Kid Cudi is Scott Mescudi, the Cleveland-born rapper, singer, and producer whose melodic hums and confessional writing laid the groundwork for emo rap. Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) is the classic entry point, and Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kanye West is essential late-2010s hip hop. Shop Kid Cudi vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, performing as Kid Cudi, was born in Cleveland, Ohio on January 30, 1984. His mixtape A Kid Named Cudi (2008) caught the attention of Kanye West, who signed him to GOOD Music and brought him into his orbit during the production of 808s & Heartbreak (2008) - Cudi contributed to that album as a songwriter. His debut Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) and follow-up Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) became commercial and cultural breakthroughs, widely cited as foundational influences on the subsequent emo rap movement. He has continued releasing material across multiple decades alongside extensive acting work - including How to Make It in America (2010-2011), Don't Look Up (2021), and various other film and television roles. He has been open about his mental health struggles and history of depression. Kids See Ghosts (2018), his collaborative album with Kanye West, has been widely cited as one of the most important hip hop albums of the late 2010s.
Kid Cudi's sound combines alternative hip hop, emo rap, hip hop, alternative rock, psychedelic hip hop, and electronic with his distinctive humming-and-singing vocal approach (the Cudi hum) and lyrical content addressing mental health, depression, drug use, faith, and personal experience. His foundational influence on the emo rap and SoundCloud rap movements is widely documented.
Universal Motown, Republic, and Wicked Awesome pressings of the Kid Cudi catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Kid Cudi typically start with Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) or Kids See Ghosts (2018).
