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.
Mad Solar
Kid Cudi Lyrics
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Guess I'm just a star of my movie
They say I'm the chosen and so it goes
I'm supposed to live and grow old and die alone
Talking to myself in the mirror
Take one to know one
Can we talk? Just loony to loony?
How strange the notion
And what if I told you
You no longer know me
You better keep going keep on rolling now
Ain't no thing you don't really need me
The pressure is growing
Hard times they mold ya
In the summer we colder
Let the world see how you win
No matter how you seem to them
Fuck 'em
And people think I'm mad
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
All the things that bother me
Ain't no other way I can be
And people think I'm mad or on one
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
M.A.D S.O.L.A.R
And people think I'm mad
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
All the things that bother me
Ain't no other way I can be
And people think I'm mad or on one
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
M.A.D S.O.L.A.R
I guess I'm looney, I guess I'm on one
Guess I gotta finish my movie
See my heart has been swollen, it's healin' slow
Hope I don't live to grow old no one at home
Starin' at myself in the mirror they want to know one
Wanna find out about the real me
Soon moments reveal you
Especially friends who were never good friends
But wanna act like they know me
You better keep on going, keep on strollin'
It's so crazy how you think you can play me
Show them pussies you're growin'
Hard times they mold ya
Tell the haters 'I told ya'
Let the world see how you win
No matter how you seem to them
Fuck 'em
And people think I'm mad
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
All the things that bother me
Ain't no other way I can be
And people think I'm mad or on one
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
M.A.D S.O.L.A.R
And people think I'm mad
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
All the things that bother me
Ain't no other way I can be
And people think I'm mad or on one
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
M.A.D S.O.L.A.R
The lyrics of Kid Cudi's "Mad Solar" reveal a melancholic state of mind that the artist is experiencing. The opening lines "I guess I'm a loony, I guess I'm on one. Guess I'm just a star of my movie" suggest that Kid Cudi is struggling with mental health issues but has come to terms with accepting them. The idea of being a star of his movie is not necessarily self-obsession but rather a reference to being in control of his own narrative. He acknowledges that he is supposed to live and grow old and die alone, which indicates a sense of hopelessness that he feels. His time spent talking to himself in the mirror highlights his inner turmoil, and he recognizes that anyone who understands his state of mind must be "just loony to loony."
Kid Cudi believes that people take a long time to know someone truly, and even then, people change, as he says, "what if I told you You no longer know me." He feels that the pressure he is under is growing, and he is struggling to cope with it. However, he advises himself to keep going, keep on rolling, as he believes that everything is temporary. He acknowledges the hardships he has faced, saying that "hard times they mold ya," but despite that, he wants to inspire others by showing them how to win, regardless of what people think of you. The chorus of the song has a clear message. Kid Cudi is asking people to accept him the way he is and not to judge him. He is on a journey of self-discovery and has found a way to embrace his mental health issues, which he calls "mad solar."
Line by Line Meaning
I guess I'm a loony, I guess I'm on one
I admit, I might be a little crazy and unpredictable
Guess I'm just a star of my movie
I'm the main character in my own story
They say I'm the chosen and so it goes
People believe I have a special destiny
I'm supposed to live and grow old and die alone
There's an expectation that I'll end up alone
Talking to myself in the mirror
I'm having a conversation with myself
Take one to know one
I can recognize another person who is like me
Can we talk? Just loony to loony?
Can we have a conversation as two crazy people?
How strange the notion
It's an unusual idea
You don't really know no one
It's impossible to truly know another person
And what if I told you
Consider this possibility
You no longer know me
I've changed and you don't understand me anymore
You better keep going keep on rolling now
Keep moving forward and don't look back
Ain't no thing you don't really need me
I'm not essential to your life
The pressure is growing
I'm feeling more stressed as time goes on
Hard times they mold ya
Difficult experiences shape who you are
In the summer we colder
Even in good times, things can feel bleak
Let the world see how you win
Don't be afraid to show your success to others
No matter how you seem to them
Even if other people don't understand or appreciate it
Fuck 'em
I don't care about their opinions
And people think I'm mad
Some people believe I'm crazy
Won't you tell them I'm mad solar
Explain that it's just my unique personality
All the things that bother me
There are certain things that really get under my skin
Ain't no other way I can be
This is just who I am
And people think I'm mad or on one
They judge me for being different
M.A.D S.O.L.A.R
My individualism defines me
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SCOTT MESCUDI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind