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.
Erase Me
Kid Cudi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said she don't know me, anymore
I think she hates me deep down, I know she does
She wants to erase me, hm
A couple days no talking, I seen my baby
And this what she tells me
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
It's like I'm her new nightmare, she ain't escapin'
It makes me feel a bit complete, yeah
Knowing someone you love don't feel the same way about ya
Memories they soon delete, hm
A couple weeks no talking, I seen my baby
I've missed you so damn much, hey
I wish we could start over, I told my baby
This what this bitch tells me, she said
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
And nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
'Cause I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you are you might hear me
I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you go you might see me
Uh, I'm Yeezy
She said "Hi, I'm Aria"
No, you an angel, you wave hi to Aaliyah
I got a show in Korea
They built a new arena
Why don't you come watch a nigga tear the whole scene up?
I know I've seen you before
But don't know where I've seen ya
Oh, I remember now
It's something I that I dreamed of
Don C said she cool
But don't let her fuck ya cream up
Monica Lewinsky on ya dress, take ya to the cleaners
Sure enough a week later I'm in extra love
And everybody know she mine so she extra plug
Every bouncer every club show her extra love
We just praying the new fame don't get the best of us
But all good things gotta come to an end-a
She let it go to her head, no, not my Aria
The height of her shopping was writers blocking me
I couldn't get my shit out anyway, I hope you die, Aria
I keep on running, keep on running
And nothing works
I can't get away from you, no
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking you
Nothing helps
I can't stop missing you, yeah
In Kid Cudi's song 'Erase Me', we see the rapper detailing a relationship which is at a breaking point. The song speaks of a lover who makes it very clear to Kid Cudi (the persona of the rapper in the lyrics) that she believes he is not spending enough time with her. Furthermore, she also claims that she no longer knows him anymore suggesting that a lot of elements of their relationship are changing. Kid Cudi is acutely aware that the relationship is falling apart, and he believes that his lover wants to erase him from her life.
As the lyrics progress, Kid Cudi describes how they go through phases where they won't speak to each other for days or weeks. Even when they reconnect, she still expresses the same emotions, with the belief that she can't seem to get away from Kid Cudi. He describes a situation where he seems to be unable to forget about his lover, even though she seems to be moving on. He likens this feeling to being in her new nightmare, a feeling that makes him feel complete, even though he is suffering due to this unrequited love. He suggests that memories will soon dissipate or "delete," indicating that he might be able to forget about her with time.
The lyrics then dive into a dialogue exchange between Kid Cudi and his lover, where Kid Cudi expresses his longing for a new start. His request is denied, and she expresses that she can't get away from him. The song ends with a more melancholic yet optimistic perspective from Kid Cudi. While he acknowledges he's in a difficult place, he also acknowledges that he's still in the public eye, constantly surrounded by memories of their love through the music industry.
Overall, Erase Me appears to describe a relationship that is falling apart. There seems to be a strange sense of rejection on behalf of Kid Cudi, with a repeating pattern that highlights his lover's rejection of him, a feeling he seems to be struggling to come to terms with. The song shows the difficulty of letting go of a love that doesn't exist anymore, leaving the singer of the song feeling incomplete and dissatisfied with life.
Line by Line Meaning
She said I don't spend time like I really should
My partner believes I don't allocate enough quality time to our relationship
She said she don't know me, anymore
My partner feels disconnected from me and my recent behavior
I think she hates me deep down, I know she does
I am convinced that my partner harbors negative emotions towards me
She wants to erase me, hm
My partner wishes to eliminate me from her memory or life
I keep on running, keep on running
Despite my efforts to distance myself from my partner, I am still emotionally attached and have trouble letting go
And nothing works
No matter what I do, my relationship issues persist
I can't get away from you, no
Despite the distance or time apart, I am unable to remove thoughts and feelings of my partner
I keep on ducking, keep on ducking
Even when I attempt to avoid my partner or my emotions, they persist and follow me
I can't stop missing you, yeah
My feelings of love and affection still remain even when my relationship has ended or changed
It's like I'm her new nightmare, she ain't escapin'
My presence in my partner's life brings negative emotions and memories
It makes me feel a bit complete, yeah
Despite the negative emotions, my partner's feelings towards me provide some sense of satisfaction or validation
Knowing someone you love don't feel the same way about ya
My partner no longer reciprocates my feelings of love or affection
Memories they soon delete, hm
My partner wants to forget our relationship and the memories associated with it
I've missed you so damn much, hey
Despite our issues, I have strong feelings and longing for my partner
I wish we could start over, I told my baby
I desire to reset and rekindle our relationship with a clean slate
This what this bitch tells me, she said
My partner's response to my desire to restart our relationship is negative or uncooperative
'Cause I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you are you might hear me
I'm in the magazines
On the T-V
No matter where you go you might see me
My fame and celebrity status make it difficult to escape the public eye, and my partner is constantly reminded of me
Uh, I'm Yeezy
The singer introduces himself as a famous person, potentially Kanye West
Why don't you come watch nigga tear the whole scene up
Inviting someone to come observe or watch as the singer performs a show, potentially for entertainment or validation
But all good things gotta come to an end-a
Acknowledging that positive things in life eventually come to an end, including relationships
She let it go to her head, no not my Aria
The artist's partner became too consumed with their own ego or success and became unrecognizable to the artist
I couldn't get my shit out any way, I hope you die Aria
The artist is upset that their partner's own success prevented them from being able to express themselves creatively, and expresses their anger towards their partner
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Romano, James Gregory Scheffer, Kanye Omari West, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind