Complex: Kid Cudi “The Outtakes” Interview

Following up last month’s cover story, Complex presents a series of outtakes from its interview with Kid Cudi. Amongst various topics, Cudi speaks about getting kicked off his the recent Lady Gaga tour, the rock album he plans on doing, and also provides a bit more commentary regarding his rocky feelings towards Wale. Excerpts from the interview can be read below.

Where did the whole attitude shift towards Wale stem from?

I really don’t understand what’s up with this guy, but he’s just somebody I don’t click with anymore. I started making changes in my life and started to realize positive energy around me, and he never really had a good energy. I never felt like he wanted to see me prosper, it was just one of those niggas that was envious rather than happy for a nigga. I could be reading it wrong, but I’m not making beef and rearranging my life. It’s pretty obvious he feels some type of way about it. I’m not into peer mediation and working things out, I’m just trying to provide for my daughter and my family and making music for my fans. I vibe with certain people and some people I don’t.

Last September you shot a page for GQ’s Men of the Year issue with him and Drake; was everything cool then?

The whole time me and him and Drake were doing the GQ shoot, Wale was bitching and being aggravated that clothes weren’t in his size, just really not cooperating and being difficult, and just being a diva. The photographer was like, “Wale, c’mon, smile a bit” and he was like, “Man, I don’t smile, let these other guys smile.” I was like, what kind of shit is that? In my head I’m thinking, “man, this is GQ. If these niggas want you to smile, smile.” We just got picked for “Men of the Year,” that shit is awesome. It’s wack to be on that shit when you’re at a photo shoot, he shouldn’t be getting all riled up. There was tension throughout the whole shoot. Me and Drake have a rapport, we’re cool. We were automatically hitting it off, and kicking it, and Wale was just not trying to be in the situation. He was trying to be too cool. He was acting like he’s too good for the situation, and that’s how he always is. He always acts like he’s bigger than what he is, and I don’t fuck with that at all.

Is that why you’re getting more into fusing rap with rock?

Yes, because it’s more fun, it’s a new thing for me to accomplish. It’s really dope people are riding with me, people are taking that journey, I know it’s hard for people to follow along with an artist like me, because I can do so much and have so many different styles.

Where do you see your third album going?

Oh, I plan on doing a rock album. I’ll probably start that shit now. Also, I plan on putting my music out for free. If I could right now, I’d put this album out for free. I don’t think it’s right to sell it, it’s too good, people just need to have it. It’s like the Bible. Why people sell the Bible when it’s supposed to be the word? A lot of people think I’m crazy, but if you think about it, I’m not making any money off that shit anyway. I make money off of shows. I’ll put my music out for free and tour for long as fuck. [Laughs.] I’m going to start my own band, and me and RATATAT are forming our own band, that’s its own thing. My next shit is going to sound like Boston, Cheap Trick, and Jim Morrison all thrown into one. It’s going to be real and authentic.

When you dropped “Cudder Is Back,” a lot of people got psyched about it. But you’re never one to really drop a lot of freestyles.

I just be doing that shit for fun, to show niggas I’m nice. I remember I heard Cam say that shit a long time ago. He was like “man, I just be rapping to show niggas I’m nice.” I thought that was so cool. I was like, “I can’t wait ’til I don’t feel like I need to rap because I’m too nice.” And just as I was telling you before, a lot of people that say I can’t rap or whatever, it just took me recently to realize that it’s not that I can’t rap, it’s that my shit is too advanced for niggas to even fathom or imagine it. You know what I’m saying? It’s like a couple years ago, niggas was just like, “aww, this fag and these tight pants!” You know what I’m saying? Niggas just couldn’t imagine everyone else wearing pants that were form-fitting. Now look. You know what I’m saying? So with the freestyles, I just do it for fun. If I hear something that I like, I’m rapping on it. Just like with the “All Talk” shit. Me and Big Chip were in the studio just doing shrooms, hanging out. You know we had some people there, just kicking it. That’s why my voice is like that. I’m fucked up. Like have you noticed my tone on the song? I’m so fucked up.

Is there anything that you wish you can get a chance to talk about that you never did?

I don’t know, man. I kind of put it all out there. On some real shit, I didn’t hold back at all. I mean I probably could have gone in depth about a lot of things, but then the album would’ve been longer. You can’t have a short album when you’re talking about suicide and cocaine. That’s not going to be a short album. After I got arrested and shit, it was really like a game changer for me. It only took me to be in jail for 15 hours to get 20/20 vision on my life, at what was going on. One of the things that happened was that I lost my Vitamin Water contract. They had already paid me money and I spent it all on drugs and landscaping for my mom’s house. And I remember thinking “man, at least something good came out of this money.” [Laughs.]

The interview in its entirety can be read here.