Cudi has pulled many tricks from out of his finely attired sleeves, not only is he an alternative hip hop artist and singer-songwriter, but also a guitarist, Actor, and a part time rocker. So how did this guy get from being just another Ohio kid to what we know as THE Kid? The world first became aware of his outstanding talents after the release of his debut mixtape cleverly named "A Kid Named Cudi" in July 2008, a collaboration with New York street wear brand 10.Deep and made available as a free download. This mixtape proving the making of what we know now as such a refined artist, with he mixtape acquiring immediate attention from Kanye West and reulting in his signing to music label "GOOD Music" later that year.
Impressed with his work, Kanye requested Cudi's talents on his 2008 album "808's and Heartbreak" with Cudi's influence evident in the slow paced music tones, and the expression of the lyrics in songs such as "Paranoid" and "Heartless". The two artists also shared a mutual understanding of the limitless pain of losing a parent, and how they dealt with their bereavements with the aid of music to express this.
The amplified influence evidently recurring in Cudi's music is the untimely death of his father due to Cancer, when Cudi was only 11 years old. Songs such as "Mr Rager", "Man On The Moon" and "The Prayer" describes his fascination with death, and the feelings in which the experience of loss evokes. Cudi attacks themes such as loss, death, boredom, and frustration with a soothing background of slow melodic instrumental accents, and gospel like echoes, providing a dream like effect on the listener, and snatching them further away from reality.
As he himself has admitted, Cudi used the effect of an Opium to numb the pain of losing his father, and escaping the frustrations of day to day life, Cudi states that "This song is about someone who is fed up with reality, who looks for thrills and excitement by any means. It's just kind of how I was feeling at that point. I was just so angry. Doing coke revived me, and knowing I was so close to death every time intrigued me. I liked the thought of it." and subsequently explained the theory behind "Mr Rager", and how the image of "Mr Rager" explained his angry state of mind at the time in which he wrote the song.
Cudi is known to sample 90's rock tunes with a mix of 80's like synth licks, exploring his varied musical influences, and envisioning his search for the perfect backdrop to his lyrics, he explains his wish to take listeners on a journey when he claims that "Man On The Moon II is dark by nature and instead of bringing you into my dreams like my first album, I'm bringing you into my reality, good and bad. It will explain more of who I am as well as pushing the envelope musically.". This journey is in fact vital, for after you have listened to Kid Cudi's music you can't help but feel as if you know him, his weaknesses for drugs, his hurt surrounding his fathers death, his musical influences, he lets you into his world, both while he is tripping on drugs tap dancing on the clouds, and when he is sober, contemplating his past addictions.
So what has this guy got in store for 2012? Not only is he working on his latest album "Man on the Moon III" expected this summer, but he has collaborated with his old buddy Kanye to create the debut studio album of GOOD Music "Cruel Summer". Lets not Kid ourselves, you are excited.
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