Kid Cudi was born in Cleveland, Ohio and lived in the diverse upper class suburb of Shaker Heights. Just prior to receiving his GED he attended Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio and also Solon High School in Solon, Ohio. Cudi first began rapping towards the end of high school, inspired by alternative hip hop groups such as The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest. He moved to Brooklyn, New York to pursue a music career. In July 2008, Kid Cudi released his first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, in collaboration with New York street wear brand 10. Deep as a free download in 2008. The mixtape has had so much continued success that on May 18, 2009 10.Deep announced they were going to be doing a re-release of the "Up There" t-shirt and hard copies A Kid Named Cudi mixtape in their webstore on May 20, 2009 at 12:00 PM EST. Shortly after the shirt went up for sale the server crashed due to heavy traffic of fans wanting to buy the t-shirt and the mixtape.
Kid Cudi has a guest feature on Kanye West's 2008 album, 808s & Heartbreak, singing with him on the track Welcome to Heartbreak, providing additional vocals on Paranoid with Mr Hudson and helped with songwriting on the second single Heartless. A music video has been made and released for Welcome to Heartbreak with him in it. He also featured on the song Welcome 2 the World with Kevin Rudolf from his album In The City, and on 88-Keys debut album The Death of Adam on the track Ho' is Short for Honey.
He has been featured in many medias such as XXL and BBC News's Sound of 2009 poll of up-and-coming acts. He has also been featured in Vibe, Complex, The Source, Rolling Stone, URB and Interview magazine.
Kid Cudi first appeared on shows in 2008, when he performed at the 2008 VMA's alongside Travis Barker and DJ AM. On February 17, 2009, Kid Cudi made his TV debut on Snoop Dogg's new MTV talk show Dogg After Dark, performing Day 'n' Nite at the end of the show. Two days later on February 19, 2009, Cudi appeared on BET's 106 & Park with Kanye West to debut the video of Day 'n' Nite . On March 16, 2009 Kid Cudi performed on mtvU's 2009 Spring Break special. On March 17, 2009 Cudi appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly where he performed three songs. Kid Cudi has also made cameo appearances in Solange's video for her song T.O.N.Y. and in the Black Eyed Peas video for I Gotta Feeling.
Kid Cudi, along with Emile, produced an exclusive single called "Switchin Lanes" for the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles, part of its "South Central Premium Upgrade" Downloadable Content (DLC) which came out March 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 3 and March 27, 2009 for the Xbox 360. He contributed to the soundtrack for Capcom's Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. The game was released on June 24 2010.
Burn Baby Burn
KiD CuDi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Such a spectacular thing I cannot, lie
So many things people wanna limit you to be
I show you a glimmer inside the spectrum of the wizard
Well known as a getter and a nigga with a plan
The negative that come out they mouth, so sad
When I smash wipe the smirk off their face, my bad
Who bad? I am, my dad raised one hell of a man
Still don't feel appreciated and not by my own fam
All good, I'll be tucked away in them shadows
Workin' in sweats solve the riddle and soon I'm ready for battle
Move my fans with my love and they move me with theirs
We unified by the dark and middle fingers in air
Come on who gon' go half on a zone
Oh, thought I would be done off the coke, no
Let me tell you something ho
Been said everything that shine ain't gold
Been skeetin' on pretty faces then my heart switched cold
Been the nigga sittin' in hell in fresh ass clothes
I know what it feels like to have a broken nose
And ain't nobody hit you in it
It's really cause that shit that you snorted and put all in it
That time you thought I was finished no I just experimented
And it helped me adjust and be OK, with being demented
By the way nigga these cars ain't rented I give a fuck who sees
So I don't bother rollin' tinted look who the fuck it be
That skinny Cleveland niggie I stay reppin' my city bitch
Been smokin' no jokin' cudder's had that itch
So I scratch, so please no more speculation 'bout that
Burn baby, burn, truthfully and noted
I'm back so please no more speculation 'bout that
Burn baby, burn, truthfully and noted
I'm back, niggas think I'm livin' life paranoid
(Mothafuck that, man)
Aw, they got me twisted, they don't know that boy
(Mothafuck that, man)
I'm just gettin' busy killin' it, gettin' busy
(Mothafuck them, man)
I just wanna watch it burn, baby, burn
Niggas think I'm living life paranoid
(Mothafuck that, man)
Aw, they got me twisted, they don't know that boy
(Mothafuck that, man)
I'm just gettin' busy killin' it, I'm gettin' busy
(Mothafuck them, man)
Now it's time to watch 'em burn baby, burn
Ah, my leg!
The lyrics of Kid Cudi's Burn Baby Burn describe the rapper's journey as an artist and his defiance in the face of those who have tried to limit him. He starts off by acknowledging that his success has come as a surprise to some, but he refuses to be boxed in by people's expectations. He describes himself as a "getter and a nigga with a plan", acknowledging that he has had to overcome a lot of negativity on his way to success. Despite this, he remains confident in his abilities and proud of his roots, declaring himself a "hell of a man" raised by a great father.
Cudi goes on to talk about the challenges he has faced as an artist and a person, from not feeling appreciated by his own family to struggling with drug addiction. He admits to experimenting with drugs and feeling "demented" as a result, but he also points out that he has learned from his experiences and come out stronger on the other side. He refuses to let the rumors and speculation about his life and his art affect him, and he urges his fans to join him in defying their critics. The repeated refrain of "burn baby burn" reflects his desire to watch his enemies and critics burn in the face of his success.
Overall, Kid Cudi's Burn Baby Burn is a defiant and empowering anthem for anyone who has faced criticism and adversity on their way to success. It's a celebration of hard work, determination, and self-belief, and a call to arms for anyone who refuses to be limited by other people's expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Element of the surprise
The unexpected is about to happen
Such a spectacular thing I cannot, lie
It's an amazing sight that cannot be denied
So many things people wanna limit you to be
Most individuals set limits on others without knowing what they are capable of
I show you a glimmer inside the spectrum of the wizard
I give you a glimpse of what I'm capable of as a creative person
Well known as a getter and a nigga with a plan
I am known for being able to achieve things and being someone who is goal-oriented
The negative that come out they mouth, so sad
It's unfortunate how negative people can be sometimes
When I smash wipe the smirk off their face, my bad
I apologize for the expression on their faces when I show them what I'm capable of
Who bad? I am, my dad raised one hell of a man
I am confident in my abilities because of the way I was raised by my father
At eleven I had to throw on the pants
I had to mature quickly at a young age
Still don't feel appreciated and not by my own fam
Even today, my family does not fully appreciate my accomplishments
All good, I'll be tucked away in them shadows
Despite this, I will continue to work hard in the background
Workin' in sweats solve the riddle and soon I'm ready for battle
Working hard and solving challenges will prepare me for what's to come
Move my fans with my love and they move me with theirs
I am inspired by my fans just as much as they are inspired by me
We unified by the dark and middle fingers in air
We are united through our love for the more unconventional and counterculture aspects of life
Come on who gon' go half on a zone
Who wants to share some drugs?
Oh, thought I would be done off the coke, no
I have not stopped doing cocaine like people thought
Let me tell you something ho
Listen up
Been said everything that shine ain't gold
Appearances can be deceiving
Been skeetin' on pretty faces then my heart switched cold
I used to have flings with beautiful women, but I have become emotionally distant
Been the nigga sittin' in hell in fresh ass clothes
I may look presentable on the outside, but inside I am suffering
I know what it feels like to have a broken nose
I've experienced physical pain before
And ain't nobody hit you in it
No one physically hit me, but I'm still hurt
It's really cause that shit that you snorted and put all in it
The pain is actually from the cocaine you snorted and put in it
That time you thought I was finished no I just experimented
Just because I tried something new does not mean I am done
And it helped me adjust and be OK, with being demented
Drugs have helped me come to terms with my unconventional thoughts and personality
By the way nigga these cars ain't rented I give a fuck who sees
My cars are not rented, and I don't care who knows it
So I don't bother rollin' tinted look who the fuck it be
I don't bother to hide my face, look who it is
That skinny Cleveland niggie I stay reppin' my city bitch
I am proud to represent my hometown of Cleveland
Been smokin' no jokin' cudder's had that itch
I've been smoking a lot of marijuana and it has become a habit
So I scratch, so please no more speculation 'bout that
I indulge in my habits, so there's no need for further speculation
Burn baby, burn, truthfully and noted
Let it all burn, no lies or deception
I'm back so please no more speculation 'bout that
I'm back, so there's no need for further speculation
Niggas think I'm livin' life paranoid
People believe I am paranoid
(Mothafuck that, man)
I don't care what they think
Aw, they got me twisted, they don't know that boy
They are misunderstanding me and they don't really know me
I'm just gettin' busy killin' it, gettin' busy
I'm focusing on success and working hard
(Mothafuck them, man)
I don't care about them
I just wanna watch it burn, baby, burn
I want to see everything else burn in the inferno
Now it's time to watch 'em burn baby, burn
It's time to see others suffer the consequences of their actions
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SCOTT MESCUDI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind