Kid Cudi

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), professionally known as Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is recognized as an influence in the contemporary hip hop and alternative music scene. He and Lupe Fiasco have been at odds since 2014. On January 20, 2024, after nearly a decade (nine years and five months), the two have reconciled.
== Background ==
=== 2010-2011 ===
In 2010, Kid Cudi told Complex, "there's one artist in this game who has always had my back and had nothing but love to show, and that's Lupe Fiasco. Every time I see that man, it's nothing but love—I saw him a little after it, and he was like "I'm worried about you, man, just checking in." He's somebody who I know really genuinely gives a fuck.""Kid Cudi: Mad Man on the Moon (2010 Cover Story)". Complex. September 17, 2010. Cudi was going to be featured on the hook for "Till I Get There" from Fiasco's 2011 Lasers album, though Fiasco described it as a "nothing burger," so it was left off."Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. December 10, 2021.
=== 2014 ===
On August 20, 2014, Fiasco advertised that for $500, he would write a personalized verse for fans, where they could choose the instrumental, mood, and subject, along with having a physical copy."Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. August 20, 2014. Cudi wondered about this price, and asked if the money was going towards charity."Kid Cudi (@KiDCuDi)". Twitter. August 21, 2014. It was added, "U can swindle them other kids but not mine!! As u were tho pimpin @LupeFiasco." This led to Fiasco questioning the expensive cost of Kid Cudi's Guiseppe Zanottis high-top shoes, and wrote, "The "Cudder" Special...To my fans if any one of you buys a pair of @KidCudi Zanottis the personalized verse is FREE OF CHARGE! A custom verse is not to "Swindle" you as my competitors would have you believe. It's to give you total control over what you want to hear."Tardio, Andres (August 22, 2014). "Kid Cudi Says Lupe Fiasco's Swindling Fans with Personalized $500 Verses; Fiasco Responds". HipHopDX. Without directing Fiasco, Cudi tweeted, "To my fans; I dont know about this Lupe $500 verse shit. U should support his album but this idea seems a bit sketch. Do what U want tho.""Kid Cudi (@KiDCuDi)". Twitter. August 21, 2014.Tardio, Andres (August 22, 2014). "Kid Cudi Says Lupe Fiasco's Swindling Fans with Personalized $500 Verses; Fiasco Responds". HipHopDX.
=== 2015 ===
On January 10, 2015, Kendrick Lamar offered reflection upon the murder of Michael Brown, which garnered controversy. Lamar had said: "I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it's already a situation, mentally, where it's fucked up. What happened to [Michael Brown] should've never happened. Never. But when we don't have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don't start with just a rally, don't start from looting—it starts from within." Fiasco publicly supported Lamar with the hashtag #BeMoreLikeKendrickLamar, and Azealia Banks, who didn't think Fiasco's opinion was relevant, remarked, "@LupeFiasco, you still haven't made a decent song since I was 17." In response, Lupe brought up an old tweet where Banks praised, "i used to steal so many Lupe Fiasco flows when i first started rapping haha. I love him!!," and accompanied them with memes that expressed his confusion. This exchange went on for awhile.
Kid Cudi chimed in with the subliminal tweet towards K-Dot's words, "Dear Black artists, don't talk down on the Black community like you are God's gift to n*ggaz everywhere. If you wanna help, inspire, uplift, don't point the blame and talk down." Lupe responded, "Shut Up… FOH @Kid Cudi. How about you stop shitting on the people who really cared about your well being when this biz was ripping you apart. Fake ass @KidCudi." Cudi replied without directing Lupe, "Uh oh we got em mad!!! Hahaha. My comments come from a place of love. Sorry if I offended anyone, except Poopé Fiasco. Fuck that n*ggaz feelings haha dweeb." Fiasco replied, without directing Cudi, "N*ggaz be invalid because they don't really mean what they say. I hate n*ggaz that are disloyal at they core then flex like they Gandhi FOH." He continued, "Hahahaha...when they block you you know it's real. still trying 2 catch that private time with you though from the first bullshit you popped" and "Lemme know Cudder...hahahaha fake ass n*gga." He explained his comments to a confused fan, "Cudi called me "swindler" a few months back. I was flabbergasted And I been privately trying to catch this bitch n*gga since then @SDeniseT. Its certain n*ggaz in this industry that I truly care for one of them was Cudi and he knows this….So for him 2 come out the blue like really hurt and I been wanting to fuck him up since then just in principle then be cool again….And I just find it absurd that a hypocritical backstabbing ass n*gga like him is tryin 2 tell otha artists how 2 carry themselves." Cudi tweeted, "For them n*ggaz catchin feelings 😚😘. Love always, even for these knuckleheads."Meara, Paul (January 10, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi & Azealia Banks Spar Over Twitter". HipHopDX.Robertson, Iyana (January 11, 2015). "Kid Cudi Reacts to Kendrick Lamar's Ferguson Views: 'Don't Talk Down on the Black Community'". Vibe. Fiasco clarified this situation on Sway in the Morning:
When Cudi was running around, he was going crazy. Drugs and all that crazy shit, and... y'know. I met Cudi when he worked at the BAPE store […] He was a good dude, I loved his music and y'know, I just got a love for the dude. And I know that certain people, when they get fame really quick, it'll tear you apart, it'll fuck you up. And it's good to kind of have people—even if we not, we not gonna eat dinner together every night or do no shit like that, but I genuinely fuck with you, I'm a real n*gga and when I fuck with you, I fuck with you. So we cool. Maybe a year ago I told my fans like, 'Yo, if you want a Lupe verse, I'll write it for you for $500. It'll be yours; you can't put it on Twitter—it's yours. Don't leak the shit or do whatever; it's yours.' And Cudi went on Twitter and was like, 'Yo, Lupe, what you gonna do with that money?' I'm like, 'n*gga, it's $500, the fuck you talking about?' I'm thinking he joking. I'm like, 'Bro, what you mean?' … He stopped tweeting at me—then I caught wind of all these Cudi fans like, 'Fuck Lupe.' And I look at what this n*gga wrote and he's like 'Lupe's trying to swindle his fans, I would never do my fans like that.' […] I said, 'Yo, gimme this bitch ass n*gga Cudi's number, if I see him, I'm knockin' him the fuck out. 'Cause I wanna get to the bottom of what the fuck you talkin' about. Because it's me. The same n*gga you went in Complex and was like, 'one of the only n*ggas who reached out to me genuinely and had love for me was Lupe.' But now I'm some fuckin' thief? Now I can't find you? Nobody knows where you are? And then you come back tryin' tell n*ggas how to act and operate themselves in the business? […] Me who I write verses for and what I do with my money got shit to do with you. […] Cudi, let's settle this. Like talk to me, before I fuck you up."Lupe Fiasco's Last Interview: Opens Up About New & Best Album, Kid Cudi & President Obama". YouTube. January 22, 2015.Fleischer, Adam (January 23, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco to Kid Cudi: 'Talk To Me, Before I F--k You Up'". MTV News.
During a Milwaukee show on November 29, 2015, Fiasco created a freestyle that dissed Cudi. It included the lyrics, "Make sure that you listen to every rhythm that I be spittin', unconditionally written / P.S.: To all my enemies, you are now forgiven / Except Kid Cudi, 'cause that's not my muthafuckin' buddy / If I see him in the streets, it's getting' muthafuckin' ugly / Now I know you might be a fan / Me and him share similar shit and you like, 'Damn!' / But that don't matter, they gonna be back into the chatter." At the same show, he also announced, "I'mma let that shit with fuckin' Cudi go. I want you to let go of a grudge, let go of something that's hanging over your head, yeah? Don't terrorize yourself thinking about what you wanna do or what somebody has done to you... We got too much bullshit going on on this planet right now to have animosity in our personal spaces, right? Don't let that shit feed into you, let that shit go."Mansell, Henry (November 30, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco Slams Kid Cudi: "If I See Him in the Streets It's Getting Ugly"". HipHopDX. On Twitter, he commented, "I had a moment…I let it go tho…he still a fucking sucka in my opinion…"Smith, Trevor (November 29, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco Threatens Kid Cudi, Says He's Done with the Beef at the Same Show". HotNewHipHop. The following day, he said, "At the end of that Milwaukee freestyle I let tha Cudi shit go. He still a bitch in my book. But Im done wit it #promise.""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. November 30, 2015.
=== 2016 ===
When Drake took shots at Cudi on a new song, "Two Birds, One Stone," Cudi tweeted on October 28, 2016, "Say it to my face, pussy." Fiasco declared that Cudi was a "disrespectful clown" and "that dude FOUL and needs his ass beat." He continued, "Man fuck that n*gga.. what part of "rehab" is calling people pussies and asking for fades?! Rehab is checking your own problems not this shit." He added that it was "childish" and "petty" to comment given Cudi's state, but that Cudi "deserves all of it & more."Hernandez, Victoria (October 28, 2016). "Lupe Fiasco Shits on Kid Cudi's Drake Diss from Rehab". HipHopDX.Yoo, Noah (October 29, 2016). "Lupe Fiasco: "Fuck Kid Cudi, That Dude Needs His Ass Beat"". Pitchfork. The same day Fiasco said in response to a user, "Cudi called me a thief then ducked for two years and counting when I tried to reach him PRIVATELY so he could explain his words to me.""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. October 28, 2016.
=== 2018-2022 ===
In December 2018, when a fan asked for him to contact Kanye West due to West's controversy at the time, Fiasco responded, "I love Ye…however the only reason I'd talk to him is so that I could tell him to give Cudi the phone."Pimentel, Julia (April 25, 2018). "Lupe Fiasco Responds to Fan Who Brought Up Kanye: 'Y'all Gotta Figure That Out'". Complex. Later that same year he stated, "since it's apology season and all @kanyewest Still waitin on that cudi apology…tell ya manz he need to holla at me.""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. December 13, 2018.
In September 2021, when a fan asked Lupe if he would listen to Cudi's verse on Drake's Certified Lover Boy album, Fiasco replied, "Fuck Cudi 4 Life."Corbett, Kelly (March 30, 2022). "Lupe Fiasco Reminds Us That He and Kid Cudi Are Still Not Cool: "F--k Cudi 4 Life"". Distractify.
With the incident of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock for the insensitive comment of his wife, who struggles with alopecia, Fiasco took to Twitter on March 28, 2022, "I hope they can find some time to come to terms with what happened, reconcile, and move on... But it's still Fuck Cudi 4 Life." Followed up by this was clarification for a fan who inquired what Lupe said about Cudi, "He a Bitch...been a bitch...and he a snake ass no good ass n*gga…I said all that lol…" When another fan said that they thought the beef was in the past, Fiasco responded, "It is…I just have to remind myself and others from time to time."Woods, Aleia (March 28, 2022). "Lupe Fiasco Calls Out Kid Cudi, Says He's 'Been a Bitch'". XXL. Both were performers at The Smoker's Club Fest on April 30th, but performed at different times and stages.
On December 24, 2022, when a fan wondered if their feud would be the next to end, Fiasco replied, "Never. Fuck him 4 life." He added, "Outside of his musical genius, fame and success. Cudi is a really sneaky punk bitch ass bitch…it's not even that controversial or spicy of a take. His personal resume outside the spotlight is trash."Saint-Louis, Tai (December 24, 2022). "Lupe Fiasco Says He Will Never Squash Beef with 'Sneaky Punk Bitch' Kid Cudi". HipHopDX. He also said, when a fan remarked that Cudi gave off a "weird ass vibe," "You can confirm that…on me. But if you rock with his music etc that's cool…just know that Al Pacino ain't really Scarface and your parents are Santa Claus." For conclusion, an hour after the Cudi tweets, he posted:
Dear Kids,
Always call it like you see it.
Respectfully,
Lupe
#AddValueNevares, Gabriel (December 24, 2022). "Lupe Fiasco Says "F**k Kid Cudi for Life"'. HotNewHipHop.
=== 2024 ===
In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, published to YouTube on January 18, 2024, Cudi shared in an interview: "I also had like this phobia that uh, rappers would come into the store and like see me working there and then have beef with me later and bring up the fact like 'n*gga you sold me clothes!' So like, I would always like hide in the stock room. […] Lupe Fiasco came to the store one day, he was in the store and I was in the back and they was like 'Lupe's here.' I was like 'oh shit,' stayed down in the stairs, waited until he left." He expounded his reasoning, "I was like 'Yo bro, if I get famous one day, right, I don't ever want this n*gga saying like, 'Yo you sold me clothes, you my son.' You know what I'm saying? We can't have it like—this was my explanation. And yo, bro, when you think about it, he hates me to this day. He hates me so it's like, it's like, I was right, I was on something. I sensed something in the universe.""Kid Cudi: 'Insano', Kendrick Lamar, Kaws & Fame". YouTube. January 18, 2024. Fiasco took to Twitter the next day on January 19th, to address, "Kid Cudi is a bitch. And continues to be a bitch. Ain't nobody finna bring up he used to work at the Bape Store to diss his bitch ass for having a regular job before he was a famous bitch with a cool job." When asked why he watched the interview, Fiasco responded, "I honestly caught wind of it scrolling through fan comments. And I'm like what the fuck is this bitch talking about now with my name… He hid from me in the bape store back in day because he didn't want me to use it against him when he got famous??? WHAT?!! Like a job shame? 🤦🏾‍♂️" He added, "I wanna beat this n*gga up so bad I'm getting a migraine…" When asked for the full story behind their conflict, he responded in a series of tweets:
Aight…this all facts. 
Back in the day Cudi was going through a lot of shit. Industry shit, personal shit. I have a habit of reaching out to artists on the low to make sure they cool. I did that with Cudi. Just like words of encouragement and your peers got your back type shit
Fast forward…he mentions that in an interview. Everytime I see Cudi I ask if he good etc. plus I'm a fan of this n*gga so I'm happy to see him rise. Time passes. The next time I see him is at a show in LA. It's me, ASAP Rocky and a few other n*ggas. Again same energy. Show love
Now follow this next part carefully. Fast forward I'm on Twitter offering my fans a personal verse for like $500. You pick the beat, the concept, I rap it, make the dope 1of1 art package for it. No copies just the one you own. People vibing with it. Boom…
Cudi tweets me out of nowhere and asks “what you gonna do with the money from those verses?” I'm taken aback and Im thinking he playing so I respond with “what you gonna do with the money from those $1500 Zannoti collabs?” He had just did a collab them around the same time
Then it's silence but I'm not really thinking about. Then after a few minutes I get a bunch of spam tweets talking about I'm a thief and a swindler. So I'm like WTF is this! I go to Cudi page and this bitch is on his feed talking about Lupe robbing his fans and he'd never do that
So I'm like is this n*gga serious? I'm like why would he do that? Me and cudi had the same security so I reach out to him and like give me cudi number, he like he changed it but he got his mgmt number. But nobody can seem to get Cudi on the phone. Even though they right next to him
Till this day this bitch won't get on the phone and even when we at the same festivals they won't allow me to go to his stage. He ducks calls, face to faces. All I wanted was an explanation at the least a my bad. Cuz I've never done anything to him except support. Now it's fuck him 4 life and keep my name out your mouth bitch…
I'm not jealous of him. I'm not bullying him. Got nothing to do with fame or money. At the end of the day he slighted a notoriously good n*gga & also one who doesn't play about his name in the streets or the industry. I stay solid and I seek satisfaction till my heart stops. 💯
And now he does an interview a couple days ago and says I'm mad at him because he used to hide from me at the bape store before he was even in the music game because I would use it against him later on a diss record? on some job shame? Nasty work…
Jesus take the wheel. Ye get ya boyMahadevan, Tara (January 19, 2024). "Lupe Fiasco Says Kid Cudi 'Continues to Be a B*tch' After He Shared Story About Hiding from Chicago Rapper". Complex.
When someone explained that Cudi hid at the BAPE store in case of future beef with rappers, which happened to come true with Lupe, Lupe responded, "A beef he started with a n*gga who actually looked out for him? Make that make sense. Cudi a bitch." In addition, Fiasco had never actually used Cudi's old job against the Ohio native, which made Cudi's anecdote not connect.
Catching wind of the tweets, Cudi said, "Lupe love me yall dont get it twisted. He just hurt. He beefin w himself at this point. Holdin that much hate in ur heart for someone for so long holds u back in life bro. Thats the devil using u. Hope he finds some peace man. Now its just sad." This tweet was soon removed. He added in a quoted response to a fan, "Yea me too. I got love for him i never want to see him like this. If i need to give this n*gga a hug and tell him shutup and love me then thats what ill do," then directly at Lupe, "Love u g. Im sorry if i hurt u man. Life is too short. Hope u can find it in ur heart to get past this 🙏🏾💕 @LupeFiasco." When a fan suggested he was trolling, he responded that he was sincere. He added, "Just sent u a dm 🙏🏾 lets talk @LupeFiasco." When another person opined that he should stop bring up his name and let the negativity go, Cudi replied, "This is the first time I said anything in years and its an apology. Im confused by this tweet? 🤔."
Around 21 minutes later, Fiasco spoke on his beef with Chief Keef: "Met Keef at the studio soon after that. No issues. Shook up. All good. Be clear…Any issues, misunderstandings Ive ever had in this business have been handled face to face or over the phone." Not seeming to eye Cudi's tweets, he finished, "Except with this bitch Cudi…" Then, five minutes later, he retweeted Cudi's message to him with "All I needed…"Lane, Lexi (January 19, 2024). "Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco Have Seemingly Made Amends, Hours After the Viral Bape Story Drama". Uproxx. Around 21 minutes after, he retracted, "On second thought homey this ain't ain't enough…you need to talk to me" and deleted his acceptance of the given apology. He noted, "I didn't get a DM from you. 🤷🏾‍♂️." Around an hour later, with seemingly no answer from Cudi, Fiasco retorted, "This lying ass bitch ass n*gga… Aight…" Approximately two hours later, Cudi said, "Hey brother, please refrain from callin me out my name. I come w love. Heres the dm i sent, u cant recieve messages. Just noticed. I have no reason to cap. Now if u wanna keep the same negative energy we cant speak. I have no room in my life for that. Im tryna move past this. Ima talk w u tomorrow w Ibn.""Kid Cudi (@KiDCuDi)". Twitter. January 19, 2024. An hour later, Lupe replied, "Or what bitch ass n*gga? You tryna to come years later with this peace shit, half apologize. N*gga you could have settled this years ago with a simple phone call. Now you ain't got the room after the due date. N*gga you will always be a bitch to me. I just want to hear that apology from your mouth then you can kick rocks. Every n*gga I know you know think you a bitch too. This ain't nothing new.""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. January 19, 2024. He continued, "I thought him apologizing would help. But it didn't. Because I gave up on that happening years ago. So when he said it. I had a moment of release. Then when I looked at how he said. I felt that I still wanna beat his ass on sight." When a fan responded that he was "justified" for ten years of the dislike, he stated, I'm just keeping it a 💯…I thought I was better but I ain't. He let this shit linger too long then coming back with this Ghandi don't cuss in the church shit got me hot. Like bitch n*gga I don't fuck with you at all." When someone brought up Cudi's apology, which said the "devil" was using Lupe and how it's "just sad," he answered, "I saw this…I almost balled up my fucking phone…"Spencer, Tallie (January 20, 2024). "Lupe Fiasco Doesn't Accept Kid Cudi's Apology: "I Thought Him Apologizing Would Help, But It Didn't"". HotNewHipHop. Fiasco's tweets were eventually deleted.
On January 20, 2024, Kid Cudi tweeted out, "Just talked to Lupe. Had a great talk. I know I was wrong and told him I shouldnt have did that fuck shit I did. I called myself lookin out for the fans in the moment, but in reality I was just hating. I apologized and he accepted it. Which I appreciated foreal. I understand the anger and vitriol he had for me all these years, and I wasnt mature enough to step up and just have a conversation and admit I was wrong. We as black men need to be united. He always had love for me. Always supported me. I shouldnt had did him like that. I wanna thank my guy IBN for settin the call up, and u, the fans, for being real w me and urging us to speak. We are good now, brand new journey. @LupeFiasco 🙏🏾❤️ see u soon brother 🙏🏾" Lupe returned, "Sincerely appreciate it my guy…🙏🏾…peace & blessings…" and added the hashtag "#INSANO," naming Cudi's ninth studio album released the previous week."Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. January 20, 2024. Cudi retweeted this with "🙏🏾❤️ my brother.""Kid Cudi (@KiDCuDi)". Twitter. January 20, 2024. When one of Cudi's fans came forth to apologize and claimed how they love the Chicagoan's music, Fiasco joked, "Not so fast playboy…the deal was that I get to beat up ONE of his fans as tribute. So now I'm on YO ASS!!! 😈.""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. January 20, 2024.
== References ==
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Category:Rappers
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