Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. A multi-talented rapper, singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer and actor, he moved to New York City in October 2004. There, he became heavily involved in the MC scene until he was inspired to write "Day N Nite." After posting the song on MySpace, it started racking up hits and eventually caught the attention of A-Trak, Kanye West's former tour DJ.
A-Trak signed Mescudi to a single deal on his Fool's Gold label. A critically acclaimed mixtape titled "A KiD Named CuDi," presented by Pat and Emile and co-branded with NYC streetwear label 10 Deep, was released on July 17, 2008. A-Trak played "Day N Nite" at Kanye West's "Stronger" premiere party. West loved the song, and saw enough potential in Mescudi that he flew him to Hawaii to do reference hooks for Jay-Z's "The Blueprint 3." Mescudi then began working on West's "808s & Heartbreak" album, for which he wrote four songs ("Heartless," "Paranoid," "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Robocop"). With "Day N Nite" a Billboard hit, Mescudi signed with West's G.O.O.D music label. Soon after, he parlayed that into a major deal with Universal Motown.
On September 15, 2009, he released his debut album "Man on the Moon: The End of Day," a genre-bending concept album that took people through Scott Mescudi's dreams, nightmares and unique views of the world. The album — which featured production from Emile, Plain Pat, RATATAT, MGMT and Kanye West — sold 104,419 copies during its first week, which placed it at #4 on the Billboard charts.
To date, Mescudi has sold over 4.6 million digital singles and 1.3 million mobiletones. As of August 2013, Mescudi's videos on VEVO have had over 200 million views. In addition to being sought-after for his music, top-tier companies including Converse and Heineken have hired him to appear in their ad campaigns for "3 Artists, 1 Song" and "Plug Into Summer."
After his debut album was released, he set off on a sold-out tour with Asher Roth ("The Great Hangover Tour") and appeared as the main attraction at festivals including Audiotistic and Bonnaroo, while simultaneously prepping his sophomore album, "Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager." The highly acclaimed album, which was released November 9, 2010 through G.O.O.D Music and Universal Motown, featured Kanye West, Mary J. Blige and GLC, with production from Emile, Plain Pat, Jim Jonsin, Diplo, Dot Da Genius and others. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and produced the hit single "Erase Me," which features Kanye West. It was quickly certified gold.
In 2012, Mescudi began his foray into the world of rock music under the moniker WZRD, a band composed of him and producer Dot da Genius. Released to much acclaim in February of that year, their self-titled album debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. In April 2013, he released his highly anticipated third studio album "Indicud." Released to critical praise, with guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, RZA and ASAP Rocky, the album became his highest charting yet, debuting at #2 on Billboard's Top 200.
Also in 2010, Scott Mescudi began his Hollywood career when he was cast as Domingo Dean, a young, New York, street-smart entrepreneur on the acclaimed HBO comedy-drama, "How to Make It in America." Mescudi also starred in Denis Hennelly's film "Goodbye World" with Adrian Grenier, Mark Webber and Gaby Hoffman. The movie premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival this past summer and will be distributed by Samuel Goldwyn and Phase 4 Films. He also has a starring role in "Two Night Stand," directed by Max Nichols (son of the legendary Mike Nichols). This comedy also stars Miles Teller, Analeigh Tipton, Jessica Szohr and Leven Rambin, and is produced by Ruben Fleischer and Beau Flynn.
DreamWorks Pictures
