If you need proof that things are moving at warp speed these days, look no further than Kid Cudi. This Cleveland, Ohio-spawned rapper, born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, has already threaten to retire at least twice in recent months. The strange thing is that his debut album, Man On The Moon: The Guardians, isn't expected to street until summer.
Cudi has been receiving plenty of buzz over the last several months and with that attention comes the pressure to deliver and the scrutiny from fans and bloggers. Here's the video clip for "Day 'N' Nite," a track that's currently in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.
While that version is pretty good, Italian DJ duo the Crookers did a remix of that track that's even better. Earlier this year, the Crookers remix debuted at No. 2 of the British singles chart, which undoubtedly pleased Cudi. "I immediately loved it. I thought [the Crookers] did an amazing job," he told the Guardian. "I didn't think it was going to be as ill as it was. Before I heard it I thought, 'Ah, it's techno so it's going to be cheesy,' but it came out really f**king ill." Check out the video below.
Cudi was discovered by Kanye West after his mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, turned up on West's radar and he was promptly signed to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint. Since then, Kid appeared with Travis Barker and DJ AM on MTV's Video Music Awards in 2008. More importantly, he played a prominent role on West's 808s & Heartbreak album, guesting on "Welcome To Heartbreak" and "Paranoid," and co-writing "Heartless." A sure sign of his early success and impact is the fact that the Kid's music has been covered by acts ranging from up-and-coming R&B singer Novel to rising electronic star Little Boots, who also joined Kid onstage last month at South By Southwest. His music has also been used by do-it-yourself videographers, who are undoubtedly helping to spread the buzz about Kid, but also landed him in a bit of hot water when one made a racy video for a leaked Cudi track called "Superboo." Check it out below.
Kid took some heat for the video's portrayal of women from Bossip, prompting him to issue an apology on his blog. "dear bossip....TRUST, IF I MADE A VIDEO USING ALL WOMEN, I WOULD MAKE IT A POINT TO SHOW ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF WOMEN FROM ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF BACKGROUNDS, ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLORS....I'M SORRY IF THIS VIDEO HAS OFFENDED U GUYS, BUT LIKE I SAID I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT...."
That statement came the same day, March 16, 2009, that Kid first announced his premature retirement in a post headlined, "I am sorry." Kid wrote, "AFTER THE RELEASE OF MY FIRST LP THIS SUMMER, I AM NOT MAKING ANY MORE SOLO ALBUMS. I AM FALLIN BACK ON BEING A [sic] ARTIST. THE DRAMA THAT COMES WITH IT IS MORE OVERWHELMING THAN THE S**T I WAS DEALING WIT WHEN I WAS PISS-POOR BROKE."
Since then, it seems that the Kid's mood has improved. He raved about having a great time at SXSW, feeling love from his fans and recently wrote about working with Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and apl, as well as video director/photographer Jean Baptiste during a visit to L.A. He also recently leaked a sexually explicit track sampling the acoustic version of Lady GaGa's "Poker Face," titled "I Poke Her Face," featuring guests Kanye West and Common. So maybe Cudi is in it for the long haul. While we hold our collective breath awaiting his next move, I'm wondering if you think Kid Cudi's music is worth wading through the hype and drama or is he just another hip-hop prima donna?