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.
Kids See Ghosts
Kids See Ghosts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Spirit, moving around, just moving around
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts
Spirit, yeah that's the king
Stop that movement, stop that movement
Y'all can't move me, this my movie
Y'all can't stop me, ya'll too sloppy
Carbon copied, carbon
Same thing, in a room
Sittin' by myself, findin' heaven soon
Many things that will trouble you
Look beyond for a feelin' like you never knew
Reachin' out huntin' for the truth
I guessin' I'm just sick of runnin'
All this time searching hard for somethin'
I can hear the angels comin'
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Spirit, moving around, just moving around
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts
Spirit, yeah that's the king
Well it took me long enough to rap on this strong enough
Paid this shit just gon' give up
'Cause Ye just gon' live up to everything
That sucks to you and that's never enough
Thought I'd be clever enough to give up while I'm ahead
I like breakfast in bed but I love breakfast and head
For anybody who said that I was better off dead
Told 'em, "Don't ever 'lieve nothin' that you ever read"
Got a Bible by my bed, oh yes I'm very Christian
Constantly repentin' 'cause yes I never listen
Don't like bein' questioned and don't like bein' less than
Any a competition in any of my professions
So I gotta guess then, I gotta stay the best man
What else you expect from, uh, Mr. West man
Painting from Wes Lang, hung in my space like a relative
That you ain't seen in a minute, called on the telephone
And when they see you they say "Damn, you got hella grown
Always thought you'd make it but, damn, now you hella known
Let's address some topics that I can embellish on"
How we made enough bread for us to put some relish on?
I won't relish on the fact vibing on the future
Ultralight building in the building by Miuccia
Herzog and De Meuron in an office out in Basel
No not Miami, Switzerland (ahahaha)
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Spirit, moving around, just moving around
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts
Spirit, yeah that's the king
Civilization, without society
Power and wealth with nobility
Stability, without stasis
Places and spaces
Civilization, without society
Power and wealth with nobility
Stability, without stasis
Spaces and places
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts, ghosts sometimes
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Yeah that's the king
And what's a crown for the clouds, movin' around
Yeah that's the king
And what's a crown to the clouds, movin' around
The song Kids See Ghosts by the duo of the same name (Kanye West and Kid Cudi) starts with the repeated line "Kids see ghosts sometimes". This could be interpreted in a few ways, but one possibility is that it represents the ability to perceive something beyond the mundane or material. The mention of spirits moving around reinforces the idea that there is something else beyond what's visible on the surface. The next few lines, "Stop that movement, stop that movement / Y'all can't move me, this my movie / Y'all can't stop me, ya'll too sloppy / Carbon copied, carbon / Same thing, in a room" seem to be directed at anyone trying to interfere with the singer's vision or creative process. He is declaring his individuality and asserting that he won't be swayed by others' opinions or duplications of his work.
The following lines, "Sittin' by myself, findin' heaven soon / Many things that will trouble you / Look beyond for a feelin' like you never knew / Reachin' out huntin' for the truth / I guessin' I'm just sick of runnin' / All this time searching hard for somethin' / I can hear the angels comin'", suggest that the singer is struggling with something, possibly a search for meaning or purpose. He is trying to find "heaven" or a state of peace, but acknowledges that there are difficulties along the way. He encourages others to seek out new experiences and knowledge and to keep searching for the truth. The mention of angels suggests a spiritual dimension to his journey.
Later in the song, there are references to art, religion, and urbanization. The line "Got a Bible by my bed, oh yes I'm very Christian / Constantly repentin' 'cause yes I never listen" indicates a struggle to reconcile faith and action. The lyric "Spaces and places" could be interpreted in a few ways, but one possibility is that it refers to the changing nature of the built environment, particularly in urban areas. This ties into the idea of movement and change that recurs throughout the song.
Overall, Kids See Ghosts is a song that explores themes of spirituality, creativity, individuality, and the search for meaning. It encourages listeners to look beyond the surface and to seek out new experiences and knowledge.
Line by Line Meaning
Kids see ghosts sometimes
Children sometimes observe supernatural entities
Spirit, moving around, just moving around
Ghosts or spirits can be felt or sensed and move about
Stop that movement, stop that movement
People try to interfere or halt the flow of the supernatural
Y'all can't move me, this my movie
Ghosts are unaffected by human interference; they have their own storyline
Y'all can't stop me, ya'll too sloppy
Humans are not equipped to handle or control ghosts or spirits
Carbon copied, carbon
People are unoriginal, without substance
Same thing, in a room
People follow the same patterns of behavior and thinking, being unable to think creatively
Sittin' by myself, findin' heaven soon
The artist is alone and searching for peace, maybe through death
Many things that will trouble you
There are many problems in life that cause worry and concern
Look beyond for a feelin' like you never knew
Search deeper for experiences and feelings that you have yet to explore
Reachin' out huntin' for the truth
The singer is searching for knowledge or facts that will reveal what they are looking for
I guessin' I'm just sick of runnin'
The artist is tired of chasing after something elusive
All this time searching hard for somethin'
The singer has spent a long time looking for something specific with no luck
I can hear the angels comin'
The singer is hoping for relief or salvation
Well it took me long enough to rap on this strong enough
The singer struggled to write lyrics that are weighty or significant
Paid this shit just gon' give up
They are considering quitting or giving up on the industry
'Cause Ye just gon' live up to everything
The artist acknowledges that Kanye West is a popular and influential figure
That sucks to you and that's never enough
Other people's opinions or expectations of them is irrelevant
Thought I'd be clever enough to give up while I'm ahead
The singer hoped to quit at a high point in their career but was unable to due to their relationship with Kanye West
I like breakfast in bed but I love breakfast and head
The artist prefers eating breakfast food and receiving oral sex
For anybody who said that I was better off dead
The artist is aware that people have wished for their death
Told 'em, "Don't ever 'lieve nothin' that you ever read"
The artist is reminding people not to believe everything that they see in the media
Got a Bible by my bed, oh yes I'm very Christian
The singer is religious
Constantly repentin' 'cause yes I never listen
The artist feels guilty for not following their religious beliefs strictly
Don't like bein' questioned and don't like bein' less than
The singer dislikes being criticized or put down
Any a competition in any of my professions
The singer is competitive in their profession(s)
So I gotta guess then, I gotta stay the best man
The singer has to try their best to be successful and win in their field(s)
What else you expect from, uh, Mr. West man
The artist is acknowledging the influence and success of Kanye West
Painting from Wes Lang, hung in my space like a relative
The artist has a painting from art collaborator Wes Lang hanging in their home
That you ain't seen in a minute, called on the telephone
The painting is reminiscent of someone they haven't seen in a while
And when they see you they say "Damn, you got hella grown
The singer's achievements and growth are impressive to others
Always thought you'd make it but, damn, now you hella known
The artist has achieved a high level of fame and recognition
Let's address some topics that I can embellish on"
The artist wants to discuss certain subjects that they can elaborate or expand on
How we made enough bread for us to put some relish on?
The artist wants to brag about their financial success
I won't relish on the fact vibing on the future
The singer won't dwell on or celebrate their future plans
Ultralight building in the building by Miuccia
The artist has a building designed by fashion designer Miuccia Prada
Herzog and De Meuron in an office out in Basel
The building was designed by Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron in their office in Basel
Civilization, without society
Civilization can exist without a structured societal system
Power and wealth with nobility
It is possible to possess great power and wealth and still be a noble person
Stability, without stasis
Stability can exist without being stagnant or unchanging
Places and spaces
Various locations and environments
Kids see ghosts, ghosts sometimes
Children can sense or see supernatural entities
And what's a crown for the clouds, movin' around
A king or ruler is nothing compared to supernatural forces that cannot be controlled
Yeah that's the king
The true ruler or power is the supernatural force of ghosts or spirits
And what's a crown to the clouds, movin' around
A crown or ruling power means nothing to supernatural forces
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Andrew Dawson, Justin Vernon, Kanye West, Patrick Reynolds, Scott Mescudi, Yasiin Bey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind