NextUp: KiD CuDi

Meet KiD CuDi, a fresh, innovative artist who hails from Cleveland. His undergound track "Day N Nite" has created buzz for him over the past couple of months, and his mixtape A Kid Named Cudi (download link inside) landed him a deal with Good Music and two a features on Kanye West's 808's & Heartbreak LP.

Since '07 there has been a wave of fresh new emcee's emerging onto the hip hop scene. Some of those names include, The Cool Kids, U-N-I, Charles Hamilton, and more. The emergence of these new artists even received recognition from XXL Magazine in this month's issue. Newcomers Wale, Asher Roth, and Ace Hood graced the cover, but one artist who stands out is Cleveland rapper KiD CuDi.
Two months ago, I attended the MTV VMA's. During the show, there were short segments with artists performing with Travis Barker on the drums and DJ AM on the 1's and 2's. I heard this unknown artist performing and me being ignorant I only half listened but later found out it was a new dude named KiD CuDi. Shortly after, I hear this track that sounds fresh and new. I had to use my app from my iPhone to let me know what song it was. The result was KiD CuDi's "Day N Night", therefore I had to see if he had any other material as dope as that single.
It turns out I'm not the only person feeling "Day N Night". Jim Jones made his own version of "Day N Night" emulating the rap/sung flow that Cudi delivers on the track.
Kid Cudi - Day N Night

Kid Cudi's mixtape presented by 10Deep, A Kid Named Cudi caught the attention of Kanye West which resulted in his signing to GOOD Music. Listening to Cudi's mixtape it's easy to see that he will be a perfect fit for the label. While some newcomers spend years trying to find themselves musically, Cudi seems to be comfortable with who he is as an artist. On "Embrace the Martian", he request the respect and acceptance from listeners but uses an extraterrestrial reference. Cudi expresses his confidence in being unique on "Save my Soul" where he raps over Gnarls Barkley's "Who's Gonna Save My Soul". The young mc spits "I don't even hear what other niggaz talkin' bout, call me a hipster/as long as you're a listener"
Listening to A Kid Named Cudi, you can grasp what his musical influences are. The Outkast influence is obvious on "Down & Out" and "Whenever" where he flows nicely over two Kast instrumentals. Kid Cudi also puts his own twist to Neptunes "Spaz" on "Cudi Spazzin'" and can even be heard spitting over a Dilla beat on "Cudi Put".
Not only does he spit, he also sings on tracks like "50 Ways to Make a Record", "Heaven at Nite" and "Man on the Moon". With a wide range of sounds on his mixtape, Kid Cudi manages to stay distinctive and balanced with the overall music vibe. Check out his mixtape below and post a line or two on your thoughts.

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