Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi is the son of Lindberg Mescudi and Elsie Mescudi. His father, a housepainter and World War II Air Force veteran of Mexican and African-American descent, died of cancer when Cudi was 11. His mother worked as a middle school choir teacher. He has three older siblings, Domingo, Dean and Maisha.

Cudi has a daughter, Vada Wamwene Mescudi, who was born in 2010. He dated model and environmentalist Jamie Baratta from 2009 to 2012. In 2025, he married fashion designer Lola Abecassis Sartore.

Cudi began rapping toward the end of high school and later performed at local open-mic and freestyle competitions. He attended the University of Toledo to study film, but left after one year to pursue music. In 2004, he moved from Cleveland to New York City with $500 and a homemade demo tape. He eventually became part of Brooklyn's underground rap scene and shared an apartment with producer and collaborator Dot da Genius.

His 2008 mixtape A Kid Named Cudi, released in collaboration with the clothing brand 10.Deep, brought wider attention to his music. The song "Day 'n' Nite" circulated online and became his breakthrough single. Kanye West noticed Cudi's work and signed him to the GOOD Music imprint in late 2008.

Cudi contributed songwriting and vocals to West's 808s & Heartbreak, including the songs "Heartless," "Welcome to Heartbreak," "Paranoid" and "RoboCop." His debut studio album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, followed in 2009. The album's singles included "Day 'n' Nite," "Make Her Say" and "Pursuit of Happiness," while "Make Her Say" featured Kanye West and Common and sampled Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."

Cudi's second album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, was released in 2010 as a conceptual record structured in five acts. It incorporated elements of funk and psychedelic rock and continued his exploration of difficult personal themes. Cudi received three Grammy nominations connected to "Day 'n' Nite" and "Make Her Say," and won a Grammy for his contribution to Kanye West's "All of the Lights."

In 2012, Cudi formed the rock band WZRD with Dot da Genius. The band's self-titled album reached number three on the Billboard 200 and topped the US Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. Cudi also created the label Wicked Awesome Records, which became the home for several of his later projects.

His albums Indicud and Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon continued his move toward self-production and electronic and alternative sounds. Indicud debuted at number two on the album charts. In 2018, Cudi reunited with Kanye West to form Kids See Ghosts, whose self-titled album was widely recognized as one of the notable releases of that year.

Cudi and Travis Scott released "The Scotts" in 2020 under the collective name The Scotts. The single debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Cudi his first chart-topping hit. That year he also released Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Later releases include Entergalactic in 2022, Insano and Insano (Nitro Mega) in 2024, and Free in 2025.

Cudi began acting around 2010, appearing as himself on One Tree Hill and joining the main cast of the HBO series How to Make It in America. He was credited by his birth name, Scott Mescudi, on the show. He later appeared on The Cleveland Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Scorpion.

His feature-film debut came with Need for Speed in 2014. He also starred in James White, Vincent-N-Roxxy, Entourage, Meadowland and X. In the short film Maniac, he co-starred with rapper Cage in a project directed by Shia LaBeouf and inspired by Cudi's song of the same name.

Cudi appeared in Bill & Ted Face the Music, HBO's We Are Who We Are and the third season of Westworld. He played DJ Chello in Don't Look Up and later appeared in House Party, provided a voice for Trolls Band Together, and joined the miniseries Knuckles. He also served as co-host and bandleader during the 2015 season of IFC's Comedy Bang! Bang!

In 2020, Cudi cofounded MAD SOLAR, a production and music management company backed by Bron Studios. The company provides support for production, financing, marketing and sales. He also co-created the Netflix animated music series Entergalactic with Kenya Barris, with the accompanying album released in 2022.

Cudi has pursued fashion collaborations with Giuseppe Zanotti, BAPE and Coach. He launched the debut collection of his clothing line, Members of the Rage, at Paris Fashion Week in 2023. His music and public advocacy have also made mental health a recurring part of his artistic identity, particularly through his writing about depression, loneliness, grief and recovery.