Kid Cudi

Scott Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), better known by his stage name Kid Cudi (often stylized KiD CuDi), is an American hip-hop recording artist and actor from Cleveland, Ohio. A rapper, singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer, Cudi is signed under Republic Records and his own imprint, Wicked Awesome Records. He first gained recognition after the release of his first official full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008). The mixtape caught the attention of American rapper-producer and record executive Kanye West, who subsequently signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label in late 2008. Cudi's association with West and the GOOD Music label, led him to prominence. In 2009, Cudi's debut single "Day 'n' Nite", reached the top five of the Billboard charts. "Day 'n' Nite" was included on the mixtape as well as Cudi's debut studio album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), which was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The End of Day also features the singles "Make Her Say" and "Pursuit of Happiness", both of which fared well on several music charts. In 2010, Cudi released his second studio album and the sequel to his first, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. The sequel was preceded by the release of two singles "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager", which were released to moderate success, with "Erase Me" peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, surpassing it's predecessor in both sales and peak position. Very much like like his debut, The Legend of Mr. Rager also went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA. In April 2013, Cudi released his third studio album Indicud. The album, primarily produced by Cudi himself, peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming Cudi's highest-charting album on several charts as well as that one. The album spawned the singles "Just What I Am", "Immortal" and "Girls". In 2009, Cudi teamed up with American record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie, to launch their Dream On imprint, in partnership withUniversal Motown and Kanye West's GOOD Music. In October 2010, Cudi announced that he was teaching himself how to play the guitarand that he would be forming a rock band, now known as WZRD, with his longtime friend and frequent collaborator Dot da Genius. In February 2011, Cudi announced the Dream On record label had been dissolved due to creative differences. Later in April 2011, while performing at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom, Cudi announced he was launching a label of his own, Wicked Awesome Records. WZRD ultimately released their eponymous debut album on February 28, 2012, under Wicked Awesome and Republic. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and at #1 on both the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. In 2013, Cudi announced his departure from GOOD Music, to focus on Wicked Awesome Records; he left on good terms and is still heavily associated with the label, appearing on West's sixth album Yeezus, later that year. Kid Cudi has sold over 5.2 million digital singles and has worked with artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Common,Mary J. Blige, David Guetta, Shakira, MGMT, Ratatat, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bolton. With his originality and creativity, as well as the emotion he conveys in his music, Cudi has amassed a large cult-like following among high school students, college students and stoners alike. In 2010, Cudi starred in the HBO series How to Make It in America, being credited by his birth name Scott Mescudi, until its cancellation in 2011. He has also starred in two short films Maniac (2011) and Cruel Summer (2012), directed by Shia LaBeouf and Kanye West, respectively. Kid Cudi is set to appear in the upcoming 2014 Need for Speed film, and has made appearances on television shows such as One Tree Hill, The Cleveland Show and in the new Fox series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. --- Kid Cudi was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Shaker Heights and Solon. He is the youngest of four children, with two brothers, Domingo and Dean, and a sister, Maisha. His father, a house painter, substitute teacher and World War II Air Force veteran, was Mexican-Native American, while his mother, a middle-school choir teacher at Roxboro Middle School, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, is African-American. When he was eleven years old, Cudi's father died of cancer; his passing would have a significant effect on Cudi's personality and subsequently his 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 his principal and would later earn his GED. Cudi studied film at the University of Toledo, dropping out after a year; he was determined to join the US Navy but was denied due to his juvenile police record. Cudi first began rapping towards the end of his high school career, inspired by alternative hip hop groups such as The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest. He moved to Brooklyn in New York City to pursue a music career. --- In 2009, Cudi began dating model and environmentalist Jamie Baratta. They were in an on-again, off-again relationship, and were a prevalent couple in the music industry. They ultimately broke up in 2012, but not before Cudi dedicated a song to her titled "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie", which he recorded with his rock band WZRD. On March 26, 2010, Cudi's daughter, Vada Wamwene Mescudi, was born. Throughout 2012, Cudi was in a quiet but bitter custody battle with the mother of the child. Reports surfaced that Cudi gave up custody after his child's mother accused him of being an absentee father, as well as having violent tendencies and a "long history of consistent drug and alcohol abuse." These claims were disputed by Cudi and his attorney in a statement, which noted: Cudi did not give up custody but reached an amicable agreement with the mother; that "both parents are fit and proper persons to have custody of their child," as stated in the final custody judgement; results came back negative for drugs in a drug test voluntarily taken by Cudi; and that the court acknowledged Cudi attempted to establish a relationship and visit his child since her birth and "voluntary provided financial support, including child support, rent and other monthly payments, for his daughter since her birth until the time that a child support order was entered as part of the normal course of the case." Details of the official custody agreement remain private. Cudi has since purchased a property in Chicago to be close to his daughter. In a 2013 interview, Cudi revealed that he had stopped smoking marijuana 2 years earlier, both for the sake of his child, and due to frustration with constantly being associated with the drug and stoner culture.