Back in the late 2000s, Kid Cudi and Kanye West were breaking boundaries within hip-hop. Ye came into the game wearing polos and backpacks, going against the grain of gangsta rap. By the time Cudi burst onto the scene, he was a similar trailblazer. Rapping and singing about mental health was extremely uncommon within mainstream hip-hop. The same goes for bridging indie rock into his brand of music.
Consequently, the Midwest pair always felt like they were ‘misunderstood’ by fans and the industry alike. In an interview with The Guardian, Kid Cudi spoke about how Kanye West embraced him early on in his career. So when he hears someone speak harshly about Ye, he becomes defensive.
“It’s dope because Kanye has really been helping out. It’s overwhelming how supportive he’s been. People always have negative things to say about him. And now when I hear those negative things, I take that s**t personally. I’m like, ‘Nah, you’re wrong, this dude is seriously cool,’” Cudi explained.
Ultimately, though, that feeling of being misunderstood comes with the territory in Kid Cudi’s eyes. Being different is always going to feel a bit isolating. So people were always going to react a bit strangely to how Kanye moved in the industry.
Kid Cudi Admits to Feeling ‘Misunderstood’ Early in His Career
“If you’re not doing what everyone else is doing, then you’re going to be misunderstood. People are going to wonder why you’re trying to be different; it’s just a natural instinct. If I was to walk down the street in a kilt, then dudes would wonder why I’m doing that, they’d think I was different or gay. It’s natural for people to point fingers,” Kid Cudi told the publication.
This mindset informed the Cleveland crooner’s own creative approach. He couldn’t act like he lived a certain way when he didn’t. It wouldn’t be authentic. At the end of the day, that’s all he’s concerned with, even it makes him a bit misunderstood by others.
“That’s my whole reason for trying to switch things up; don’t judge a book by its cover. My background is not typical hip-hop,” Kid Cudi said. “I didn’t grow up in the projects. I grew up in a single-family home in a middle-class suburb. That doesn’t mean I didn’t experience hardship, but to me it’s not about that, it’s about the future and where we are trying to take it.”
The post Kid Cudi Opened up About the Divisive Peer He Found Himself Frequently Defending: ‘I Take That S*** Personally’ appeared first on VICE.
