Kid Cudi

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Cudi moved to New York City in pursuit of a musical career, where he first gained recognition following his song "Day 'n' Nite."

Kid Cudi was born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 30, 1984.

He grew up in Shaker Heights and Solon.

He has two older brothers, Domingo and Dean, and an older sister, Maisha.

His mother, Elsie Harriet (née Banks), is an African-American school choir teacher at Roxboro Middle School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

His father, Lindberg Styles Mescudi, was a house painter, substitute teacher, and World War II Air Force veteran of African-American and Mexican descent.

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

Cudi attended Shaker Heights High School for two years before transferring to Solon High School.

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

He studied film at the University of Toledo, but dropped out after a year.

His subsequent plan to join the Navy did not pan out because of his juvenile police record.

Cudi first began rapping in 2003, towards the end of his time in high school, and was inspired by alternative hip hop groups such as the Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest.

Initially self-published on his MySpace page, the song became a hit online and served as a catalyst for Cudi to team with record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie to record his first full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008).

Its release helped Cudi rise to prominence and establish a fanbase, catching the attention of rapper Kanye West—who signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label by late 2008.

With "Day 'n' Nite" issued as its lead single, he released his debut studio album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) to critical and commercial success, receiving quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The album spawned the follow-up singles "Make Her Say" and "Pursuit of Happiness", the latter received diamond certification (10× platinum) by the RIAA.

His second album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) saw continued commercial success, receiving platinum certification and spawning the singles "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager."

Cudi ventured into acting with the HBO series How to Make It in America in 2010, and has appeared in films: Goodbye World (2013), Need for Speed (2014), Entourage (2015), Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020), Don't Look Up (2021), and X (2022).

He has appeared on tv shows One Tree Hill, The Cleveland Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Westworld.

Outside recording, Cudi has launched his own vanity labels: the now-defunct Dream On, and his label imprint since 2011, Wicked Awesome Records.

Cudi formed the rock band WZRD with long-time collaborator and producer Dot da Genius; their eponymous debut album (2012) debuted atop the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.

Cudi released his self-produced third album Indicud in 2013, which was certified gold and spawned the platinum-certified single "Just What I Am".

He parted ways with GOOD Music after its release and followed up with the tepidly received experimental albums Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon (2014) and Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven (2015); the latter was led by the grunge-inspired single "Confused!."

In 2015, he was the bandleader on the IFC series Comedy Bang! Bang! and in 2020 was added as a cast member for the HBO mini-series We Are Who We Are.

His sixth album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' (2016) saw an improvement in reception and was supported by the lead single "Surfin'" (featuring Pharrell Williams).

Cudi formed the duo Kids See Ghosts with former label boss West in 2018, releasing their eponymous collaborative album in June to critical acclaim.

In April 2020, Cudi released his first number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100 with his single "The Scotts", foreseeing the release of his seventh album, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen (2020) to commercial resurgence and favorable reception.

Cudi released his eighth album, Entergalactic (2022) to coincide with his adult animated special of the same name, both were critically praised.

His ninth album, Insano (2024) marked his final release with Republic Records.

It was closely followed by a sequel, Insano (Nitro Mega) (2024) a month later.

In 2020, he launched Mad Solar, a production company for film and tv, which produced a documentary titled A Man Named Scott (2021), storying Cudi's career.

In fashion and modeling, Cudi has partnered with Giuseppe Zanotti, Virgil Abloh, Bape, Coach, Adidas, Calvin Klein, and Levi's, on campaigns.

Cudi launched his own clothing line in 2022.

Cudi has been recognized as an influence on contemporary hip hop and alternative acts.

His lyrics are often autobiographical, describing childhood hardships of depression, loneliness and alienation; his struggle with drugs into adulthood and themes of spirituality, heartbreak, dissipation and celebration.

The majority of his impact stems from his ability to display vulnerability and address mental health.

He is noted for his experimental nature, combining psychedelia, R&B, electronica, synthpop, dance, house, punk and indie rock in his music.

Cudi has sold over 22 million units domestically and won two Grammy Awards.

He has worked with artists spanning several genres, namely Jay-Z, Drake, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, David Guetta, Shakira, Ariana Grande, and Michael Bolton.