Kid Cudi.

On January 30, 1984, Scott Ramón Seguro Mescudi was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. His father, Lindberg Styles Mescudi, was of Mexican and African-American descent, while his mother, Elsie, is African-American. Cudi attended Shaker Heights High School and Solon High School before studying film at the University of Toledo. He began rapping near the end of high school and dropped out of college after his freshman year to pursue music full-time.

Kid Cudi’s breakout came with his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi in 2008, which caught the ear of Kanye West. West signed Cudi to his Good Music label later that year. Cudi’s introspective style on the mixtape resonated widely, and he won a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance. He also expanded into acting, appearing as Dustin Whitman on Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2013 and as Francis on Westworld in 2016. He performed as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 1975, though his career continued through the 2010s and 2020s.

Kid Cudi is married to Lola Abecassis Sartore. He has been open about his struggles with depression, loneliness, and substance abuse, often channeling these experiences into his music. His father passed away when Cudi was young, a loss that deeply affected him.

Kid Cudi pioneered a confessional, emotionally raw style in hip-hop. His 2008 mixtape A Kid Named Cudi laid the groundwork for a wave of introspective rap. He won a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance and has been cited as an influence by many contemporary acts. Cudi’s lyrics detail his battles with depression and alienation, connecting deeply with millions of listeners and making him a transformative figure in modern music.