With the advent of hip-hop music recently celebrating its 50th anniversary, let’s look at one of the most influential and culturally fluid artists this century: Scott Mescudi, known by his stage name Kid Cudi.

Mescudi was born on January 30, 1984. He is a U.S. rapper, producer, songwriter and singer. His major influences are contemporary hip-hop and alternative music.
TRUE COLORS
In his music, he talks about his troubled past and the mental health challenges that he had to face during his life: Thinking about suicide and doing drugs to compensate for the pain. In the album “Man on the Moon,” Mescudi expresses his emotions and troubles including the song “Day N Nite” which a lot of people can relate to: Being all alone and relapsing to the same old habits.
This song shows the vulnerable side of his struggles and mental health state which leads to relatability and understanding with the artist when listening to the music. “Day N Nite” reach No. 3 in the U.S. Billboard charts and the album sold over 5 million copies since its release on September 15, 2009. Though his songs are very successful, his actual personality plays a big role in who he is and what he stands for.
PUSHING GENDER NORMS
For instance, when he posted a picture on Instagram which showed him wearing a Mandalorian Helmet with painted fingernails, he started to get a lot of criticism and hate. This led Kid Cudi to fire back and say this on Twitter (now X): “I got tired of blockin so many accounts. I really need u to understand, if u don’t like me doin this or anything I do, please dont buy my albums, don’t come to my shows. F–k way off.”
Pushing gender norms of wearing nail polish and not shying away from all the comments. Being his true self with his dedicated fan base. This shows the openness, vulnerability, and truth of what he stands by.
Another event that also showed his true colors was during an SNL show in which he wore a dress to pay tribute to Kurt Cobain who passed away at 27 years old due to suicide in 1994. Though many didn’t know the context, many people supported Kid Cudi during the show but also spread hate because of his appearance.
Mescudi doesn’t let the hate and criticism get in the way of his creativity and showing love to his fans. As Kid Cudi says it best, “When life seems hopeless, rearrange things for a dose of dopeness.”
