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Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), better known by his stage name Kid Cudi (/ˈkʌdi/ "cuddy", often stylized KiD CuDi), is an American recording artist and actor from Cleveland, Ohio. Cudi first gained major recognition following the release of his first official full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008). The mixtape caught the attention of American rapper-producer Kanye West, who subsequently signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label imprint in late 2008. Cudi has since gone on to launch his own record label imprints, the now-dissolved Dream On and current independent label, Wicked Awesome Records. Initially a rapper, Cudi has since added singer, songwriter, record producer, guitarist, music video director and film composer to his repertoire.
As of 2018, Cudi has released six studio albums as a solo artist. In 2008, his debut single "Day 'n' Nite", led him to prominence, reaching the top five of the Billboard charts. Cudi's debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2010, he released Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, which was preceded by "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager". Later that year, Cudi formed a rock band, now known... Read More ... as WZRD, with his long-time collaborator Dot da Genius, releasing one eponymous debut album, in early 2012. The album debuted at number one on the Top Rock Albums chart.[4][5] In April 2013, Cudi released Indicud, which became his highest-charting album on multiple charts. In February 2014, Cudi unexpectedly released his fourth album, Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon, exclusively to digital retailers with no promotion. In 2015, Cudi released his rock album Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven to negative reception. In 2016, he returned to hip-hop with his sixth album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' to critical acclaim. Cudi later released a joint album with West under the eponymous name Kids See Ghosts.
Kid Cudi has sold over 5.2 million digital singles and has worked with numerous prominent artists in the music industry, including Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, David Guetta, MGMT, Shakira, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bolton, among others. With his originality and creativity, as well as the emotion he conveys in his music, Cudi has amassed a large cult-like following among high school students, college students and stoners alike. In 2010, Cudi ventured into acting when he began starring in the HBO series How to Make It in America. Cudi has since appeared in several feature films, including Goodbye World, Need for Speed and Entourage. In addition, he has made appearances on television shows such as One Tree Hill, The Cleveland Show and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In 2015, he was the bandleader on the IFC series, Comedy Bang! Bang!.
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