Kid Cudi Leaves Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music
All G.O.O.D. things must come to an end. Kid Cudi announced Tuesday (April 2) on L.A.'s Power 106 radio station that he is no longer a member of the Kanye West label G.O.O.D. Music.
Cudi said it is a business decision and stressed that there is no beef with anyone on the label.
"Man, everything is cool," the Ohio native said. "Everything is peace with everybody on the label. There's never been any issues, but I am announcing that I'm no longer on G.O.O.D. Music. And this is something that no one knows, really. I'm no longer on G.O.O.D. Music."
Like most breakups, this one was a slow burn. Cudi, born Scott Mescudi, said the decision was six months in the making and was difficult because Kanye is his "big brother forever." Because their relationships is so tight, he needed a little help to break the news. Cudi said he sought advice from none other than the other half of the Throne, Jay-Z.
"I never wanted to offend him, and I didn't know how he would take it, and I was like, 'Man, I do not want to make my brother mad,' " Cudi said. "I really went out my way to make sure what I was feeling was justified, and that it was OK for me to bring it to the table, and Hov reassured me. He was like, 'Yo, man, I hear it in your tone that it's genuine and everything that you're saying to me, how you're saying it. I know Kanye. I know he'll be receptive to that. I know he'll honor it."
Part of what Kid Cudi was feeling was getting tired of reppin' the "clique." Cudi, who already tried his hand at acting in the short-lived HBO show "How to Make It in America," said he jumped on the phone with Kanye recently and shared that he wanted to go in a different direction, focusing on his own label and collaborator King Chip.
"It's just I wanna focus on Wicked Awesome," Cudi said. "I wanna focus on Chip, and that's it. I don't wanna have, like, a full label of artists. I just wanna work on Chip and keep my sound going on a freight train."
Cudi insisted he is on great terms with Big Sean, Pusha T and everyone else on G.O.O.D. Music; however, he did not personally break the news to any of them.
"But it's not a bad thing. That don't mean I'm not gon' be making music with them," he said. "It just means that little baby with that dress on [the G.O.O.D. Music logo] ain't gon' be on the albums."
Cudi was on the radio show to promote his third studio album, Indicud, which will be released April 23. The track list hit the Net last week, and while Kendrick Lamar and even Michael Bolton make appearances, maybe this should have been a clue -- it is conspicuously absent of any of his former labelmates.
Are you excited to see what the future holds for Kid Cudi? Wish him well in the comments below!
