Jaden Smith has named Kid Cudi as an integral influence in his life, and the two artists recently sat down for VMan. Instead of a traditional interview, Cudi is placed in the journalist's chair. The roles reverse though, and the interview turns into a candid discussion between Cudi and Smith where each artist finds any opportunity to compliment the other. Their friendship and camaraderie are genuine, which leads to several captivating moments in the interview.
Cudi started by asking Smith about his fashion, to which the younger rapper admitted that he was influenced by his peer. "I actually pull a lot of fashion inspiration from you," Smith said. "It’s a rock-and-roll vibe, with a lot of denim. I love flannels; you put me onto that. I like picking a time in history, or a kind of music, and I try to model my outfit after that." That question led Cudi to ask Smith if the definition of masculinity is changing. "I feel like the definition is not changing, but the way [masculinity] is shown is changing," he answered. "People are getting hurt, losing their lives over petty things, and that has to do with people just trying to prove a point of being overly masculine. Everybody just needs to get along. We need to come together."
"Obviously, Kids See Ghosts, Cudi, is absolutely amazing. I really love it," exclaims Smith halfway through the interview. "I’m glad you fuck with it, bro. Thank you," responded Cudi. "I worked really hard on it. Can you imagine the day Kanye asked me to do the album with him? I thought he was joking; maybe it was a moment he was excited about the idea, and after a couple months, he’d just be over it. [Laughs.] It took me a minute to realize, 'Yo, I’m making an album with my big bro. This is a dream of mine.'"
Smith also touched on his plan for world sustainability. The young artist has invested in the creation of a water bottle that has "less plastic, and emitted less CO2," while also launching water filtration systems in places where the water quality is abysmal. "I learned about the environment and the ecosystem, and discovered we’re putting out so many CO2 emissions, creating plastic for agriculture and even for processed meats," Smith stated. "We start to overheat the planet, melt ice caps, and water levels start to rise. It’s only getting worse. That’s why I started Just Water." That's one smart kid.