Kid Cudi

Some Lesser Known Facts About Kid Cudi

• He grew up in Shaker Heights and Solon.

• When Cudi was 11 years old, his father died of cancer; his father passing had a major effect on Cudi’s personality and music.

• He was expelled from the school for threatening to punch the principal but later earned his GED.

• He dropped out of college after a year. He had initially planned to join the navy, which did not pan out because of his juvenile police record.

• In 2003, Cudi first began rapping in high school. He took inspiration from hip-hop groups such as the Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest.

• His stage name Kid Cudi was inspired by his childhood nickname Cudi, which he added Kid to as an homage to the hip-hop group The Pharcyde.

• He later moved to New York City to pursue a music career. In 2005 he left Cleveland $500 and a demo tape, he moved in with his uncle, accomplished jazz drummer Kalil Madi, in the South Bronx.

•  Cudi released a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008). which helped him gain fanbase and recognition. In 2008, Kanye West signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label.

• Kid Cudi’s second album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010), was another success which received platinum certification. One of the singles Erase Me featured Kanye West and Mr. Rager.

• He self-produced his third album named Indicud (2013) which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and was led by the platinum-certified single named Just What I Am featuring King Chip.

• Cudi’s acting career includes HBO series How to Make It in America (2010), Goodbye World (2013), Need for Speed (2014), Entourage (2015), Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020), Don’t Look Up (2021), and X (2022).

• Outside of singing and acting, Cudi has launched his own vanity labels: the now-defunct Dream On, and his label imprint since 2011, Wicked Awesome Records.
• In February 2011, Kid Cudi announced a collaboration with Parisian brand Surface to Air.
• In 2011, he released a leather jacket collection in collaboration with the fashion label

• In October 2012, Cudi appeared in an indie romantic comedy titled Two Nightstand.

• In 2013, he made a guest appearance in the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, where he portrayed the role of criminal named Dustin Whitman.

• In 2020, Cudi got his first number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 named The Scotts featuring Travis Scott.

• On February 7, 2015, Cudi had partnered with TED to give a TED Talk at his former school, Shaker Heights High School.

• In an interview, Cudi revealed that he had suffered an addiction to anti-depressant medication and also suffered from survivor guilt.

• Kid Cudi has often been spotted smoking at various occasions.