VIBE June Issue: Moon Tunes
Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, 24, isn’t the first rapper to claim an intergalactic residence. What separates him from the pack is a musical curiosity that ranges beyond hip hop, soul, and R&B. On his standout 2008 mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, he sang over Paul Simon’s 1975 “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and Band of Horses’ 2006 “The Funeral.” Gearing up for his debut, Man on the Moon: The Guardians (Dream On/G.O.O.D./Universal Motown), this summer, the cavalier Clevelander is set to release perhaps the most eclectic showing in modern-day rap. “I want my shit to sound like vintage space, like the soundtrack to Tron or 2001:A Space Odyssey,” says Cudi, before jetting back to Hawaii to finish recording with Kanye West. Here, five cuts that inspire West’s golden child.
Keep reading to see which five tracks inspire Cudi as well as to listen to them. Via: VIBE
“Everest” from Ratatat’s self-titled debut (XL, 2004)
Why: “They influenced “Day ‘N’ Nite” [by making me] want to create my own sound. That is No. 1 for sure. When I was going through some issues, all I had to listen to was Ratatat to get me through.
Far-Out Fact: Ratatat’s albums are almost entirely instrumental.
Why: “This was the first song I heard from them. It was when I was working at American Apparel and it was playing on the iPod. I was like, ‘Oh man, this shit is dope.’ And no one knew the name of the band.”
Far-Out Fact: This soft-pedal rock jam fits perfectly into Cudi’s everybody hurts style.
“Roses” from Kanye West’s Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam, 2005)
Why: “This time around Kanye was testing the waters with instruments on a lot of different shit, and I think that’s what it’s about. Being an artist is trying new things.”
Far-Out Fact: “Bitch, is you smokin’ reefa? You don’t see that we hurt?” Kanye snarls on this touching tribute track after a nurse asks for an autograph as his grandmother lay in a hospital bed.
“Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm” from Crash Test Dumies’ God Shuffled his Feet (Arista, 1993)
Why: “This is the first single I ever bought.”
Far-Out Fact: This quirky, morbid alt-rock hit about a gray-haired boy, a woman with too many birthmarks, and another boy whose parents attend a bizarre church snagged three Grammy nominations in 1993.
“A Thing For Me” from Metronomy’s Nights Out (Because, 2008)
Why: “I actually reached out to the guy that did their video and I’m going to have him do one of mine. It’s fresh as shit.”
Far-Out Fact: Metronomy, a British electro-pop band, creatively captions the lyrics in this clip, bouncing a ball on each word.
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May.23, 2009 
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