Kid Cudi was born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 30, 1984. He grew up in Shaker Heights and Solon. He has two older brothers, Domingo and Dean, and an older sister, Maisha. His mother, Elsie Harriet (née Banks), is an African-American school choir teacher at Roxboro Middle School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. His father, Lindberg Styles Mescudi, was a house painter, substitute teacher, and World War II Air Force veteran of African-American and Mexican descent.
When Cudi was 11 years old, his father died of cancer; his passing had a significant effect on Cudi's personality and music. Cudi attended Shaker Heights High School for two years before transferring to Solon High School. He was expelled from the school for threatening to punch the principal, and would later earn his GED. He studied film at the University of Toledo, but dropped out after a year. His subsequent plan to join the Navy did not pan out because of his juvenile police record.
Cudi started his musical career after being inspired by the alternative hip-hop grounds, A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde. In 2005, he moved out of Cleveland to live with his uncle in the South Bronx where he worked at a clothing store. He also met his mentor Kanye West. After one year, he created a song called Day ‘n’ Nite, which became his first commercial success. Cudi’s first full-length mixtape caught Kanye’s attention so he signed Cudi under his label, West’s GOOD Music label. His first record,
“Man on the Moon: The End of the Day”, was released in 2009 which turned out to be a big hit and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. In 2010, he released a second album called “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager and later went on to form a band named “WZRD” in a collaboration with Dot da Genius. They released their first album in 2012 which reached first place on the Billboard Top Rock Albums. His solo album titled “Indicud”, which also went on to become a major hit in 2013.
He has also appeared in a few films in addition to his musical endeavors. Cudi first appeared on screen in the 2010 TV drama “One Tree Hill.” He starred in the HBO series “How to Make It in America” in 2010. Cudi made his feature film debut in 2013 with “Need for Speed.” He starred in the CBS sitcom “Scorpion” the following year. In the 2016 criminal thriller “Vincent N Roxxy,” he played a villain.
Kid Cudi recently attended the CFDA Awards in 2021, where he dressed up as a bride. He exuded bridal excitement during the occasion, looking as if he were getting ready to walk down the aisle in a bridal gown made by Eli Russell Linnetz.
Kid Cudi was ridiculed in the hip-hop scene for wearing skinny jeans early in his career before they became fashionable after being worn by mainstream rappers like Lil Wayne and Kanye West. When Cudi wore a kilt to a New Year’s Eve party in Miami in 2010, he caused a stir.
He made headlines once more in April 2012, when he gave the TMZ paparazzi the finger and claimed they had never “posted anything to make him appear good.” Cudi wore a custom-made astronaut-like suit fashioned by famed Hollywood costume designer Jose Hernandez during his 2013 Cud Life concert tour. Joe La Puma of Complex has dubbed his suit the “Satellite Academy Space Suit.”