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.
Can I Be
Kid Cudi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm often often, sittin' in my world in the coffin,
coughin off the herb of the curb.
Money, money, money is what they concur.
Do they Agree? what they might see, could be.
Not exactly what they thought.
The car the rap star allgededly bought is probly the
same car that the rap star rented.
Tailin' the whip, parkin lot a doubple piece, parked then.
My mom swore that I'd be the next cometh.
Them otha niggas far from it.
Can't stand how these dick rock bandits even get granted the access.
All up in the mix.
Wanna be a Kanye.
Wanna be a Skateboard P, but nigga.
All the BBC cannot put you, in the same place or give you the same face.
Find you first and you couldnt raise the stakes, higher.
Not talkin shit just fire, please muthafucka.
All this BAPE shit I rock is none otha.
Who the best MCs in Cleve?
Cas, Chip, da Cudder, tripple da illness.
And Ohio gotta feel this.
Took a decade just to say I'm paid.
Took a took a decade just to get girls to lay down,
spread eagle, pop dat pussy ho'.
Need the love below I'm the champ that needs a gold medal.
Styles of flow homeboy, I got plenty.
I payed for my noodle, the digital vortex. Textin' a freak.
Digital phone sex.
She wanna suck a dong cuz my songs me digital checks.
Gigabytes decide the words that I write, I get gone nigga day and night.
Unh. Take it literally.
How more crystal clear can I be?
How more crystal clear can I be?
How more crystal clear can I be?
Can I be?
Can I be?
Unh huh, yeah.
Can I be-...-e.
How more crystal clear can I be?
Can I be?
Can I be?
In the opening lyrics of Kid Cudi's song "Can I Be", the artist is painting a picture of himself as someone who feels trapped in his own world. He speaks about being in his coffin - suggesting that his mind may be a dark place. He also references smoking weed, and money being the ultimate goal for most people. The question Kid Cudi asks is whether people truly agree with this way of life or if they are just following along like sheep. The verse ends with a comparison between a rap star's rented car and their allegedly owned car, and how the truth may not reflect what people perceive. Kid Cudi seems to be pointing out the hypocrisy of the industry, where people often present themselves to be something they are not.
The second verse of the song continues to explore Kid Cudi's feelings of being trapped. He talks about other rappers who have been given access to opportunities he has not, despite feeling that he is superior to them as an artist. He also references artists like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, who have their own unique styles that people try to emulate. However, Kid Cudi recognizes that individuality is key, and nobody can truly replace him. He mentions other rappers from his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and how it has taken him ten long years to finally achieve success. He ends the verse with a reference to Outkast's "The Love Below", suggesting that he is the best in the game and deserves to be recognized as such.
In the final verse, Kid Cudi talks about his creativity and how his mind works. He speaks about his thought process being like a digital vortex and how he communicates with others through technology. He also references sexual experiences and how his music has led to him having a certain level of success with women. He finishes the song by asking the question "Can I be?", which could be interpreted as asking if he can truly be himself in a world that demands conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm often often, sittin' in my world in the coffin, coughin off the herb of the curb.
I spend a lot of time alone, smoking weed on the street corner.
Money, money, money is what they concur.
People are always talking about money.
Do they Agree? what they might see, could be.
Their perspective might not be accurate.
Not exactly what they thought.
Their expectations are not met.
The car the rap star allgededly bought is probly the same car that the rap star rented.
Rappers sometimes pretend to be wealthier than they are.
Front end in tennis, supreme in the snowfish.
I have nice clothes and shoes.
Tailin' the whip, parkin lot a doubple piece, parked then.
I drive around and park my car in fancy places.
My mom swore that I'd be the next cometh.
My mom believed in my talent.
Them otha niggas far from it.
Other rappers don't compare to me.
Can't stand how these dick rock bandits even get granted the access.
I don't like how some musicians get more attention than they deserve.
All up in the mix.
They are too involved in the music industry.
Wanna be a Kanye.
They want to be famous like Kanye West.
Wanna be a Skateboard P, but nigga.
They want to be like Pharrell Williams.
All the BBC cannot put you, in the same place or give you the same face.
Wearing expensive clothes won't make you identical to someone else.
Find you first and you couldnt raise the stakes, higher.
I am the top MC, and no one can surpass me.
Not talkin shit just fire, please muthafucka.
I'm not boasting, I'm just confident in my abilities.
All this BAPE shit I rock is none otha.
I have unique style.
Who the best MCs in Cleve? Cas, Chip, da Cudder, tripple da illness.
I'm one of the best rappers from Cleveland.
And Ohio gotta feel this.
People from Ohio should support me.
Took a decade just to say I'm paid.
It took me 10 years to achieve success.
Took a took a decade just to get girls to lay down, spread eagle, pop dat pussy ho'.
It took me a long time to attract women.
Need the love below I'm the champ that needs a gold medal.
I need recognition and respect for my talent.
Styles of flow homeboy, I got plenty.
I have many different rap styles.
I payed for my noodle, the digital vortex.
I paid for my own internet.
Textin' a freak. Digital phone sex.
I enjoy sexting.
She wanna suck a dong cuz my songs me digital checks.
My music makes me money, and attracts women to me.
Gigabytes decide the words that I write, I get gone nigga day and night.
I write my rap lyrics on my computer, and work on them all the time.
Unh. Take it literally.
This is not a metaphor, it's real.
How more crystal clear can I be?
I'm being very direct.
Can I be?
Can I be successful?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christopher Miller
Its so fun finding these gems. What a kick ass song. Just another banger from Cudi
Bee Cat
This album is so underrated and I hate that it’s not on iTunes
pagemoney
Dope beat, def a hard one
TheLifeOfJames
True fans searched deep for this
LethalAmbition
This took me like two months to rediscover this track.
Drdeath
this is some slick shit
Vanillla8
CUDI IS GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
h.h. mushaboom
hi one time I was 16 and I moved to ottawa and everyday i said ok I dropped out so I'm gonna reach myself 1 thing everyday and one day this was the thing I taught myself and now I am 26 and I live in Ottawa again and I am rapping this with every word exact and I have never felt so alive bye bye
taylor111825
cudi used to sample the illest shit. vampire weekend, lcd soundsystem, nosaj thing
AverageJoe_21
IM OFTEN, OFTEN!WOO