VIBE.com 60 Rappers in 60 Days: Kid Cudi

Vibe continues its 60 rappers in 60 days with Kid Cudi at 23. Cudi talks about Kanye and working with him on the album, when he first started rapping, why hes taking a new approach to the game and a lot more.

Before Drake had the industry singing his praises and Kanye belted his Auto-Tuned sorrows, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, 24, was the hip hop singer. His eclectic summer 2008 mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, featuring his smash “Day ’N’ Nite,” earned him a spot on Mr. West’s G.O.O.D. Music label and a deal with Universal Motown Records. With his debut album, Man on the Moon: The Guardians (Dream On/G.O.O.D./ Universal Motown), on the way, Cudi hit VIBE to talk about how it all started, hip hop’s fascination with outer space, and why he’s not jockin’ Kanye for beats.

Make sure to check out the full interview. Either visit VIBE.com or hit the break for the entire interview.

VIBE:  Were you a rapper or singer first?

Kid Cudi: It was definitely rapping. As a young’un, I just wanted to do freestyle battles all the time. I used to rap with my friends a lot. And that was just my thing to do, just rap and see who could say the illest lines. So I always wanted to be identified as an MC first. I started getting into music when I was 15 so, of course, then I didn’t understand shit. I just wanted to rap. I wasn’t talking about nothing spectacular. I was a young little rapper and it evolved into something so different.  I mean as I grew, my music grew and my goals grew, my inspiration…that’s why I’m comfortable doing a lot more melodies and stuff like that. I know when I first started my earlier recordings had a lot melodies. When I listen to them, I’m like, word—it’s not too different from what I’m doing now, it’s just everything now is polished.

So what made you start singing?

I was like, Man, do I really just have to do this? Can I do something different? It wasn’t until Kanye came around that [it] made everybody that wanted to do something outside of the box…[that’s] what made motherfuckers comfortable enough to do it. You can be successful. Ultimately that’s what it came down to. Me being inspired and me putting it out there and saying You know what? I’m going to try my own shit. I’m going to make my own sound.

Where did you find the confidence to put your insecurities in the songs?

New York City. New York City made me want to become Scott Mescudi. Like soul searching when I got out here…and as soon as that happened, as soon as I became comfortable being Scott Mescudi, I became Kid Cudi. You can’t do one before the other. Well you can, you can backtrack and see if you can save yourself but lucky for me I peeped it early on and, now, from off jump I can just bring in that honesty on the level ’Ye brought honesty to the table.

But music is all about individuality. I can’t tell the stories that Kanye could tell and ’Ye’s stories are different from mine. We both think differently. We’re very much the same in a lot of ways but at the end of the day we are two very different types of geniuses. That was a Kanye statement. Now watch everybody think I’m cocky for that one.  But honestly, he’s a genius and I’m working toward being considered a genius.

Do you wish more rappers were more truthful?

Well whatever it may be, I just wish other artists would be true to they self.  Whether you are Clark Kent or you on some other shit. If you ain’t Clark Kent and you’re the villain, then play the villain. Just be true to yourself, that’s what its all about. I really don’t suggest that anyone follow a certain suit. Just do you.  Ultimately, they make it seem like getting successful is just one big fucking secret, like it’s mission impossible. It’s really not. It’s just about if you have the talent and if you believe in yourself.

Your album is called Man on the Moon. Why are all the “cool” rappers from other planets?

Everybody is trying to make outer space a winner. I’m going to take a couple steps back. Motherfuckers like to swagger-jack like a motherfucker. They see that space theme running and everybody wants to be an astronaut. But we know who the moon man is. And that’s what it is. I don’t need to be in a space suit to let motherfuckers know who the moon man is. It’s metaphorically speaking.  When you see me you know what it is, and you know what it means. And you know why I call myself that and it’s real.

What other fresh looks are you bringing to the game?

My theme song. I got theme music on my album. Every album that I do I have I have a theme to it. No rapper has a theme like me. It’s for when I do talk shows, or whatever. I’m James Bond-ing my shit.

You could easily relax and let Kanye produce your entire album. Why are you looking elsewhere?

Well, if I had an album that was all produced by Kanye West, it would just sound like Kid Cudi and Kanye West. It wouldn’t be just Kid Cudi and the funniest thing is that artists don’t understand that being a new artist is about developing your own sound and not conforming to what another motherfucker who is established has. I’m not going to conform to the Kanye sound. I’m trying to make a Kid Cudi sound, so the next person that comes, motherfuckers can compare him to me and it inspires him to be like, Nah, this is my sound. He can just make his own shit. It’s a chain reaction. I want to inspire kids to be better than me.

Posted by DP Jun.09, 2009 4 Comments

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