his eclectic A Kid Named Cudi mixtape last summer, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi’s heard all the naysayers who aren’t feeling his melodic rap steeze and read even more crap from laptop gangsters on the internet who thought his breakout smash “Day N Nite” was all the success he’ll ever see.
Now backed by Kanye West, Cleveland Ohio’s highest player is ready to blast off. This September he drops his debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day (Dream On/G.O.O.D./Universal Motown). After listening to his both vulnerable and uplifting effort, we checked in with the lonely stoner to talk about when the haters are going to shut up, why his ideal chick is a natural beauty (and definitely legal), and where you can find the best herbs to get lifted.
Honey: Because the album has a movie theme and your day to day life, who would you describe as the good guys and bad guys in your life as a movie?
Kid Cudi: Definitely my whole team is a bunch of good guys. I don’t really roll with anything negative. Everyone I roll with is kind of on the same mission. You know Kanye, Common, all of them are main characters and they definitely play a part in the story, as well as Plain Pat.
The album kicks off with “Soundtrack to My Life” and one of the lines that caught me was “I got 99 problems and they’re all bitches.” What did you mean by that?
Everything in the album is meant to be taken literally. Whatever you hear is exactly what it means. That line is the ill line to open your album to. First time they hear me rap, they hear that line and it’s such an iconic line from Jay-Z spitting it and me kind of putting my spin on it. It’s kind of like a life’s a bitch type of thing. And like those situations you get into like “ain’t that ‘bout a bitch” like one of those situations.
In “Solo Dolo,” you sing “When will I ever learn from the words of my song?” Can you name a situation in your life that you’ve done something in contradictory to something you’ve rapped, or your morals?
Oh, everyday. My music is so true to life. Even down to the fact when I said, “I never gave a fuck about a hater.” Like I always say that line with so much emphasis that people would believe it. But I still find myself worried about what these mothafuckas have to say. I find myself offended when I see certain shit online and I see people’s comments. It’s kind of like I’m learning to be numb to that shit. And this definitely one of those lines and an example to something that I deal with in my day to day, that I wish I was as strong as I was in my rap. But it’s therapeutic and it’s all about me learning and growing.
On “Kudi Zone” what struck me was your skills a rapper. The biggest strike against you is that most rap purists don’t think you’re any good, but this proves otherwise.
I was like, “We need a song on here where I am just spitting.” You know, motherfuckas have never heard me just spit. I just literality rap my ass off, those are probably some of the realest lyrics I ever wrote or probably the best rap song I have ever written. People are going to hear that and be like “Oh, shit, I will never underestimate another human being ever my life.” Mothafuckas are judging me off two singles. You know that’s setting yourself up to be made a fool of. Hear the full work and then you can give a valid opinion and that song is going to be one of those songs when people are going to be like “Oh shit.” Yeah, I made “Day ‘N’ Nite” but I can really spit.
“Make Her Say” with Kanye and Common is a fun record dedicated to down-ass chicks. Describe your ideal girl.
I really look for personality, like is she going to think I’m funny or is she going to think I’m a maniac or a lunatic? You really have to understand me, my humor. I want a girl that can hang with me on the mental aspect of things of how I see life. You are not always going to get exactly what you want and you’re going to have to compromise. No one’s perfect. But I’m definitely trying to find someone that’s completely like my opposite and fits right in the puzzle. It’s really complicated. It’s hard to say it. But I’ll know once I get it.
Look-wise, do you have any basic needs? Like a certain kind of style, or long hair or something like that?
I don’t really have a preference. I just want a girl that’s really comfortable within her own skin. It would be nice to have a really creative girl and someone who is very independent and outgoing. You like who you like. I like girls that wear less makeup. I like girls that wake up in the morning and don’t have to do their hair for about two hours before they step out. I like a girl that’s not always into the glamour and that’s just naturally pretty, you know, that can just put on some lip gloss and just go. That’s the type of chick I like. That’s the realness. I don’t really bang with chicks that put on layers of makeup and it takes them like two hours to get ready to go anywhere because when they wake up in the morning and they look a hot mess or because their hair isn’t done. I don’t really like those makeup monsters.
What’s your favorite line in “Make Her Say” (which features Kanye West and Common)? Right now I’m on Common’s “Her head is gooder than the music.” Which one is yours?
Yes, that’s definitely one of my favorite lines. When ‘Ye comes in like “Hold up, born in ’88? How old is that? Old enough.” I think it’s something like the ultimate creeper. Like the older guy looking at the young hottie. You know what I’m saying? It was just really dope line. It was perverted but every dude would say that shit. Like, “Word? She’s old enough!” [Laughs]
Is it something you find yourself having to deal with? Day to day you might have more than a couple of chicks running up to you and you might have to ask for ages?
Yeah, I definitely been in some situations where it’s like, “You’re 17?” And I literately had to fall back because the last thing I want is to be dealing with some under ages. What I want is a woman.
Back to the music, “Pursuit of Happiness” is about some of the fears and nightmares you have about being in this business. What about it scares you so much?
Definitely the allusion of it, is what scares me the most and the allure that it has to bring people into it and its definitely an intriguing world, but you definitely have to ask yourself is this what you want to do and you want to be a part of it. The illusion is always interesting from the outside looking in. But that’s what scares me the most is that I’m going to get wrapped up into it and I’m going to turn into a maniac, like a machine that loses himself in this tornado.
When you were younger, dreaming of getting signed as an artist, did you dream of being famous or simply making music for others to enjoy?
Well at first it started off I was 15 and I was like, “Man I want to be famous and I want to take care of my family and I want to be recognized.” And then as I got older, I said “I need to do this because I have something to say and I know people can learn from it.” When I got people responding to “Day N Nite” it really made me believe that I was on the right track.
“Hyyerr” is an anthem for all your stoner fans. As someone who toured all over, where have you gotten the best weed from?
I smoke a lot. I can’t remember really where the best bud was because I just remember being high. But I always loved Cali bud, every time I’m out there, it’s always good.
What’s all the hype about California weed?
Well it’s a different kind of weed, but I love the kush and it’s really good out in Cali, really soothing. And it’s really dope because I’m always chilling and I’m always on the move, so I feel stuck but I can still maintain and move around.
Have you ever tried to quit or take a break from it?
Yeah, during the [The Great Hangover with Asher Roth] tour, I kind of chilled and laid back from it for throat and performance purposes. My voice is really an important part of my shit and being on this tour and having to sing and then rap and then sing and then rap, you know your voice has to be on point. Definitely after that first couple of shows I deaded smoking weed before the show and even after sometimes.
Back to the album though, the last track, “Up up & Away” is a joyous, optimistic ending to this film-like album. To sum it all up in the chorus, the lesson you’ve learned is that “At the end of the day, they’re going to judge me anyway.” Now that you’ve made that realization, do you think you’re on track to becoming the man you want to be?
Yeah, I’m always hopeful and everyday I know that I’ve grown to be better. But that song was definitely one of those realizations that you’re just going to have to deal with certain things. Fuck it. Big thinkers out there, those are the people that are often called crazy for their ideas, and it’s really dope because it kind of puts a twist on the album and to some it may be little bit out of place, but in a movie sense it’s definitely a credit roller. You could definitely make a movie to my album. It’s definitely laid out. It’s very detailed. And “Up Up and Away” would definitely be that last scene, the happy ending. But then it’s not really the ending. And that’s when you hear the twist at the end when Common comes in and talks about the second album, Man on the Moon: The Ghost in the Machine. So that was like a teaser into the second album. Those sounds and how it was laid down, and it was really a taste of the sound that we’re going for on the next album. It’s going to get darker before it gets better for the third album.
Is this going to be a trilogy? Are we looking at least three Man on the Moons?
Yes it’s definitely a trilogy. Man on the Moon: The Ghost in the Machine is the second album and we’re still working on the title for the third Man on the Moon. Once the story is told I’m done, man, unless something else happens to me. Once I’m done with the third album, I‘m just going to do collabs.
I know this is long people but hey, interesting stuff!! Via datnewcudi
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