The reception to “Pursuit of Happiness” frustrated Cudi initially.Īfter “Day ‘n’ Nite,” the Kid Cudi song most casual fans probably think of is “Pursuit of Happiness.” The single, which features Ratatat and MGMT, was certified five-times platinum, but Cudi says its success, coupled with the uber popular Steve Aoki EDM remix, caused people to miss its real message. I sacrificed the privacy of my life and put my story out there to help others,” he says. Towards the end of the doc, he specifically references the second verse couplet: “I try and think about myself as a sacrifice / Just to show the kids they ain't the only ones who up at night.” “That’s truly what it was. Where previously he would make a beat and show it to an artist, with Cudi he began working more from scratch, focusing on songwriting in its entirety. Haynie, who produced the song, says working with Cudi on records like this one helped him change his approach to making music entirely. He calls the song both his “introduction to the world” and his “mission statement.” He admits that certain lyrics on the song, like the line about considering trying cocaine, made him worry about how loved ones would react, but that “ultimately it was about being honest and being a true artist.” When my father died I camouflaged all my feelings, I tucked that shit away.” “These are questions that I’ve never been asked before, this is stuff that I’ve never even thought about.
People would be like, ‘You lost your dad at 11 years old. Cudi has always been a compelling and frank interview subject, and that remains true here.“I never thought being so honest would, in turn, have people wanting to ask me so many personal questions. The film largely relies on talking head footage, including a pair of interviews with Cudi himself, who speaks about the invasiveness that came with celebrity and the pressure he felt knowing how many young fans connected with his music so deeply. Willow and Jaden Smith, Lil Yachty, and Timothée Chalamet all talk about what the Cleveland musician means to them, and they exemplify the way many in their teens and 20s felt spoken to by records like “Sky Might Fall” and “Soundtrack 2 My Life.” Schoolboy Q and A$AP Rocky also share how Cudi’s work affected and inspired them.
Though it features noteworthy interviews with Cudi’s inner circle–producers Dot Da Genius, Plain Pat, Emile Haynie, and long-time manager Dennis Cummings–the most moving insights in the film come from the generation raised on Cudi’s art. It’s also made Scott Mescudi, the human being, the subject of endless curiosity, which was the inspiration behind A Man Named Scott, a new documentary out November 5 on Amazon Prime Video. Kid Cudi’s inventive approach to melodic hip-hop and his soul-baring, heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics have made him one of the most culturally significant musicians of the last 15 years.
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