Kid Cudi has a record coming out tomorrow called Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven, and apparently it's almost completely void of rap music. While we obviously respect Cudi's artistic decision to do whatever the fuck he desires, we like to remember Cudi back in his mixtape prime. He was a brainy oddball, known for taking non-rap sounds and bringing them into the hip hop world. His debut mixtape, 2008's A Kid Named Cudi, was heralded for doing just that.
The mixtape launched the career of one of modern hip hop's biggest names, even to this day frankly. He's still headlining festivals and selling out reasonably sized venues with his music. Today we wanted to throw it back to where it all started. Here are some of the most memorable cuts from his (very) brief mixtape run, really, we could have thrown the entire A Kid Named Cudi tape up here without skipping any tracks, but we slimmed the list 10.
Day 'n' Nite
Of course, there'd be no Cudi as we know him without "Day 'n' Nite," his triple-platinum single that put him on the tip of everybody's tongues back in 2008. The track made it onto his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, and continues to garner plays, whether it be the Crookers remix or the OG.
Is There Any Love featuring Wale
It's pretty cool to listen to a track like this, recorded by two totally different but very successful rappers. In 2008, neither of these MCs had their future made for them just yet, and while that may be the case now, you can hear a little bit of that hunger in their bars.
Man on the Moon
With lyrics like the following, it's no wonder hip hop made room for an artist like Drake.
"Maybe if I was jerk to girls
Instead of being nice and speaking kind words
Then maybe it would be okay to say then
I wasn't a good guy to begin with"
As the game moved in a decidedly Kanye direction, Cudi spearheaded the movement with tracks like "Man on the Moon," the Nosaj Thing-produced indie hip hop classic.
Maui Wowie
Who remembers this galactic stoner cut? While most weed raps are chilled-out slouchers, this one is also dance-floor ready. The upbeat joint is just another one of the classic gems from A Kid Named Cudi.
Oh, and we have to mention Cudi's John Legend impression. "Get liiiifffteeedd," was amazing.
Embrace The Martian
Cudi got bars. We know it. The electronica-tinged mixtape was full of examples, but "Embrace The Martian" was amongst the strongest lyrical performances he's ever recorded.
"Ix-nay on the bullshit man
When I roll back to Cleveland
I can't believe them
Sounds of the nonbelievers
Outcast till I'm in dirt, before it did hurt
Now I can overstand how you could dismiss or front on
Ask me how I feel about the ones with closed eyes
My words how I feel exactly are "fuck that"
I don’t give a damn bout nan one hater
Talking down
Don't be afraid at all y'all
All I ask of all y'all is to please"
The Prayer
Band of Horses aren't the type of band that will be mentioned on this site a whole bunch. The music is great, but their hip hop cred is nearly nonexistent. Of course, not entirely though, because Cudi sampled them on "The Prayer," his quasi-religious cut from A Kid Named Cudi.
Whenever
It isn't hard to see the Andre 3000 influence in Cudi's music, right? He took on "Chonkeyfire" earlier in the mixtape, and with "Whenever" he tackles "Pink and Blue" with some X-rated raps.
Spazzin'
If you miss Cudi rappin', this one is for you. While he continues to move away from hip hop with his newest records, we'll always have gems like "Spazzin'" to bump. Here's a throwback Thursday that proves people always change, and that art is forever. Peace.
Make Her Say (I Poke Her Face) featuring Kanye West & Common
This Kanye West-produced joint features an acoustic sample of Lady Gaga's hit record, which was pretty big at the time this revamped version dropped. It's hilarious and crude, and it's dope. The song was part of the Dat Kid From Cleveland mixtape, which featured an array of tracks that Cudder had lying around back in '09.
Ask About Me featuring Chip Tha Ripper (King Chip)
There's a lot of good oldies from Kid Cudi to choose from, but we'll close out the list with this collaboration between two Cleveland-bred MCs. These two used to collaborate quite frequently, and another stand-out appears on A Kid Named Cudi tape ("TGIF"-- as a bonus, listen to that one below too). At one point, it seemed King Chip was signed to Kid Cudi Wicked Awesome label, however that's apparently fallen apart...No matter, we'd love to see these two link back up.