Kid Cudi Performs "Pursuit of Happiness" on Conan

The Cudder puts on his best singing voice for the audience at "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Video of the Day: Sharam feat. Kid Cudi "She Came Along (Director's Cut)"

This little ditty is featured on the DC DJ’s debut album "Get Wild," out now on Ultra Records. It's a bit different, but I can dig it. But tell me why this video reminds me of "Blazing Saddles." Is it just me?

Kid Cudi Says No to Those Cancer Sticks

"I was literally on my deathbed. So it was like, 'I'm gonna stop smoking Newports right now.' It was a wakeup call."

Spotted at Herfection.com

Kid Cudi Speaks on Fame and Its Affects on His Personal Life

"I have a love-hate relationship with blogs, with the Internet in general. I think you have to. I don't read the blogs no more. I steer clear of them ... You have to have thick skin or they're going to chew you up and spit you out."

Kid Cudi Will Murk You in Grand Theft Auto

I-Play, the creators of the new iPhone/iPod Touch game "Hip Hop All Star," sit down with The Cudder talk about his music, working on a creative level with Kanye and Jay-Z, his favorite video game and what DJs he respects.

Kid Cudi Reflects on His Debut Album, 'Man on the Moon: End of Day'

"It's definitely based on my life and dreams and visions I've had all rolled into one and mixed with my imagination and production."

Swagger Ready's MTV VMAs 2009 Recap

Wow, what a night! There's a lot of ground to cover, so I'll get right to it with a few looks from the Red Carpet.


Dirty Money makes its first VMAs appearance.


Cassie on the Red Carpet, looking fierce.


Miss Keri, baby!


Joe Jackson's sorry self with some arm candy.


Lady Gaga looking a hot mess.

The 2009 MTV VMAs got off to a beautiful start with Madonna speaking about the King of Pop. Her touching speech shared some of the similarities between the two -- both born in August 1958, both grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest and both have eight siblings -- and painted a picture of how the world turned our backs on him, yet how he surpasses any musician in terms of impact in pop culture.

This is an excerpt from Madonna’s remarks:
“I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood ... How do you recreate your childhood when you're under the magnifying glass of the world for your entire life? There is no question that MJ is the greatest talent that the world has ever known … Michael Jackson was a hero ... He was so unique, he was so original, he was so rare and there will never been anyone like him. He was a king. But he was also a human being. Sometimes we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them … I hope that wherever Michael is right now, he is smiling about this.”



And then, came the tribute, which as well-done, to say the least. A step up from that shoddy job BET did in June. I’m just sayin’. Dancers came out in all the MJ looks from throughout the decades and relived such hits as “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal.” But, when Janet came out and did “Scream,” I about lost it! The performance gave me chills. I admire Janet for her strength and giving a stellar performance amid the pain. Haha. Did anyone else catch Laurie Ann “Boom Kack” Gibson and Chris Judd dancing in the background? It kind of sucks that her performance was overshadowed by an asinine stunt that Chi Town’s Finest pulled soon after (Read on for the details of that debacle …).

That was a tough act to follow, but I kind of thought that lame segue into the award show with Katy Perry singing her version of “We Will Rock You.” Umm, hello. At the very least, Russell Brand should have just began his opening remarks.

Why MTV invited Russell back as a host, I don’t know. He needed to sit down about five minutes into the show. Also, did he need to highlight the speculation about Lady Gaga being a hermaphrodite?

MTV Shows

So shenanigans ensued straight out the gate with the introduction of the award for Best Female Video, the first award announced. What happened next has become the most talked about portion of the ceremony. Taylor Swift -- who is a virtual unknown in comparison to fellow nominees Beyonce and Lady Gaga -- won the award. Who else but Kanye West appears like Houdini out of thin air on stage, snatches the mic from her hands and proclaims that “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” *Cut to Beyonce looking like, ‘I know this Negro didn’t!* Damnit, Kanye! It wasn’t even an award he was nominated for and yet his drunk arse just had to speak out! Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but you don’t need to let it be known, especially not in that way. Also, how did he get up there so fast?



I don't blame it on the vodka. I blame that ish on the Henny! Hilarious. Shocking. Appalling. And to think that was Taylor’s FIRST VMA. Way to taint that accomplishment forever.

To her credit, she did give a high-energy performance aboard a subway of “You Belong With Me” moments later.

Many of the Tweeples were outraged by Yeezy’s heinous display, including P!nk:



Ye was escorted out, and this apology, if you can call it that, appeared on his blog shortly thereafter.





Amid that controversy, Beyonce took the stage and really did her thing. Who else could dance so hard and sing so well? She makes it look so effortless.

Best Male Video went to T.I., and Best Hip Hop Video was awarded to Eminem for “We Made You.” He dedicated his award to his homie, Proof, who passed away in April 2006.

Then Kid Cudi performed “Make Her Say” with house band Wale and UCB, which was kinda weak. Thought he should have had been on the main stage. Cudi remembered his friend, DJ AM, who died Aug. 28.

Why Britney Spears won Best Pop Video and Lady Gaga won Best New Artist, I don’t know. By the way, Gaga’s stylist should be fired. I cringed at every outfit she had on. It was very distracting.

Beyonce did win the award for Video of the Year. She then said she wanted to let Taylor Swift “have her moment.” So she was able to give the speech she deserved. I’m glad Bey won because that video was probably one of the most watched videos of the year. Just type “Beyonce Single Ladies Put A Ring On It” and you’ll see the many remakes that fans attempted to recreate -- some better than others. Let’s be honest. But that act from Bey was sincere and unexpected.



Jay-Z rockin’ “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys was the second-best performance of the night. A. Keys sang her heart out and Jay has a way of stirring up emotion with his delivery. The backdrop was amazing as well. The way he came out … Dope! But why did Lil’ Mama feel it was OK to go on stage? Clearly, she was an uninvited guest. Did you see Jigga tap her like “Sityoassdown!”?



We got to see a special clip of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” documentary, which will be in theaters on Oct. 28. What a nice way to end the night full of tomfoolery and drunken debauchery.

Sigh … It’s gonna take a lot to top this one.

Shouts to ConcreteLoop.com and BrokenCool.com for the images, and Mr. World Premiere for the clips.

View Jay-Z's Answer The Call Concert in Its Entirety

This concert was epic, with special appearances from Mephis Bleek, Kid Cudi, John Mayer, Rihanna, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce and Diddy. These clips are provided by Mr. World Premiere himself. Enjoy!

Kid Cudi: "I'm Kinda Nervous"

"This is it. No turning back. On Sept. 15, I'm gonna wake up a new man."

The Cudder stopped by for a talk with DJ Semtex on Friday, Sept. 4 to discuss the anticipation of the release of his first album, "Man on the Moon: The End of Day," being featured on Jay-Z's new "Blueprint 3" album, him and Wale's discussion about "hater comments" on Twitter and working with Heartbreak Drake. Cudi also spits a freestyle over Diddy's "Angels."

Sneak Peeks of Kid Cudi's “Asteroid” and “Moon-print”

“Asteroid”


“Moon-print”


The release of Kid Cudi's "Man On The Moon: The End Of Day" album is just days away ... Get yours on Sept. 15.

Behind the Scenes: Kid Cudi URB Cover Shoot

Your boy came from McChikens to "Make Her Say," and he's still got room for growth. I love the fact that Kid Cudi was an employee at the BAPE store and Abercrombie & Fitch in Manhattan before pursuing his music full time. Watch and see other places where The Cudder worked the late shift.

Kid Cudi's Album Art and Scene List Unveiled

Kid Cudi's “Man on the Moon: The End of Day” should be hitting the shelves pretty soon. In fact, on Sept. 15. The Cudder's debut record is more of a concept album that he views as a movie, thus the scene list, not the track list.

ACT 1 - THE END OF DAY
1. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)
2. Soundtrack 2 My Life
3. Simple As…

ACT 2 - RISE OF THE NIGHT TERRORS
4. Solo Dolo (nightmare)
5. Heart of A Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music)
6. My World feat. Billy Cravens

ACT 3 - TAKING A TRIP
7. Day N Nite (nightmare)
8. Sky Might Fall
9. Enter Galactic (Love Connection, Part 1)

ACT 4 - STUCK
10. Alive (nightmare) Feat. RATATAT
11. CuDi Zone
12. Make Her Say feat. Kanye West & Common
13. Pursuit of Happiness (nightmare) Feat. MGMT & RATATAT

ACT 5 - A NEW BEGINNING
14. Hyyerr feat. Chip Tha Rapper
15. Up Up & Away (The Wake & Bake Song)

“Pursuit of Happiness,” which features MGMT & Ratatat will be the next single.

Spotted at NahRight.com

Kid Cudi Tells What Irks Him about Hip-Hop

Cudi airs it all: from what's wrong with hip-hop music and to why he's one of the top five artists saying something relevant in his music.

"Who cares about what I'm wearing? I'm about to go out there and rock this show. Should it matter if my shoes are clean? Or if my shirt is a brand-new shirt with some logo on it that I probably don't even want to wear? ... I like to keep it simple because I don't want people to get lost in the wrong things."

Spotted at GoodMusic-Blog.com

Kid Cudi Speaks on His Near-Retirement

What could drive a rapper to quit the game on the eve of his first album dropping? It's the haters that drove Cudi to post an impassioned letter to his fans on his blog a while back announcing his retirement after the release of "Man on the Moon." The Cleveland emcee's first record is due out on Sept. 15 and features guest appearances by Kanye West, The Clipse and Snoop Dogg and is narrated by Common.