A Timeline of How Kid Cudi and Kanye Became Kids See Ghosts

It’s been more than a decade since Kid Cudi and Kanye West first met. The rap world is hyped for their first joint album—'Kids See Ghosts'—but the road leading up to this project has been a bumpy one.

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Image via Getty/Jerritt Clark/WireImage
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Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s new album, Kids See Ghosts, drops this Friday, June 8. It’s been a long time coming, as the two rappers have been in one another’s orbit for over a decade, and have yet to drop anything beyond one-off songs together.

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When they do unite, the pair’s relationship is marked by their innate ability to assemble like Batman and Robin and take the hip-hop universe on daring sonic adventures. It’s why rap fans laid down half a million likes on Kanye’s tweet announcing his project with Cudi. This is what people have been waiting for.

But while we’ve been waiting for this moment, a lot of ups and downs between Ye and Cudi have been documented. Since their chance meeting in 2004, there has been both mutual admiration and public disagreements between the two. At this point, they’re known just as much for complimenting each others’ sound as they are for threatening to never work together again.

The game has come full circle, though, and now we’re guaranteed seven tracks of presumed greatness. To prepare for Kids See Ghosts, it’s important to take a look back at how Ye and Cudi arrived here. Fret not: We got you.

2004: Kid Cudi and Kanye West Meet

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The origins of Kid Cudi and Kanye West’s relationship begin with a fitting location: a music store. Per MTV, Cudi had just moved to New York City from Cleveland and was at a Virgin Megastore when he realized Kanye West was standing right next to him. He introduced himself as Scott (his real name) first, then as Kid Cudi, an upcoming artist. The next step he took was a bold one: Cudi asked Ye to sign him.

"I had no pitch," Cudi remembered. "I was just this kid that was like, 'Can you sign me?'" Because he was already busy with a roster of other artists, Kanye respectfully declined—"unless you on some Biggie and Tupac-type stuff," he reportedly said. Cudi admitted he wasn't that good yet, but told West something that would linger: "I have the potential for greatness."

July 2008: Plain Pat Gives Kanye 'A Kid Named Cudi'

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November 2008: Cudi Helps Ye With '808s & Heartbreak'

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Kid Cudi was unofficially under Ye’s wing post-A Kid Named Cudi. His signature lovelorn, singsong style is widely believed to have inspired Kanye’s 2008 left-field album, 808s & Heartbreak. In an interview with DJ Semtex, Kanye revealed Cudi’s influence on 808s, and said he brought Kid Cudi to work with him in Hawaii. Cudi was ultimately credited with co-writing "Heartless," "Welcome to Heartbreak," "Paranoid," and "RoboCop."

Fall 2008: Cudi Signs to G.O.O.D. Music

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February 2009: Cudi Debuts 'Day 'n' Nite' Video on '106 & Park' With Kanye

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Kid Cudi made his way to BET’s 106 & Park in early 2009 to drop off the video for A Kid Named Cudi standout track, “Day ‘n’ Nite.” While at the show, Cudi and Ye took turns spitting bars, showcasing their friendly but competitive relationship.

May 2009: Cudi Says He Set the Bar to Be Bigger Than Kanye

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September 2009: Kanye Executive Produces Cudi's Debut Album 'Man on the Moon'

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Kid Cudi’s debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, dropped September 15, 2009. Kanye was listed as co-executive producer, alongside Sylvia Rhone, Plain Pat, Emile Haynie, and Cudi himself. West co-wrote and produced the album’s second single, "Make Her Say," which he also appeared on. He also co-wrote and co-produced "Sky Might Fall."

August 2010: Kanye Appears on Cudi's 'Man on the Moon II'

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On the Jim Jonsin-produced "Erase Me," the lead single from Cudi's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, Cudi gets an assist from Mr. West.

August to December 2010: Kid Cudi Appears on Three G.O.O.D. Friday Tracks

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Toward the end of 2010, Kanye West launched an iconic music giveaway series called “G.O.O.D. Fridays.” It was Ye’s clever way of creating hype for arguably his best album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In the span of the series, Kid Cudi appeared on three tracks: "Good Friday," "Christian Dior Denim Flow," and "The Joy," the latter of which would appear as a bonus track for Watch the Throne.

October 2010: Kanye Says Kid Cudi Is His Favorite Artist

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November 2010: Cudi Appears on 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'

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Kid Cudi left his mark on Kanye’s magnum opus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, by crafting the hook for “Gorgeous” with Raekwon. He also had an uncredited appearance on “All of the Lights.” Speaking of which...

February 2011: Kid Cudi Appears in 'All of the Lights' Video

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The Hype Williams-directed video for Kanye's "All of the Lights" prominently featured Rihanna and Kid Cudi, and all kinds of possibly epilepsy-inducing flashing lights in the visuals.

February 2012: Cudi and Kanye Win Grammys for 'All of the Lights'

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July 2012: Cudi and Kanye Appear on Complex's G.O.O.D. Music Cover

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May 2012: Cudi Stars in 'Cruel Summer' Film

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September 2012: Cudi (Barely) Appears on G.O.O.D. Music's 'Cruel Summer'

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On September 14, 2012, Kanye and G.O.O.D. Music released the collaborative album Cruel Summer. For Kid Cudi, though, there wasn’t much collaborating. Aside from providing background vocals for "The Morning," he appeared on only one track, "Creepers." Cudi said it was a track from years earlier, when he was working on Man on the Moon II.

In a 2013 cover story, he told Complex the following: "I was a little disappointed. But Kanye had a vision for that. Whatever that vision was didn't include much of me. [Laughs.] I was bummed because I could've contributed. I'm a good asset. But he had a different vision. Everyone that was showcased on the album did their thing and they needed that at that time. The energy was on some hip-hop shit. I was on WZRD, doing my rock shit. But I'm not tripping. ‘Creepers’ was a jam I was holding onto for a while. It was waiting for that perfect platform and it happened to be great for that album. It would've been dope to have more. I want to apologize to the fans for not having more. But [sings] Ohhhh, it ain't my fault."

April 2013: Kid Cudi Leaves G.O.O.D. Music

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In April 2013, Kid Cudi broke the news that he was no longer a member of G.O.O.D. Music. Describing it as a business decision, Cudi emphasized there was no animosity that pushed him out of the door—it was just something he had to do. "Man, everything is cool," he told L.A.'s Power 106. "Everything is peace with everybody on the label. There's never been any issues, but I am announcing that I'm no longer on G.O.O.D. Music. And this is something that no one knows, really. I'm no longer on G.O.O.D. Music."

Cudi went on to say he knew for six months prior to his announcement that he would be leaving to focus on his own label Wicked Awesome and artist King Chip. Cudi respected his relationship with Ye so much that he spoke with Jay Z for advice about how to break the news to Ye. Kanye’s response: “Yes! Do whatever you feel is right, I don’t blame you. I feel you on that.”

June 2013: Cudi Appears on 'Yeezus'

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On June 18, 2013, Kanye released the avant garde Yeezus, which included a feature from Kid Cudi on “Guilt Trip.”

February 2014: Cudi Says He's Unhappy With 'Yeezus' Feature

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February 2016: Cudi Appears on 'The Life of Pablo'

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On February 11, 2016, after much polarizing hype, Kanye West released The Life of Pablo. To the surprise (and happiness) of many, Kid Cudi appeared on the album’s second track, “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1.” In addition to appearing on the song, Cudi joined Kanye during his Madison Square Garden album listening party/Yeezy fashion show. Their bromance became the source of limitless GIFs.

September 2016: Cudi and Kanye Fire Shots Back and Forth, Then Make Up

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November 2016: Cudi Joins Kanye Onstage During Saint Pablo Tour

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July, 2017: Kanye and Cudi Spotted Leaving a Studio in L.A.

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August 2017: Kanye and Cudi Spotted in Japan

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November 2017: Kanye Joins Cudi Onstage in Chicago

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A few months later, Ye would perform for the first time since his shortened show in Sacramento. He joined Cudi on his Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' Tour, to again perform "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1." The show was in West's hometown: Chicago.

February 2018: Kanye Performs With Cudi in L.A.

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In February, Kanye West made another surprise return to the stage—alongside Kid Cudi, again. In videos uploaded to social media, West can be seen introducing Cudi at Adidas’s NBA All-Star Weekend event in Los Angeles before they both perform their collaborative standout, “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1,” from The Life of Pablo.

April 2018: Kanye Announces Joint Album With Cudi

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After tweet-announcing the upcoming release of his own album, Kanye sent his followers into a tizzy by letting it fly that he and Cudi also had an album coming. The project would be called Kids See Ghost, named after the duo's group. West stamped the release date as June 8, one week after the release of his own album.

On June 6, Cudi shared the album artwork, designed by Takashi Murakami.

June 2018: Kid Cudi Appears on 'Ye'

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One week ahead of his joint album with Kanye, Kid Cudi appeared on Yeezy’s solo album, Ye. His signature harmonizing can be heard on “Ghost Town,” alongside Kanye, PartyNextDoor and 070 Shake.

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