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.
Pursuit of Happiness
Kid Cudi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na
Crush a bit, little bit
Roll it up, take a hit
Feeling lit, feeling right
Two AM, summer night, I don't care
Hand on the wheel
Driving drunk I'm doing my thang
Rolling the Midwest side and out
Living my life, getting our dreams
People told me slow my roll
I'm screaming out, "Fuck that"
I'ma do just what I want
Looking ahead no turning back
If I fall if I die
Know I lived it to the fullest
If I fall if I die
Know I lived and missed some bullets
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
Tell me what you know about dreamin', dreamin'
You don't really know about nothin', nothin'
Tell me what you know about them night terrors every night
Five AM cold sweats, waking up to the sky
Tell me what you know about dreams, dreams
Tell me what you know about night terrors, nothin'
You don't really care about the trials of tomorrow
Rather lay awake in the bed full of sorrow
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness
I know everything that shine ain't always gold
I'll be fine once I get it, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
Pursuit of happiness
Yeah, I'm gon' get it, I'll be, good
Ugh
Oh man
Oh alright, oh
Room's spinning, room's spinning
Pat, Zuli, wait, oh fuck
Oh my God
Why did I drink so much and smoke so much? Ugh
Oh fuck
The song Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi featuring Ratatat is an introspective look into the rapper's psyche while he is pursuing his dreams of happiness. He starts the song by describing his state of mind and how he feels, "Crush a bit, little bit, Roll it up, take a hit, Feeling lit, feeling right, Two AM, summer night, I don't care". He goes on to describe how he is living his life to the fullest and how people advised him to slow down but he chooses to keep going, "People told me slow my roll, I'm screaming out, "Fuck that", I'ma do just what I want". Kid Cudi then talks about how he is aware of the risks he is taking in the pursuit of his dreams, but he is willing to take them, "If I fall if I die, Know I lived it to the fullest, If I fall if I die, Know I lived and missed some bullets".
The chorus of the song, "I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good" highlights how Kid Cudi understands the fact that not everything that glitters is gold but he still chooses to pursue his happiness. In the second verse, he talks to the listener, asking them what they know about dreams and night terrors, and how they don't really care about tomorrow's challenges, "Tell me what you know about dreamin', dreamin', You don't really know about nothin', nothin', Tell me what you know about them night terrors every night, Five AM cold sweats, waking up to the sky, Tell me what you know about dreams, dreams, Tell me what you know about night terrors, nothin', You don't really care about the trials of tomorrow, Rather lay awake in the bed full of sorrow".
Overall, Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness is a song about pursuing one's dreams of happiness despite the risks and challenges that come with it. He acknowledges that not everything will be perfect along the way but he chooses to keep going and live his life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Crush a bit, little bit
Roll it up, take a hit
Feeling lit, feeling right
Two AM, summer night, I don't care
I am smoking weed late at night, and I feel amazing. I don't care about anything else right now.
Hand on the wheel
Driving drunk I'm doing my thang
Rolling the Midwest side and out
Living my life, getting our dreams
I'm driving under the influence, living my life and accomplishing my dreams without letting anything hold me back.
People told me slow my roll
I'm screaming out, "Fuck that"
I'ma do just what I want
Looking ahead no turning back
People tell me to slow down, but I refuse to listen. I want to do what I want and move forward without any hesitation.
If I fall if I die
Know I lived it to the fullest
If I fall if I die
Know I lived and missed some bullets
If I die or face any consequences for my actions, I'll know that I lived life to the fullest and took risks regardless of the outcome.
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I am chasing happiness, but I know that not everything that looks good is always good. Once I attain happiness, I know I'll be alright.
Tell me what you know about dreamin', dreamin'
You don't really know about nothin', nothin'
Tell me what you know about them night terrors every night
Five AM cold sweats, waking up to the sky
You talk about dreaming, but you don't understand what it's like to have nightmares every night and wake up in a panic.
Tell me what you know about dreams, dreams
Tell me what you know about night terrors, nothin'
You don't really care about the trials of tomorrow
Rather lay awake in the bed full of sorrow
You don't know anything about dreams or the fear that comes with them. You don't care about the struggles of the future and would rather dwell in sadness.
Pursuit of happiness
Yeah, I'm gon' get it, I'll be, good
I'm determined to find happiness, and I know I'll be okay.
Room's spinning, room's spinning
Pat, Zuli, wait, oh fuck
Oh my God
Why did I drink so much and smoke so much? Ugh
Oh fuck
I've had too much to drink and smoke, and now I feel sick while my surroundings are spinning. I regret my choices.
Lyrics Ā© Wixen Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Evan Peter Mast, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, Michael Paul Stroud
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@whatiscompetition
Crush a bit, little bit
Roll it up, take a hit
Feeling lit, feeling right
Two AM, summer night, I don't care
Hand on the wheel
Driving drunk I'm doing my thang
Rolling the Midwest side and out
Living my life, getting our dreams
People told me slow my roll
I'm screaming out, "Fuck that"
I'ma do just what I want
Looking ahead no turning back
If I fall if I die
Know I lived it to the fullest
If I fall if I die
Know I lived and missed some bullets
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
Tell me what you know about dreamin', dreamin'
You don't really know about nothin', nothin'
Tell me what you know about them night terrors every night
Five AM cold sweats, waking up to the sky
Tell me what you know about dreams, dreams
Tell me what you know about night terrors, nothin'
You don't really care about the trials of tomorrow
Rather lay awake in the bed full of sorrow
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness
I know everything that shine ain't always gold
I'll be fine once I get it, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know
Everything that shine ain't always gonna be gold, hey
I'll be fine once I get it, yeah, I'll be good
Pursuit of happiness
Yeah, I'm gon' get it, I'll be, good
Ugh
Oh man
Oh alright, oh
Room's spinning, room's spinning
Pat, Zuli, wait, oh fuck
Oh my God
Why did I drink so much and smoke so much? Ugh
Oh fuck
@andineffable
Iām glad people can find comfort and like inspiration or relation to them chasing their dreams through this song but the way it comforts me is totally different in a sad kinship kind of way.
āYou donāt really care about the trials of tomorrow, rather lay awake in a bed full of sorrowā resonates with so many nights in my life. I often just lay awake till the early hours of the morning heavy with the enormity and burdens of the world and my life on my mind.
I listen to this song when I feel hopeless because I feel like it captures giving up and falling into a deep depression or addiction or both and many other inner struggles so poignantly. Being trapped in your head and your suffering and feeling so distant from the world.
Itās comforting because it makes me feel less alone I guess. Like the awful feelings I am sitting with can be put into words.
Just felt the need to put it out there. Art can be interpreted in many different ways and has different meaning to everyone.
For me this song just resonates and perfectly encompasses hopelessness and dragging yourself day to day because you have to.
@Nexiph
I don't think a song can get any more perfect
@blaykeposey7790
aye your close to a million hope you get it soon i just subbed
@AJ-fu9se
Sure
@ChrisBrown-tx1ku
You crushed a lil bit? Roll it up? And take a hit
@evanhawkins6186
the project X remix makes it better IMO :)
@whatever85x
yes perfect song talking to end yourself maybe you should
@senpaischnai5139
Mad respect to anyone who is still listening to this masterpiece
@777vr
Bot 1 respect to u 2 g
@gloryjay5604
I was deadass 4 when this came out and Iām still bumping it š
@skywest8811
ayee