New Kid Cudi Video: Reflection Necessary

Recent Cudi news has left us a bit bitter about what he might be becoming. Most of the responses from my last two Cudi articles have been negative. I think, even the biggest Cudi fans among us, were scared that the budding superstar was turning into his defacto sensei, Mr. Kanye West. While it is hard to hate on Kanye's musical prowess, it might be even harder to like a superstar who has forgotten how to smile, who seems to lament his mega-stardom more than appreciate it. But just when it seemed like Cudi had crossed the proverbial Rubicon into unforgivable pomposity, he premieres the Day N' Nite (original version) video on 106th and Park...and, at least in my eyes, all is forgotten.



This is one of the best videos, and certainly the best debut video, that I can remember. It is innovative and even visually stunning, and Senior Solo Dolo effortlessly showcases his swagger, and more importantly, the humor and accessibility that made his fan base like him in the first place. Such a great artistic achievement (even though largely due to the director, and visual artists responsible for the animation), makes me reflect on the young career of Scott Mescudi bka Kid Cudi.

When we first met him in the summer of 2007 at SOBs, dude was at the same level of fame as we were. But whether you watched him perform or had the chance to speak with him personally, it was clear that he was destined (for lack of a better, less cliche, word) for bigger things. At that point, he had been grinding for years, daytime at the BAPE store, nighttime at the studio, and soon thereafter, his grind began to pay off when A-Trak got word of Day N' Nite (via Plain Pat) and signed Cudi to a single deal on Fools Gold. That fall, while Cudi ripped through the CMJs, the budding Italian fidget-house duo The Crookers remixed Day N' Nite into what I would argue (and have argued) was the best song of last year. In March of 2008, Cudi guested during Wale's performance at SXSW, gaining the attention of all kinds of press including Rolling Stone, who named the artist as one of five indie rappers to watch in 2008.
I was living in Geneva at the time, and remember getting a call from my manager about the new found success Cudi had gained. That very night, at a club called L'Usine, I heard the Crookers remix of Day N' Nite for the very first time. I was drunk, excited, and jealous, but the rest of the crowd was wildin. At this point, the Cuder Duder was getting upwards of 1000 plays a day on Myspace (compared to less than 100 only six months before).
In July, dude dropped the impressively-anticipated mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. Cudi is considered a rapper by most, and if one was expecting a compilation of hot sixteens, they would have been disappointed. But what A Kid Named Cudi lacked in sheer emcee-prowess, it more than made up for in originality, composition, relatability, and flawless tonality. As an album, AKNC would have been good, but as a mixtape, it was exquisite.
Since, Kid Cudi kept doing shows (including Summerstage), landed an HBO pilot, and was selected for the cover of XXL (the Freshman 10). Somewhere in the fall of 2008, only a year after he had opened for us at SOBs, Kid Cudi was signed to GOOD Music, by Kanye West. Ye had been familiar with Cudi for a while, but story has it that the decision to sign him was made while Kanye and Jay-Z were in Paris. One night, they went out to three different clubs, and heard Day N' Nite in each of them. Cudi was featured twice on Kanye's last album, 808s and Heartbreak, and is rumored to have written the first single Love Lockdown.
These days, Kid Cudi is getting over 100,000 plays a day on Myspace, and I suppose, occasionally throwing fits over nothing, and getting tazered for refusing to wear Reeboks. Yet, if you look back over what he has done in the last year and a half, it is absolutely incredible. There are literally thousands of people that were in the place he was in the summer of 2007, hundreds in his position on stage at SXSW, and ten that were on the cover of XXL in December. But among them, no one has exploded into the public eye like Cudi. He has talent, swagger, insight, presence, a keen sense of what is cool, and maybe a bit of luck. But among all the qualities which have helped him to the spot he is in now- on the precipice of worldwide fame, stupid amounts of money, and sex with multiple dimes at the same time, whenever he wants- determination stands out. Amidst the drama and flashes of immaturity, he reminds us that anything is possible, whether creatively or in life. Get em' Cudi.