Kid Cudi officially left the G.O.O.D. Music team last week, and while the decision came as a shock to many, his departure from the collective has been greeted with understanding from fans and labelmates like Big Sean. While it seemed as if his parting from the label was on good terms, G.O.O.D. Music leader and longtime friend and collaborator to Cudder, Kanye West had yet to comment on the situation. In an interview with L.A. Leakers, Cudi has revealed that Kanye was also very understanding of his position, and encouraged him to pursue his own lane.
"Yes! Do whatever the fuck you feel is right, I don’t blame you. I feel you on that." Cudi reported to be the initial reaction from Ye. The INDICUD rapper spoke of how Kanye always had faith in his vision. "[Kanye] believes in me, man. ‘Man, you the only one that’s doing some authentic shit,’ he sits there and he tells me. He gives me all these props and I don’t even know how to consume it all sometimes. It’s really overwhelming because I just think he’s so great. He just believes in me in such a freakish way that maybe he might not feel like he needs to be on a song with me or give me beats… It’s a cool thing to know that the Jedi Master — the Obi-Wan Kenobi — tells me, ‘You’re alright, you’re doing good.’
The Cleveland artist spoke of how his growth away from G.O.O.D. could be seen in his relative absence from the crew's compilation Cruel Summer. "I don't think I found any songs I connected with" he said. On the collective's summer smash "Mercy", Cudi explained his lack of interest. "I might have had an opportunity to get on that record, I don't know, maybe not" he revealed, adding "but there was never even a moment for me to be like... I wanna be on this." He acknowledged the quality of the song upon hearing it, but felt he would be out of place on the track. "This is a raw ass record, but I wouldn't want to hear Kid Cudi on this," in which he decided to step aside for his crew to hop in, saying, "Let these niggas kill it."
Cudder revealed that while part of the process of leaving the group meant taking the logo off his upcoming album INDICUD, the initial copies would still bear the branding. "The first 200,00 that they ship will say G.O.O.D. Music" he said, indicating that the copies would serve as collector's items, but confirmed that "when they go to reprint the new batch the logo won't be on there."
Cudi also gave a bit of insight into his new collaboration with Kendrick Lamar. I look at Kendrick Lamar as the new "Solo Dolo," like a nigga that’s just doing his thing and just killing it and, ‘Look, I got my cosign, but I don’t really need nobody, I’m hot on my own.’ It was just perfect. He came in and I had my verse, I didn’t have a hook yet, he came up with the hook and his verse — on the spot. Collaborations are fun for me because you get a chance to see who can really do it and who can’t.
INDICUD will now be available April 16th, and if you want one of those "limited edition" copies with the G.O.O.D. Music logo, make sure to pick it up early.
Watch the interview below.