Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi might be the only self-respecting artist in popular hip-hop who can rap about taking ‘shrooms with a woman without even trying to bang her. So why does this self-described reclusive stoner have two massive radio hits? Blame Cudi’s incredibly catchy hooks and his unabashed vulnerability. The lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night, he narrates on “Day ‘N’ Nite,” the standout track on last year’s Man on the Moon: End of Day. Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, is less enigmatic than his mentor, Kanye West, with whom he co-wrote four tracks on 808s & Heartbreak. Unlike West, his greatest charm is in his lack of stereotypical hip-hop swagger. (Take, for example, Cudi’s mumbling during the fade-out of “Pursuit of Happiness”: Oh, fuck. Oh, my God. Why do I drink so much and smoke so much? Ugh.) Cudi may have a brooding soul, but his nasal, deadpan delivery conveys wit and comes with a concentrated dose of neon-colored style.