A Man Named Scott: You’re Welcome
““I felt like the rap game needed more of that. Now it’s like you can’t get a deal unless you sing and talk about your emotions. And we single-handedly infected the industry with that shit in 2009. It sent a ripple effect through the whole entire industry for a decade. So…you’re welcome.” - Kid Cudi on A Man Named Scott.
***Following a brief bio about Kid Cudi, I will be weaving into topics addressed from the documentary (A Man Named Scott) with my own process of experiencing and fighting against the general pain and sadness in my life. I am including such a process not to sink into the dark places we experience, but to show how incredibly powerful Kid Cudi’s music is in making you fight your darkest days (hence the attention to the nighttime throughout much of Cudi’s work).
Kid Cudi (Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi) was born in Cleveland, Ohio - Shaker Heights for my Ohions. At the age of just 11 years old, Cudi’s father passed away from cancer, deeply impacting his life at the time and in the forthcoming years. Moving around high schools and being expelled from his final, he worked his way to earn his GED and attend The University of Toledo to study film. That experience became short-lived as Cudi decided to drop out and soon thereafter move to New York City to pursue a music career. Musical ambitions developed at the end of his high school years, formulated by alternative influences from A Tribe Called Quest, among others. With $500 in his pocket, Cudi left Cleveland in 2005 and initially lived with his uncle, jazz artist Kalil Madi, in the South Bronx. Cudi took on a few jobs in retailing in Manhattan, but quickly decided to share an apartment with friend and producer Dot Da Genius. Source.
Dot Da Genius talks about the early days of Cudi sharing space with him in Brooklyn. Cudi was not holding many jobs down at the time and was getting pressure from Dot’s parents, whose apartment it was, to find a way to contribute. Cudi was adamant about music being the answer, and wasn’t even considering another option. Pitching samples and lyrics constantly to Dot, Cudi in 2007 came forward with a song idea that accelerated the momentum of their musical productions: titled “Day ‘n’ Nite.” Within two days, they created the beat, recorded the song, and uploaded it to MySpace. It completely shot out of the park, playing in clubs all around the nation - all the while they had no record deal and hardly any understanding of how to earn the money for its plays and streaming. With the help of Kanye West, who Cudi randomly met a year prior checking out CDs at a Virgin Megastore, Cudi was signed then to GOOD Music, setting the commercial debut of “Day ‘n’ Nite” in 2008, even leading it to the #3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2009. It was a long journey to start, but as a result, the song has transformed into being one of the most powerful pieces in his collection (8x Platinum) and arguably one of the greatest hip-hip productions of the 21st century. Source.
Kid Cudi set a vision for the hip-hop industry in conveying a fight against inauthenticity, in being honest about his pain, and being a creative solely for creative to connection purposes. When I speak upon a creative to connection purpose, I am describing the priority of Cudi in producing from his own mind first and not necessarily with the intent of being easily understood by others. Cudi never entered his work with the approach of making radio hits, or falling into the channel of accomodating to a mass audience. If you didn’t like his music or what he was saying, he could care less. He believed in his work and his dream no matter what his listeners or the media said, and that’s what I believe people love about him. He wanted to educate you on his painful truths.
In the A Man Named Scott documentary, appearing as a guest, Lil’ Yachty speaks about the power of self-expression ingrained within Cudi. Yachty, growing up and facing exclusion in his teenage years, says of Cudi, “definitely appreciate him for being him so that I could be me…you just have to realize that there’s more to life than that very moment.” That expression and belief is threaded through Cudi and his music. You don’t just hear it in the explosion of instrumental experimentation and transcendence through his songs, but in his words - whether he is singing or straight up speaking to you. It literally feels like he is there with you and for you.
“Kid Cudi’s like really like, one of the main dudes I kind of, like, looked at or listened to all the time. He saved my life. He saved me from doing like random bad things to myself, kept me like focused…I feel like he really dialed in on like the youth and really dialed in on like inspiration, like how to inspire you. Like his words were very selected on like what to do. I feel like he always made the soundtrack to my life or anybody’s life that was like going through the same thing. If you’re a big Cudi fan, like you know exactly what I’m saying.”
“When I think about albums that have colored my life, or narrated my come-up, this is the biggest one. This is the biggest one from my maturation from, like, being a little teenager to like stepping into the real world. He spit his truth in a way that seemed accessible, and he was vulnerable, and was talking about things like ‘Nobody knows, but I’m-I’m feeling a lot.’ He gave me like a waiver to be open to my emotions, you know? The album really starts there.”
“And isn’t it ironic that in a genre that is about impenetrability, bravado in the face of pain, that the one that would’ve transcended that confrontation of ego, and of, like, competition would be the one that was the least about how big his chain was or, you know, how hard his beats slapped, but was the guy that was like, ‘Hey I’m a human and this is what I go through, and love it or hate it, this is my reality.”
Kid Cudi pries open your emotional regulations and exposes your triggers. When you listen to him, and really delve into his words, you can be confronted with a decision to open up certain wounds. Cudi is not an easy listen when you are in fact being intentional to hear what he is telling you. Even for myself, I cry almost every time I play some of my favorite songs from him. Yet no matter what, he’s always there with you and assuring each and every person that they have the power to face your own fears. There are many artists that create hope and optimism for different situations in our life, and Cudi is one that has the potential to pick you up in your darkest emotional days. Without Cudi, I would have been very lost in my early journey of understanding who I am and what to do with the chaos I felt in my mind and through my emotions. He opened up the things I was already in conversation about, but went beyond to open up the pieces of my family, my relationships, my insecurities, and the constant self-doubts that I was trying to keep hidden. Self-discovery is a multi-faceted journey, but sometimes music can help you process things you can’t wrap your head around. It can be hard to find a way to express your pain and the reflections through music may help with that.
While I understand that I am writing with my own biases about Cudi’s work and impact, I guarantee you that you will find a connection with his fight for self-expression, mental health awareness, patterns of failure, and ultimately an optimism in believing that you are worthy, that you can be loved, that you can accomplish your dreams, and that you can take bad days and reduce them solely to bad moments. I think it’s important to visit these topics in our lives, as when it comes to mental health and our emotional well-being, I have found that the idea of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” can be a dangerous approach to take. There aren’t always signs or clear moments when you undergo alterations or even trauma in your life. Be proactive about taking care of yourself and ask yourself some uncomfortable questions. Kid Cudi’s work can take you on a very contemplative path, but going down that path, ask yourself where am I resisting or feeling fearful. Everyone paces their relationship with their triggers in their own way, but, if it applies, make a point to yourself to sink into finding the answers you fear.
Finishing with the creations of Cudi and appreciating so much of his work including Man On the Moon: The End of Day to Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ to Man On the Moon III: Chosen to Entergalactic to INSANO…here are a list of some of my favorite songs and key verses of his:
Day ‘n’ Nite (Man On the Moon: The End of Day (Expanded Version), 2009)
Just going to say listen to it all. It’s a timeless piece, and if you were tuned in around the time it came out, it’ll probably bring back some wild nostalgia.
Sky Might Fall (Man On the Moon: The End of Day (Expanded Version), 2009)
What a world that I’m living in / Will the rainstorms ever end? / Still, I feel my / Path narrow, I run again / Seem happiness is gone again / And then you see ‘em / Grey clouds up above, mane / Metaphoric to my life, mane / Still, I feel my / Heart stronger than it’s ever been / Strong will till my journey ends
Alive (Nightmare) [feat. Ratatat] (Man On the Moon: The End of Day (Expanded Version), 2009)
And every time the moon shines / I become alive, yeah / I’m feeling strange in the night / I’m not myself, I feel I’m thrown into a fight / Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, nothing’s right / My skin is burning and my heart begins to speed / There’s something going wrong with me / I am rapidly changing, aye
Man on the Moon (Bonus Track) (Man On the Moon: The End of Day (Expanded Version), 2009)
I never gave a f**k / I never gave a f**k about what n****s thought about me / I mean I did, but like f**k it, you know what I’m saying / You gon’ love me man
Mr.Rager (Man On the Moon, Vol. II: The Legend of Mr.Rager (Bonus Track Version), 2010)
Just like Day ‘n’ Nite. Just listen to it all. An incredibly moving piece on the fight to be free with: Birds sing, flying around / You never see them too long on the ground / You wanna be one of them
Swim in the Light (Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, 2016)
You can try and numb the pain but it’ll never go away / Damage control / The same old tricks won’t work no more / Smarter, stronger / Think I’m gon’ make it through
Calls from the dark / I got hope in my eyes / No help inside / I’ma swim in the light
Tequila Shots (Man On the Moon III: The Chosen, 2020)
Lotta demons creepin’ up, they’re livin’ underneath / Gotta take a minute, y’all, traveled far / Feelin’ somethin’, no, I can’t ignore my instincts / Back just where I started, it’s the same old damaged song … // Can’t stop this war in me, in me, in me
(Oh) Something ‘bout the night that keep me safe and warm / Just me, the universe, and everything I think / Lotta shit is weighin’ on me, it’s a storm / Never thought I would be back here bleeding / I’m not just some sad dude / You can see my life, how I grew, I want serenity / Tryna find it on the right track / Oh, wanna be just where the free at
Sad People (Man On the Moon III: The Chosen, 2020)
In the dead of the night, I have these dreams / What’ll happen to me? Will I burn out? / Have I been wrong? What does it mean? / All these things, can’t understand why / Say something’s wrong with me, I know
I can find love in me / Lettin’ go, ooh, this ain’t livin’ / I swim in pain / Never drown, keep my head up above the waves (Get it, get it) / Tired of runnin’, I won’t run from fate
4 da Kidz (Man On the Moon III: The Chosen, 2020)
This song is dedicated to you (Ooh) / We got you (Ooh) / Yeah(Mmm) / Do it all day for the kiddies (Yeah)
Never lose hope, if you don’t, you’ll be golden (Yeah) / Always keep your family close, keep your heart open / Here’s to the chosen, solo dolo rollin’, hm / This is just the right vibe, turn it loud if you need to (To) / Stars in the sky, they will light your way through (Through) / Feelin’ alone, just know you are not / We won’t leave you alone, oh-oh
New Mode (Entergalactic, 2022)
Finally got my head right, it’s a new me / It’s like I got heaven in my sights now, beauty I see / When it seems it’s all too much / And your soul, it can’t be rushed, no, no (Yeah, yo)/ When the going’s gettin’ tough / And you know you can’t give up, no way
Another level (Oh, let’s begin) / Ain’t the same as when you met me / I looked inside, I never let me down / Ain’t the same as when you left me / Things have changed, you won’t forget me now
Just another night alone, I decide (I decide) / Finally acceptin’ me, lovin’ who I am inside
Entergalactic, 2002
Just watch this film/tv special created by Kid Cudi. It gives an absolutely unprecedented scope into the power of Kid Cudi’s creation and how his music will make you really feel and face your emotions. I really enjoyed other songs within: (In Love), (Maybe So), (Can’t Shake Her), (She’s Lookin’ For Me). Seeing the movie is one of the best ways to appreciate these songs - though amazing productions even standing alone.
WOW (INSANO, 2024)
I guess you can say this is the new and improved me / You gotta love it
Flyin’, see the sunset fall / Finally found my peace, the demons cease to haunt me all night long
BLUE SKY (INSANO, 2024)
Listen close, I hear myself, the intuition, that’s what I got / Many people wondering, “What’s up with him” But do they know Scott
The sky is blue, oh finally / Been dreaming of this for a while / The sun is shining, blinding / Swimming in this place of mine / Help me out, pass that blunt, my guy / We’re all on a quest to climb / And we’re on our way
Asking myself “Are you happy?” And I might think this is the route / The things I thought I needed, please / Found my peace, oh wait, no turning back, whoa / The days, the weeks, the time, it rushes, it goes / It’s okay, I would say good lacks in the moment, you know / Believe in what I dream, we livin’ in a dream, huh
If you are experiencing depression, mental or emotional distress, inabilities to confront your fears, you feel you have no one by your side, you feel you have no outlet, I am here for you. Please email me and we will find a way to work through it.
