From Kid Cudi To Pink Floyd: A Musical Turning Point

Calvin "Kalvonix" Tiu
Nov 19, 2015
4 min read

“People give me feedback and they be like yo, why your shit sound so different? And I be like… why not?” says Kid Cudi from his song “Man on The Moon.” Damn how much I loved every single second of that glorious ass song.

I love rap music. I know that you know that I know that everybody knows that. Calvin is the rapper, so he listens to rap. Nothing else. This was true for a long period of time and while I would still say that rap music is my main genre of interest and passion, I eventually needed more. My favorite musical artist who I would say influences me the most (besides Eminem), and changed my whole perspective on music would be Cleveland artist, Kid Cudi. Cudi’s music is quite literally the soundtrack to my life. He has provided the emotional jams required to accompany my broken heart, the encouraging jams that pushed me through exams and other times of stress, and also blessed me with spacy, psychedelic melodies where I got to close my eyes and drift to sleep while delving into a magical world of wonder. The most powerful music in my opinion is the music that takes you out of your own world and places you in a space where you feel free. That is where Kid Cudi takes me. The man has laid out the foundation as to what I want to do with my own music

Not many rappers have that effect on me. Then again, Kid Cudi is hardly a rapper. The majority of his songs are melody driven and the lyrics get right to the point. There are no complex metaphors, witty punchlines, or speedy flows that seem to accompany the majority of rap songs nowadays. It’s just simple.

That’s what’s so beautiful.

To be honest, I think Kid Cudi only came onto the scene in 2009 labeled as a rapper just so he could get in the door. Once the leading circle of mainstream Hip Hop accepted him (getting approvals from the likes of Jay Z, Kanye West, Common, and many more), he began to take his creativity to new heights. This is not to say that his debut album wasn’t different. “Man on the Moon: The End Of Day” was a sonic movie that explored the tormented mind of Scott Mescudi. The album had happy songs, songs inspired by Cudi’s own Nightmares, songs that dealt with being lonely and stuck in a depressing state, and songs that spoke of a new beginning. With the lush instrumentation, relatable lyrics, and Cudi’s crooning vocals, listeners so easily come along for the ride.

In 2012, it was clear that Cudi was further developing his craft and shifting further and further away from the Hip Hop community that many thought he was a part of. The first hint of his hip hop escapery was with WZRD, a rock album with long-time friend and collaborator Dot Da Genius. It was here that Cudi’s fanbase split into two distinct groups: 1. the fans who only enjoyed Cudi’s first two albums which were mostly Hip Hop inspired and 2. the cult following who enjoy anything Cudi puts out as they know his creativity knows no limits. I am without a doubt in group 2 as the WZRD album opened up a colossal spectrum of music that I had not been exposed to prior to Cudi’s experimental compositions. He learned guitar and spoke of his obsession with psychedelic rock music while at the same time, frowning upon the current state of mainstream hip hop. I agreed with many of his opinions on music. I played the WZRD album daily becoming obsessed with it and wondering to myself if music outside of hip hop was this amazing as well.

I admit that I had been pretty rigid with my musical tastes in the past. I would never listen to more than one genre at a given time and pretty much gave all of my musical love to Hip Hop. With the WZRD album however, Cudi changed me. He put out an amazing rock record as well as getting Pink Floyd tattooed on his hand. Desperate for more unexplored musical territory, I quickly delved into the trippy, psychedelic, and time-testing sounds of Pink Floyd. I was completely entranced. From Floyd, I discovered bands like Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, Queen, the Flock of Seagulls and more. I didn’t care about time frame or anything, I just wanted to experience music I never would have bothered to give attention to before. I fell in love with Bread and their love driven songs that took me to a peaceful place, Electric Youth, an 80s inspired electric pop duo, and so much more. With all the different kinds of music I listen to now however, I haven’t forgotten that it was all due to Kid Cudi’s creative push for more. I think a great artist not only gives the listener good music, but also leads the listener to more music. Never before had an artist do that to me as much as Scott Mescudi.

Thank you Kid Cudi. You made me a better man, more open-minded, and willing to explore the world of music. We all need to do that, especially if you make music as well.

Here is a song off the WZRD album, so underrated and so good: