Tag Archives: Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi releases new track “The Ruler and the Killer” for ‘Hunger Games’ soundtrack

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Coming off his recent WZRD release, now alt-rocker Kid Cudi has put out a new track that’s featured on the soundtrack for the movie The Hunger Games. Collaborating on a movie soundtrack isn’t new for Cudi; over the summer he teamed with director Craig Gillespie to produce a song for the Colin Ferrel vampire flick Fright Night. The new track is called “The Ruler and the Killer” and it gives off an eerie vibe and features guitar riffs that are in line with his WZRD effort. Listen to the track below, then download it at iTunes. And if you’re interested in learning more about how the track came about, click here to read an interview with the soundtrack’s producer Greg Wells.

[audio: Kid Cudi – The Ruler and the Killer.mp3]

Album releases: Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius’ WZRD & Jason Mraz’s live EP out today

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Today is a big day for music fans ’round the world spanning two very different genres. First there’s the long-anticipated release of Kid Cudi’s concept album WZRD, featuring beats by producer Dot Da Genius and guitar riffs by the Rager. The self-titled album can be downloaded digitally at iTunes, or a physical copy can be purchased over at Amazon. Celebrate the release by heading over to Complex and checking out their online cover story that delves deep into the perfect collaboration.

Next up is a taste of what’s to come for fans of the one and only Mr. A-Z. Before dropping his third studio album on April 17, Jason Mraz is releasing a four-track live EP titled Live Is A Four Letter Word and it can be yours today: the digital-only EP is now available on iTunes. The songs were recorded from his performance at Spreckels Theater in San Diego.

Oh happy day.

Unreleased track: Kid Cudi – “Dose of Dopeness” (Produced by Dot Da Genius)

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Kid Cudi fans, here it is, at long last, the mastered version of “Dose of Dopeness.” Fans of Cudder have been waiting four years for this track to release, ever since he performed it at an intimate session that got posted to YouTube way back in 2008. The Dot Da Genius-produced banger carries a vibe similar to J-Kwon’s “Tipsy”, but obviously it does enough to distance itself from anything you’ve heard before. This is classic Cudder; in fact it was originally invented in ’08 when Cudi was about to blow up with another Genius-produced song “Day ‘N’ Night.” The beat is fire and the raps have an introductory swagger. In “Dopeness” Cudi talks, “Some people call me Cudi, some people call me Scott; it don’t matter what you want to call me as long as you call me something.” And at the very end he even teases the name of his debut album: “Where are we going? The moon.” Listen to and download the stellar track below. Cop the official album artwork (designed by Dat New Cudi’s DP) above.

You can expect to hear a whole lot more from Kid Cudi and Dot Da Genius soon. Their collab album WZRD drops February 28.

Download: Kid Cudi – “Dose of Dopeness” (Produced by Dot Da Genius)

[audio: Kid Cudi – Dose of Dopeness.mp3]

[Via DatNewCudi]

Singles: WZRD – “Teleport 2 Me, Jamie” & “Brake”

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As promised, Kid Cudi and Dot Da Genius released final versions of “Teleport 2 Me” and “Brake” on iTunes on Cudi’s birthday January 30. In it’s final, full release, “Teleport 2 Me” has been renamed to include Cudder’s girlfriend’s name Jamie and “Brake” remains pretty much unaltered. Here are handy links that’ll direct you to iTunes: “Teleport 2 Me, Jamie (Featuring Desire)” / “Brake” (The songs will go international (UK, Germany, France, Japan, Australia and New Zealand) on February 13.)

After the break you’ll find larger, individual album art squares that correspond to each song. According to Mr. Mescudi, the collabo album WZRD drops February 28. And don’t forget “Dose of Dopeness” is on its way.

[Via DatNewCudi] Continue reading Singles: WZRD — “Teleport 2 Me, Jamie” & “Brake” →

Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius collab album delayed, tracklist revealed

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Kid Cudi simply could not live up to his promise of delivering his next album (tentatively titled WZRD) on his birthday, January 30. His collaborator and producer Dot Da Genius broke the unfortunate news of delay on Twitter. “We are in the final stages of mastering but we really had to take time and pay attention to the sonics as this is new territory for us,” explained Dot. He continued, “I know it’s late notice, we were trying to keep the date but got wrapped up making this album perfect for y’all.” He dropped the date February 28 as a “rough” estimated time of release. To make up for the delay, Dot did share some good news: full, mastered versions of “Brake” and “Teleport 2 Me” will show up in iTunes on the 30th of this month, along with a track Cudi fans have been waiting to hear for a long time now called “Dose of Dopeness.”

Cudi then took to his Tumblr to share the full tracklisting for the upcoming album. There is only a single featured artist on the renamed track “Teleport 2 Me, Jamie.” See below:

1. The Arrival
2. High Off Life
3. The Dream Time Machine
4. Love Hard
5. Live & Learn
6. Brake
7. Teleport 2 Me, Jamie (Feat. Desire)
8. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
9. Efflictim
10. The Upper Room

When the singles hit iTunes, you’ll know it.

Kid Cudi reveals WZRD album cover

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Kid Cudi can’t keep out of the news. After releasing two tracks from his upcoming collabo album with producer Dot Da Genius, Cudder jumped back onto Twitter to share with his followers the “official logo” for his band WZRD. He confirmed that the image embedded above will in fact serve as the album cover when the still yet-to-be-titled album drops January 30. Though now all signs point to it being self titled as WZRD. Cudi went on to describe the album art as “simple, classic, iconic.”

Bonus! The same day he posted the WZRD image to Twitter, he also shared a link to Dia Frampton’s YouTube channel. Embedded after the break you’ll find an amazing cover of Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” by The Voice runner-up. The two recently collaborated on Frampton’s new single “Don’t Kick the Chair.”

[Via @wizardcud] Continue reading Kid Cudi reveals WZRD album cover →

Single: W Z R D – “Teleport 2 Me” (Snippet)

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There really isn’t anything more to say than this… Kid Cudi is back and quite possibly better than ever. His Man on the Moon cuts are great, sure. But the kid named Cudi is preparing to take his fans on an entirely different kind of journey in his Wizard suit. We got a taste of what’s to come with his previous full-length release “Brake” late last month and today he’s dropped only a snippet of “Teleport 2 Me”, the first official single off his still yet-to-be-titled collabo album with producer Dot Da Genius. Plug in your Beats, turn the volume up to full blast, and teleport into Cudder’s latest magnificent, dream-like track. I dare you not to grin from ear to ear upon first listen.

Download: W Z R D – “Teleport 2 Me”

[audio: Teleport2Me.mp3]

Music video: Dia Frampton – “Don’t Kick The Chair” (Featuring Kid Cudi)

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If you watched the first season of NBC’s music competition series The Voice then the name Dia Frampton should ring a bell; she was the runner-up behind winner Javier Colon. Falling to second place didn’t stop her from achieving fame. Frampton is preparing her debut album Red that’s expected to drop December 6 and for her new single “Don’t Kick The Chair” she managed to get rapper Kid Cudi to croon a verse. She shared the inspiration behind the track to AOL Music. “It started with my lyrical idea, ‘Don’t Kick the Chair,’ since my sisters and I throw that phrase around at home when we’re complaining about something when, on the other hand, it’s a beautiful day outside. In other words, ‘don’t kick the chair’ is another way of saying, ‘don’t give up,’ because you can’t have the highs without the lows, and there’s no use in getting down about something for too long. You got to start pushing forward at some point.” On working with Cudder: “It was a pleasure having Kid Cudi on this song. I’m a fan of his work and also am very happy with the positive lyrics he created. This song has a dark undertone, but overall, I wanted it to be optimistic.”

Watch the lyric video above and bop your head to upbeat track and Frampton’s sweet, crisp voice.

Update: The song, as well as Frampton’s album Red, is now available to purchase on iTunes.

Single: W Z R D – “Brake”

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The former lonely stoner just couldn’t wait any longer. After teasing the album’s January 30, 2012 release date on Saturday, Kid Cudi jumped back on Twitter to share with the world the first official cut off his upcoming third, yet-to-be-titled studio album. The track is called “Brake” and it’s produced by Wizard-in-crime Dot Da Genius and features guitar strings flicked by Cudder himself. Much like his previous release “Perfect Is The Word,” this song doesn’t find Cudi rapping but instead crooning over a punk rock-ish beat. Prior to dropping the single Cudi tweeted, “Tonight, you will all witness the new chapter, the new journey. Music will never be the same…” Listen to “Brake” below, follow along by reading the simple lyrics provided by Cudi, and click the download link for keeps. Are you entranced by Kid Cudi’s new sound? Anticipating his collabo release with Dot? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Download: W Z R D – “Brake”

[audio: Brake.mp3]

Kid Cudi announces W Z R D album release date

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This week rapper Kid Cudi took to Twitter to make a major announcement: his next album is coming out January 30, 2012 to coincide with his 28th birthday. He also made a change to his group’s name. He and producer Dot da Genius are now collectively known as W Z R D (short for WIZARD) and 2 Be Continuum is no more. Cudi was not ready to spill the beans on the album’s title yet. However he did go on to say that the album “does not contain any profanity or the usage of the word “nigga”.” The former lonely stoner calls it “a universal album for everyone.” Also, he says “WZRD is bringin Punk Rock back with a whole new energy and sound.” Not really sure what he means by that? We’ll have a taste of what’s in store soon as Cudi promises that a snippet of the first single is on its way. “Ladies, your gonna have something to shake those booties to,” he teases.

Short film: Kid Cudi in ‘Maniac’ (NSFW violence)

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Last November Kid Cudi hinted that a short film based on one of his songs was coming and yesterday on Halloween he released it on the ‘Net. The short film, directed by Transfomers star Shia LaBeouf, is titled Maniac and it is “inspired by” the song with the same name featured on Cudder’s sophomore album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. The extremely dark, gritty, and violent clip does not play the “Maniac” track behind it, nor does it refer to the lyrics in the song as it plays out like a short film and not a music video. The score that plays in the background is original music produced by Cudi and Wizard collaborator Dot Da Genius. In the nearly ten-minute short, a film crew follows two serial killers (played by Cudi and Chris Palko) documenting their exploits. As made explicit in the post title, this video is NSFW due to graphic violence and gore and in fact it is rated NC-17.

You have been warned. Mash play at your own risk. Happy Halloween!

Update: Cudder sat down with Complex and shared some insight into the making of the Maniac video. In it he talks about working with Shia LaBeouf, the character he played in the video, funding the film, and he explains why the characters speak in French. Read the choice quotes over at Complex.

Lost single: Kid Cudi – “Bigger Than You” (produced by Emile)

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Here’s a nice treat for all you Cudder fans. Today Complex released a mastered version of the very first track Kid Cudi and longtime producer/collaborator Emile ever made together. The song is called “Bigger Than You” and it was meant to serve as the lead single off Cudi’s debut album Man on the Moon: End of Day. Since it was created so early on in 2007 (and the fact that it leaked under the false title “Do It Alone”), Cudi and Emile ultimately decided to scrap it and not include it on the album. The Dot Da Genius produced track “Day N’ Nite,” as we all know, would go on to become Cudi’s first hit record. In a 2009 interview with Complex, Emile shed some light on the making of the lost single today reborn:

He had in his head what he wanted to start the album with. Like way back it was a song called “Bigger Than You,” which some people might of heard because it leaked. It was a really dope record. “Bigger Than You” was actually the first record me and Cudi ever did together. It was on the first day that we met, we cut that song. Once we cut it, he was like, “That’s the intro to my album.” It stayed that way for a while, but that record was cut a long time before the album was ever done, so eventually it kinda faded out.

Listen to it below; a download link is provided. Two words: classic Cudi.

Download: Kid Cudi – “Bigger Than You” (produced by Emile)

[audio: Bigger Than You.mp3]

[Via DatNewCudi; Complex]