Kid Cudi Talks Wale, Reebok, Shia Labeouf & Being Bigger Than Kanye
Complex: So, the Reebok situation. There were a lot of rumors about you getting tasered by the police after wearing Jordans to a Reebok party. You never really addressed it outside of a blog post…
Kid Cudi: It was never about Reebok, the brand or anything like that. Nike don't always make the dopest shoes, no brand makes dope shit all the time. I was opposed to the shoes they tried to give me'I didn't like them. I didn't get into because it was Reebok people, I got into it with one individual who approached me the wrong way. I'm a man at the end of the day. I'm not a fighter, I don't like violence'hell, I don't even know if I know how to fight. I'm not a strategic fighter, that's not my steez. I don't know how to work a gun if you gave me one, I wouldn't want to fucking touch it. But at the same time, I ain't no sucker and I was in a situation where a dude was trying to test me as a man. I let it get to me, but that will never happen again. A nigga want to test me? So what. I will never let anyone rub me the wrong way. It's something I don't regret at all. It was something I needed to do at that time. That dude was wrong. I reacted off of his reaction. He interfered in a conversation I was having with two other people. I wasn't even the first one to put hands on him, my security Zule was. I tell people, he's always close, he’s not even certified, he's just a nigga from the hood.
Complex: Word.
Kid Cudi: I learned from that situation and I'm going to Martin Luther King the next situation, whether it's beef, or rappers calling me out. I will never engage in any beef. I don't care if 50 Cent called me out, I'm never going to respond. A life shouldn't be about bickering, or arguing. I got in this business to make music, and to eliminate the angry shit and bring people together. And I'm not knocking 50 at all, he's defending himself right now, 50 didn't start that Ross shit. 50 will defend himself as a man at all costs, but in this game there has to be differences among artists.
Complex: It’s a long time away, but time flies'what can we expect from your album?
Kid Cudi: Right now, the name of the album is Man On The Moon, The Guardians. It may change, depending on the features. Right now Snoop is down, he told me his oldest son put him on to my record. Snoop is my favorite artist of all time. He's someone I look up to. I explained to him the idea of the song and he's with it. I'm also trying to get Shia Labeouf in my project. I want the album to be as cinematic as possible, and feature people that are great at what they do. We're both young talents in this game, and I just found out Shia was a fan of my song “Day N' Night,” and I'm a fan of his. He's killing shit, I feel like I'm doing the Shia Labeouf in music. We're working on trying to get him to narrate the story of the album.
Complex: I have to ask you'you recently said that in 99 of your percent interviews, you were high. Are you stoned right now?
Kid Cudi: [Laughs] Nah, man. I'm sick, so I'm not stoned. Most of my label meetings, I was high. I made sure I was late to the meetings, not because I was acting Hollywood, but I was finishing my blunt because I knew I was going to be sitting in that office listening to shit I didn't want to hear. It was so boring, like I was in college again. Plus, I like Complex so I got to come with it. The random interviews, I know they're into it just because of the hype. Those are the interviews [where] I'm like, ah I need to be high to get through this. [laughs]
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willie March 24, 2009 at 2:20 pm
call me a hater or a realist.
I don’t see the lyrical talent with Cudi. He doesn’t produce like kanye (i know he will soon because everyone does)…but cudi has one single. thats it. hes not wack, but in no way will he ever be bigger than wayne or kanye. im sorry. we talking about rap. not being rich.
jay-z – memphis bleek
kanye west – kid cudi
“as long as i’m alive hes a millionaire”
Shnoobz November 20, 2009 at 9:56 am
I gotta disagree. Bleek never had an established following. For example, nobody says “Bleeks hat dude. He’s my favorite mc.” But Cudi on the other hand has a following and he doesnt flow like bleek (the typical rapper)
LAL March 24, 2009 at 2:49 pm
and he has a mixtape out which is better than 99% of all commercially released rap-albums of ‘08…
Geico Liz March 24, 2009 at 3:22 pm
gayest guy in rap (as if the the modeling background doesn’t confirm) he wants a threesome with wale and kanye
“”we were yelling at eachother, started crying and then fell into eachothers arms”"”
*Hetero FAIL*
p.s. he cant rap for shit
Killing Em Out There They Needing First Aid March 24, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Cudi is the real deal…he’s what i picture a lot of us would be if we all of a sudden got thrust into the limelight. He’s having a few issues here and there now but it’ll settle down over time and we’ll be left with the music, because ultimately you ain’t sh’t unless you can back it up with music. i believe in this dude
hopoff718 March 24, 2009 at 9:20 pm
im mess with cudi’s music. his shit is different but its good shit. i wudnt consider him a great mc, nowhere near Ye or anyone of that caliber. but overall his music is “good music”. you wudnt hear him spittin some crazy bars n metaphors but overall his production, melodies, and lyrical content is there. he sticks to talkin bout what he knows and he doesn’t try to be someone or something he’s not. i definitely think he’ll be bigger than bleek (in opposition of the top comment). I think he’ll be somewhere around lupe’s height of success (expect that lupe actually is a great lyricist). maybe not as high, but near it. they both made good music but not everyone understands it cuz most people are ignorant n brainwashed by some of that commercial garbage. some commercial shit is hot but most of it trash. hip hop aint wat it used to be but i think it’s steadily coming back. holla
Marcus "MdB" Browder March 25, 2009 at 1:01 am
The “A KID NAMED CUDI” Mixtape was dope. He has talent. I wouldn’t classify him as just a rapper though. He sings. He sang on 808s & Heartbreak.
Don’t compare Cudi to Memphis Bleek. Thats in insult to Cudi. Kid Cudi has talent. Idk what Memphis Bleek has.. he has Jay-Z? Who knows.. I’m just not a fan of Memphis Bleek.
jockn86 March 25, 2009 at 1:04 am
stop hating on the Kid…He’s just making his mark now….give him a couple more years and he’ll be sitting pretty(no pun intended)…yeah, and on top of Wayne and Kanye…wait, hold up, I got caught up for a sec…I mean he will be right under, like mad close to where they’re at. Lil’ Wayne and Kanye are the shit.
dubs March 25, 2009 at 2:38 am
Lol @ saying “he’s not an amazing lyricist” like Kanye, damn homie if you think Kanyes an amazing lyricist you don’t know shit about hip hop. Rakim, KRS, Jay, Biggie, Raekwon, T.I., Ludacris, Lloyd Banks, Beanie Sigel, Eminem, Kurupt. Real fucking lyricists! And that aint a knock to kanye, just to heads not knowing wahtsup…
Cudi’s the future though
nolongerahater March 25, 2009 at 9:50 am
Complex gets alot of respect for this, Joe La Puma always does good interviews.
JB March 25, 2009 at 5:41 pm
You are all wak. Cudi is one of the most talented, gifted, genuine, most caring peoples you will ever meet. The only people that hate are the people that either don’t understand him, his vision and his mission, and those that aren’t artists. True creators. Because if you even had the slightest bit of ART in your body, you would understand the movement that he is trying to create. And you would appreciate it and rock hard for it. Because at the end of the day he is not a rapper, he is a dude that is trying to give back to the world not in a way that he chose to, but in a way that was chosen for him by God. It’s called Talent. And if you don’t recognize his talent, its cause you don’t have any of your own. So open your eyes. And stop fighting unconventionality.
Cool Jimmy March 25, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Kid Cudi is one of my favorite rappers/singers right now. He may not be super lyrical, but his shit just feels realer than others, which makes me connect more to that shit. If his album is like the stuff on his mixtape, he’ll be a Kanye or a Wayne to me most definately.
papo March 28, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Cudi, is irrelevant to music and doesnt deserve any kind of attention, PERIOD. He needs to retire.
Drew Mills March 28, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Name one other rapper that can sing and rap GOOD its hard as hell. Thats what Cudi does and he is good at it. Everyone is going to be on his nuts when the album comes out and he knows it thats why he might seem a little cocky.
dani April 6, 2009 at 12:01 pm
kid cudi co-wrote heartless and some other songs on 808 and heartbreaks…wikipedia his name its on there
dani April 6, 2009 at 12:03 pm
…and heartless is one of if not kanye’s biggest hits….that being said kid cudi is going places
AMD April 9, 2009 at 6:37 pm
lod cudi is qoinq to make some serious movez… fuk wat yall sayinq… he qoinq to make history…
KAxLB April 14, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Ok all of yall that had some neg sht to say about cudi yall are super wack. Cudi is the coolest person you could ever meet. i met him last year at a show. He most certainly is talented and im positive he more talented than yall. if you dont like his music thats one thing but dont come on complex talkin wreckless about’m. He is mad talented and i wouldnt be suprised if he ends up being more popular than wayne. honestly wayne aint even all that to me nomore. Plus Cudi n wayne aint even the same music genre you punanis
Capricorn12 May 10, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I think it’s sad that people are calling him ‘gay’ because he’s actually honest about his feelings instead of hiding behind some fake gangsta persona like 50 Cent. How many rappers are THAT honest about themselves?
yupyup:] August 11, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Fuck YESSS Cudi is fucking DOPE!
I do Art August 15, 2009 at 12:41 pm
HAHAHAH!!! i luagh at the haters that dont know shit about a person or listen to more then one song like the frist couple of post.. look now.. hes frist album isnt even out yet and hes already been a major factor in 808 and his mixtape is pure art. dude is mad cool, real and is a ture artist u just cant comperhend the shit he says and he aint gonna dumb it down for u any time soon. FRESH!
chillinayye October 6, 2009 at 11:26 am
mos def sings better and raps better than cudi…not sayin cudi’s shit aint tight but mos def i believe is a better artist that truly stay unique to his style and doesnt talk about the drosky all day every day