Since Kid Cudi burst onto the scene in 2008 through his last solo release in 2016, the Cleveland artist released a musical project nearly every year. He's slowed down his output over the last few years to set aside more time for himself. In Complex's new cover story, Cudi revealed he considered taking half a decade off, and also shared what made him decide to forgo a musical hiatus.
After Kids See Ghosts—his collaborative album with Kanye West—was released in 2018, Cudi explained he "felt like I said all I had to say" of his life post-rehab. "I didn't know if I was gonna drop anything after Kids See Ghosts anytime soon," Cudi told Complex's Karizza Sanchez. "I was thinking about taking five years off."
What kept him going? A number of projects, including HBO miniseries We Are Who We Are, a TV show with Jordan Peele, as well as a Netflix adult animated series with Kenya Barris, the latter of which brought a spark back in the studio. "The music was something that just called to me," he said.
Cudi continued, "I had this idea for the show, and then it was like, how can we incorporate the music? How can we have the music be a part of the show? I initially wanted to make a visual album, but I was like, that's been done before. How can we give it a little twist? How can we do something different? That's how I came up with the idea for the show, Entergalactic."
