As he poses on the cover of the September 2022 issue of Esquire magazine, Kid Cudi makes a bold statement by wearing a red Dior Men look. Norman Jean Roy photographs the American rapper, and Andrew Mukamal is responsible for his styling. Cudi connects with Clover Hope to talk about his forthcoming “To the Moon” tour, Netflix show and the album “Entergalactic,” his issues with Ye, and his friend, designer Virgil Abloh’s passing.
Ahead of his album “Entergalactic,” Kid Cudi muses on the importance of loving oneself and discusses his plans for the future in the rap game. “I actually can say, at thirty-eight, that I love myself.” The rapper confesses, “And I couldn’t have said that six years ago. I can say that with confidence now and truly believe it, and it shows.”
Kid Cudi is getting closer to forty and is thinking about his future as a rapper. “Like, my name is Kid Cudi. It’s different. I’m not Nas. I’m not Jay. These names are legendary, godly, forever young.” Kid Cudi elaborates, “If I felt like I had that ability to be cool all the way to my forties, fifties, and sh*t, I would be like,’ Yeah, I’m rapping to the end, mother*cka!’ But I just…I don’t know.”
Kid Cudi has spoken out about his public spat with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, saying, “I’m at a place in my life where I have zero tolerance for the wrong energies.” Kid Cudi continues, “I’ve watched so many people throughout the years that are close to him be burned by him doing some f*cked-up sh*t. And then they turn around and forgive him. And there’s no repercussions. You’re back cool with this man. He does it over and over.”
Kid Cudi, in his explanation, says this about Ye: “I’m not one of your kids. I’m not Kim. It don’t matter if I’m friends with Pete or not friends with Pete. None of this sh*t had anything to do with me.” Cudi explains, “If you can’t be a grown man and deal with the fact that you lost your woman? That’s not my f*cking problem. You need to own up to your sh*t like every man in this life has. I’ve lost women, too. And I’ve had to own up to it. I don’t need that in my life. I don’t need it.”
Kid Cudi is grateful that he could have one last conversation with his close friend Virgil Abloh the day before the latter passed. “I’m happy I had contact with him, that it wasn’t months since I’d talked to him, and then this happened,” says Cudi. “Then maybe I’d be destroyed. Over the months, I found peace with it because I got a chance to tell Virgil how I felt about him, and he knew. It gets hard sometimes. I think about him a lot. I get emotional. But what pushes me through that is knowing.”
