In 2008, then-aspiring artist Kid Cudi caught the attention of rapper-producer Kanye West's A&R at the time, Plain Pat, who had initially met Cudi at a Def Jam meeting and picked up a copy of his demo. Plain Pat went on to introduce Cudi's music to West, subsequently leading West to sign Cudi to his GOOD Music imprint later that year. Following Cudi's signing to GOOD, he began heavily working with West. West first called upon Cudi to reference hooks for American rapper and mogul Jay-Z, and while in the studio Cudi and West went from working on The Blueprint 3 to West's R&B-Esque fourth solo album, 808s & Heartbreak. Cudi's assistance on the latter includes co-writing credits and/or vocals on "Heartless", "Welcome to Heartbreak", "Paranoid" and "RoboCop". Kid Cudi proved to be a prominent songwriter and featured artist on 808s & Heartbreak, with "Paranoid" and "Heartless" being released as singles respectively, while "Welcome to Heartbreak" charted as an album cut and peaked at number 87 on the Pop 100.
The two continued to work on Cudi's debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, with West serving as an executive producer. West had also produced two songs, namely "Sky Might Fall", as well as the Common-assisted third single "Make Her Say", which West is also featured on. Cudi has contributed to every West album since 808s & Heartbreak, with their 2016 effort "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1", reaching the Top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. After a brief fallout, the two reconnected in late 2016, around the dissolution of West’s Saint Pablo Tour, which ended in him being hospitalized. West abruptly canceled his Saint Pablo Tour and sought hospitalization for exhaustion in November 2016. West’s only two live appearances since have both been with Cudi, who also sought mental health treatment in the fall of 2016, for performances of "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" in November 2017 and February. West, however, hasn't appeared on one of Cudi’s songs, or worked on any of his albums, since 2010's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.
On April 19, 2018, West announced via Twitter that a collaborative album with Cudi would be released in June. He followed the tweet revealing the name of the group, which also serves as the title of their debut album, Kids See Ghosts. On April 22, again via Twitter, West unveiled the album artwork, which was composed by Tokyo-based artist Takashi Murakami. The duo was originally photographed with Murakami in July 2017. On April 25, West revealed the album would be accompanied by a short film, directed by Dexter Navy, a music video director notable for his collaborations with The Neighbourhood and A$AP Rocky.
On June 8, their eponymous debut album was released following a live listening party in Santa Clarita, California. Kids See Ghosts debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with 142,000 album-equivalent units, of which 79,000 were pure album sales. It serves as West's tenth top-five album and Cudi's sixth top-five album in the United States. All seven tracks on the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track "Reborn" managed to chart in the Top 40 of the US Hot 100, at number 39.
Cudi revealed in July 2018 that he and West planned to continue releasing music as Kids See Ghosts. "There are some songs that we didn't use that I'm hopeful we can put out later," Cudi explained in an interview with Billboard. "But the plan is to do more Kids See Ghosts albums... We just have this chemistry that's undeniable, especially when we have to fight for it with each other."
The duo made their live debut under the moniker at Tyler, the Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival on November 11th, 2018. They performed their album in its entirety as well as West's songs "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1", "Welcome to Heartbreak", "Paranoid", and "Ghost Town", and Cudi's single "Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)".
In 2021, Cudi contributed vocals to the songs "Moon" and "Remote Control pt 2" on West's album Donda. "Moon" debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
On February 12, 2022, in a note posted to Instagram, West revealed that Cudi would not be on his album Donda 2 due to his friendship with Pete Davidson. This led to a public falling out between the two artists. On April 19, exactly four years after West announced their debut album, Cudi claimed that his collaboration with West on Pusha T's song "Rock N Roll" would be their last, effectively ending Kids See Ghosts. On Twitter, Cudi wrote, "I did this song a year ago when I was still cool w Kanye. I am not cool w that man. He's not my friend and I only cleared the song for Pusha cuz that's my guy. This is the last song u will hear me on w Kanye."
On December 15, 2023, it was revealed that Kid Cudi would be featuring on the song "Gun To My Head" on Kanye's collaborative album "Vultures" with Ty Dolla $ign.
Freeee
Kids See Ghosts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man in the full knowledge of himself is a superb and supreme creature of creation
When man becomes possessor of the knowledge of himself
He becomes the master of his environment
I don't, feel, pain anymore
Guess what, baby? I feel free
Scoop!
Guess what, baby? I feel free
I'm so complete anymore
Guess what, baby? I feel free
And you know damn well
I felt the chains on me locked in a cell
(You know I'm free, yeah) Ah!
You should quit your job to this
Hold up, that'll politic
Ooh, one day they hate you
Next day they love you
I'm still yellin', "Fuck you"
I could never trust (free)
I feel free, I feel free
I feel free
I don't feel pain anymore
Guess what, babe? I am free
Yeah, nothing hurts me anymore
Guess what, babe? I am free
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah
Feeling out of my past life
Died and came back twice
Now I'm free
I don't feel pain anymore
Hmm, guess what, babe? I am free
I feel free, I feel free
I feel free, I feel free
The opening lines of Kids See Ghosts' song Freeee express the idea that true knowledge of oneself and of life leads to a sense of supremacy and mastery over one's environment. The lyrics suggest that when we fully understand who we are, we become powerful beings who are no longer hindered by pain or external limitations. The repetition of the phrase "Guess what, baby? I feel free" throughout the song reinforces this message of liberation and empowerment.
The chorus of the song declares in no uncertain terms that the singer no longer feels pain and is completely free. The song seems to be about breaking free from the metaphorical chains that have held the singer back in the past, and embracing a new sense of freedom and possibility. The lines "I felt the chains on me locked in a cell" suggest that the singer has been imprisoned in some way, either physically or emotionally, and has finally found a way to escape.
The rest of the song contains references to political issues and the unpredictability of fame, but the central message remains the same: the singer feels free and is reveling in that newfound sense of liberation. Throughout the song, the repetition of the phrase "I feel free" underscores the power and freedom that the singer is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
May I say something to you to give you a true knowledge of yourself and life
Allow me to impart some wisdom that will help you understand who you are and the purpose of life
Man in the full knowledge of himself is a superb and supreme creature of creation
When a person understands themselves completely, they are the most magnificent and dominant of all created beings
When man becomes possessor of the knowledge of himself
Once a person gains complete knowledge of themselves
He becomes the master of his environment
They have the power to control their surroundings
I don't, feel, pain anymore
I am no longer burdened by suffering
Guess what, baby? I feel free
I have a sense of liberation and unbridled joy
Scoop!
An exclamation of excitement or achievement
Nothing hurts me anymore
I am impervious to physical and emotional pain
I'm so complete anymore
I have achieved an unshakable sense of wholeness
And you know damn well
This is an assertion that the listener is already aware of the following information
I felt the chains on me locked in a cell
I was trapped and restrained, unable to escape
(You know I'm free, yeah) Ah!
Confirmation that I have indeed experienced newfound freedom
You should quit your job to this
This music is so good, you should give up your career to listen to it
Hold up, that'll politic
An expression of hesitation to get involved in politics or controversies
Ooh, one day they hate you
Individuals may show animosity towards you on one day
Next day they love you
Those same people may show love and admiration the following day
I'm still yellin', "Fuck you"
I refuse to be swayed by others' opinions or attempts to control me
I could never trust (free)
Even though I'm free, I remain cautious and unable to trust others
Feeling out of my past life
Sensation of liberation and detachment from former ways of living
Died and came back twice
Metaphorical event of experiencing significant hardship and overcoming it twice
Now I'm free
I have achieved liberation and freedom
Hmm, guess what, babe? I am free
I am proudly and confidently stating that I am experiencing a sense of freedom
I feel free, I feel free
Repeating the statement that I feel liberated and free
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andrew Clarke, Bryan Migal Attmore, Jeffrey Nath Bhasker, Kanye Omari West, Michael G. Dean, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, Tyrone William Jr. Griffin, Corin Douglas Littler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind