Kids See Ghosts | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Jackson, Wyoming |
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Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all caps) was an American hip hop superduo composed of rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed during West's 2018 Wyoming sessions, the duo's first album Kids See Ghosts was released in June of that year by Def Jam Recordings, along with their respective label imprints, GOOD Music and Wicked Awesome Records. [1] Met with critical and commercial success, the album peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and received Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The duo disbanded in 2022 due to personal disagreements, although they reconciled the following year. [2]
In 2006, aspiring artist Kid Cudi first met rapper-producer Kanye West in a Virgin Megastore, as Cudi recounted in a 2009 Spin interview: “I was looking at CDs, saw the gleam of a Jesus piece in the right side of my eye, looked up, and it was Kanye West,” Cudi said, adding that he introduced himself and offered West some of his music. [3] Cudi would later run into West again, while Cudi was working at the BAPE store in NYC: "I remember Kanye coming in one time and I was helping him get a couple things," Cudi said. "I forgot to take a sensor off of one of the jackets he bought and I had to run out the store to catch him before he left. Pretty funny me chasing after him in SoHo." [4] [5]
In 2008, Kid Cudi caught the attention of Kanye West's A&R, Plain Pat, who had initially met Cudi at a Def Jam meeting and picked up a copy of his demo. [6] Plain Pat introduced Cudi's music to West, leading West to sign Cudi to his GOOD Music imprint later that year. [6] Cudi began working closely with West. West first called upon Cudi to write hooks for American rapper Jay-Z, and while in the studio Cudi and West went from working on The Blueprint 3 (2009) to West's R&B-esque fourth solo album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). [7] Cudi's assistance included co-writing credits or vocals on "Heartless," "Welcome to Heartbreak," "Paranoid" and "RoboCop." [7] Cudi proved to be a prominent songwriter and featured artist on 808s & Heartbreak, with "Paranoid" and "Heartless" being released as singles, while "Welcome to Heartbreak" charted as an album cut and peaked at number 87 on the Pop 100. [8]
The two continued to work on Cudi's debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), with West serving as an executive producer. West had also produced two songs, namely "Sky Might Fall" and the Common-assisted third single "Make Her Say", which also featured West. By 2018, Cudi had contributed to every West album since 2008, with their 2016 effort "Father Stretch My Hands" reaching the Top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
After a brief fallout, [9] [10] the two reconnected in late 2016, around the dissolution of West's Saint Pablo Tour, which ended in him being hospitalized. [11] [12] [13] West abruptly canceled his Saint Pablo Tour and sought hospitalization for exhaustion in November 2016. At that time, West's only two live appearances since had both been with Cudi, who also sought mental health treatment in the fall of 2016, for performances of “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” in November 2017 and February. [14]
On April 19, 2018, West announced via Twitter that a collaborative album with Kid Cudi would be released in June. [15] He followed the tweet revealing the name of the group, which also serves as title of their debut album, Kids See Ghosts. [16] [17] On April 22, again via Twitter, West unveiled the album artwork, which was composed by Tokyo-based artist Takashi Murakami. [18] The duo were originally photographed with Murakami in July 2017. [19] [20] On April 25, West revealed the album would be accompanied by a short film, directed by Dexter Navy, a music video director notable for his collaborations with The Neighbourhood and ASAP Rocky. [18] [21]
On June 8, their first album Kids See Ghosts was released following a live listening party in Santa Clarita, California. [22] [23] Kids See Ghosts debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with 142,000 album-equivalent units, of which 79,000 were pure album sales. [24] It serves as West's tenth top-five album and Cudi's sixth top-five album in the United States. [24] All seven tracks on the album debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [25] The track "Reborn" managed to chart in the Top 40 of the US Hot 100, at number 39. [25]
Cudi revealed in July 2018, that he and West will continue to release music as Kids See Ghosts. [26] "There are some songs that we didn't use that I’m hopeful we can put out later," Cudi explained in an interview with Billboard. "But the plan is to do more Kids See Ghosts albums... We just have this chemistry that's undeniable, especially when we have to fight for it with each other." [27]
The duo made their live debut under the moniker at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival on November 11, 2018. They performed their album in entirety as well as the Cudi-featured West songs "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1", "Welcome to Heartbreak", "Paranoid", and "Ghost Town", and Cudi's single "Pursuit of Happiness." At Cudi's 2019 Coachella set, West joined him onstage for performances of "Feel the Love", "Reborn", "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1", "Ghost Town", and "Ghost Town Pt. 2". 070 Shake and Ty Dolla Sign, frequent collaborators of the duo, came onstage for their features on the latter two songs.
In a September 2019 interview with Complex, Kid Cudi assured fans that more material from him and Kanye West would be coming. "There will be more Kids See Ghosts albums. Kanye already told me he wants to start working on the second one," he said. "With the first album, I didn't know how serious he was about making a collab album with me," he continued. "He had mentioned it, but I thought it was just a good idea he had in the moment. But then he kept bringing it up and kept having me come to his house, listen to music, and work on beats, so I was like, 'Wow, he's really into this.' We had a discussion where he said he wanted to make a spiritual album and I told him, 'Great. That's what I do. I would love to do that, something I can sink my teeth into.' So there will definitely be more." [28]
On June 26, 2020, a computer-animated series directed by artist Takashi Murakami was announced via social media. The series chronicles the adventures of Kanye Bear, the character portrayed on West's first three album covers, and Kid Fox, a character created exclusively for the show, both of whom acting as cartoon personae for the artists. The show currently has no scheduled release date and is unlikely to air due to the group's split. [29]
On April 19, 2022, exactly four years after the announcement of the group, Kid Cudi announced that "Rock n Roll", on Pusha T's fourth album It's Almost Dry , would be his final collaboration with West due to the latter artist's recent behaviour, therefore dissolving the duo's partnership. Cudi stated on Twitter that "I did this song a year ago when I was still cool [with] Kanye. I am not cool [with] that man. He's not my friend and I only cleared the song for Pusha cuz[ sic ] thats my guy. This is the last song [you] will hear me on [with] Kanye." [30] [31] In December 2023, the two reconciled their differences, with Cudi appearing at a listening session for West's upcoming album and later featuring in a song named "Gun to My Head" from West's album Vultures 2 . Cudi stated in a January 2024 interview that he forgave West because "he apologized to me and it was sincere" and "Kanye does not apologize to anybody and say sorry to anyone." [32]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||||
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US [24] | AUS [33] | CAN [34] | NOR [35] | NZ [36] | SWE [37] | UK [38] | ||||
Kids See Ghosts |
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 7 |
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Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [42] | US R&B/HH [43] | AUS [44] | CAN [45] | IRE [46] | NZ Heat. [47] | SWE Heat. [48] | UK [38] | ||||
"Feel the Love" (featuring Pusha T) | 2018 | 47 | 24 | 57 | 35 | 50 | — | 19 | 47 |
| Kids See Ghosts |
"Fire" | 67 | 32 | 69 | 49 | 58 | — | — | — |
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"4th Dimension" (featuring Louis Prima) | 42 | 21 | 46 | 27 | 49 | 1 | 20 | 46 |
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"Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) | 62 | 30 | 72 | 58 | 66 | — | — | — | |||
"Reborn" | 39 | 18 | 55 | 30 | 48 | 2 | 1 | 48 | |||
"Kids See Ghosts" (featuring Yasiin Bey) | 73 | 37 | 84 | 53 | 64 | — | — | — |
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"Cudi Montage" (featuring Mr. Hudson) | 69 | 34 | 89 | 61 | 67 | — | — | — |
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Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
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"Welcome to Heartbreak" [49] | 2008 | Kanye West, Kid Cudi | 808s & Heartbreak |
"Paranoid" | Kanye West, Mr Hudson, Kid Cudi | ||
"Make Her Say" | 2009 | Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Common | Man on the Moon: The End of Day |
"GOOD Friday" [50] | 2010 | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Pusha T, Common, Charlie Wilson | GOOD Fridays |
"Christian Dior Denim Flow" [51] | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, John Legend, Pusha T, Lloyd Banks, Ryan Leslie | ||
"The Joy" [52] | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Pete Rock, Charlie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, Jay-Z | ||
"Gorgeous" [53] | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Raekwon | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | |
"All of the Lights" [53] | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, Fergie | ||
"Welcome to the World" [54] | T.I., Kanye West, Kid Cudi | No Mercy | |
"Wild'n Cuz I'm Young" [55] | Kid Cudi, Kanye West | Non-album single | |
"Erase Me" | Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager | ||
"Gotta Have It" | 2011 | Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi | Watch the Throne |
"Murder to Excellence" | |||
"Illest Motherfucker Alive" | Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Bankuli, Aude Cardona | ||
"The Joy" | Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, Pete Rock | ||
"Guilt Trip" [56] | 2013 | Kanye West, Kid Cudi | Yeezus |
"Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" [57] | 2016 | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Kelly Price | The Life of Pablo |
"Waves" [57] | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Chris Brown | ||
"Can't Look in My Eyes" [58] | Kanye West, Kid Cudi | Non-album single | |
"No Mistakes" | 2018 | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, Caroline Shaw | Ye |
"Ghost Town" | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, PartyNextDoor, 070 Shake | ||
"Moon" | 2021 | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Don Toliver | Donda |
"Remote Control, Pt. 2" | Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Young Thug | Donda (Deluxe) | |
"Rock n Roll" | 2022 | Pusha T, Kanye West, Kid Cudi | It's Almost Dry |
"Gun to My Head" | 2024 | ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign), Kid Cudi | Vultures 2 (Digital Deluxe) |
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, also known by his stage name Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Cudi moved to New York City in pursuit of a musical career, where he first gained recognition for his song "Day 'n' Nite". Initially self-published on his MySpace page, the song became a hit online and served as a catalyst for Cudi to team up with record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie to record his first full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008). Its release helped Cudi rise to prominence and establish a fanbase, catching the attention of rapper Kanye West—who signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label by late 2008.
"Paranoid" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features vocals from English musician Mr Hudson and background vocals from fellow American rapper Kid Cudi. West handled the production, with co-production from Jeff Bhasker and Plain Pat. The song was written by the producers alongside Kid Cudi and American rapper Consequence. It was serviced to top 40 radio stations in the United States on March 23, 2009, as the fourth and final single from the album. An upbeat new wave track, the song features electronic drum effects and pop synths. Its lyrical content is centered around West being pushed away by the mistrustful thinking of a woman that he is in love with.
"Welcome to Heartbreak" is a song by American rapper and record producer Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features a guest appearance from Kid Cudi on his debut collaboration with West, as well as background vocals by Jeff Bhasker. It was produced by West, with co-production from Bhasker and Plain Pat; the three of them served as the songwriters alongside Kid Cudi. The inspiration behind the song was a conversation West had with Dave Sirulnick, who showed him some pictures of his children. A hip pop number, it has electronic instrumentation that is reliant on piano. In the lyrics of the song, West mentions trying to fill the lack of substance in his life with extravagant materialistic items.
The discography of American musician Kid Cudi consists of ten studio albums, one compilation album, one box set, three extended plays (EPs), one mixtape, 32 singles, nine promotional singles and 32 music videos, the details of which are included in his videography.
"Gorgeous" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The track features a hook provided by Kid Cudi, a recording artist formerly signed to West's label GOOD Music, and a rap verse provided by the Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon. The song was written by West, Cudi, Raekwon, No I.D., Mike Dean and Rhymefest, and was produced by West, No I.D. and Dean. It contains elements of Enoch Light and the Glittering Guitars' cover version of The Turtles' song "You Showed Me". "Gorgeous" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who generally praised the intricacy of the production, the quality of the guest features and the rock music-inspired aesthetic of the song. Several critics cited West's verses as a highlight of the track, complimenting his lyricism and delivery.
"Mercy" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rappers Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz. The song was released April 10, 2012 through GOOD Music and Def Jam as the lead single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012). The song's production was handled by Lifted, with additional production from West, Mike Dean, and Mike Will Made It, and additional instrumentation from Hudson Mohawke. The song heavily samples the dancehall song "Dust a Sound Boy" by Super Beagle. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who praised the bombastic production, the varying quality of the verses, and the wordplay of the individual rappers. The song was featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K13.
"Father Stretch My Hands" are songs by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). They are split into two parts on the album: "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2". "Pt. 1" contains vocals by American rapper Kid Cudi and American R&B singer Kelly Price, while "Pt. 2" includes vocals from American rapper Desiigner and American musician Caroline Shaw. Prior to release, the latter was played by West for Desiigner when the two met.
"Two Birds, One Stone" is a hip hop song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released worldwide by OVO Sound on October 29, 2016. The song was originally meant for inclusion on Drake's fifth mixtape, More Life, however it did not make the final cut. Written in the wake of Drake's highly publicized feud with Meek Mill, it was co-written by Noah Shebib, Kanye West, and Joey Castellani, and composed by 40 and West.
Kids See Ghosts is the only studio album by the American hip-hop supergroup Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers and producers Kanye West and Kid Cudi. It was released on June 8, 2018, through GOOD Music and Wicked Awesome Records, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Prior to the release, West and Cudi had collaborated on each other's work since 2008, although they experienced personal quarrels due to creative differences. The first studio sessions for the album began after the two reunited in late 2016.
Ye is the eighth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on June 1, 2018, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Following controversy surrounding an interview with TMZ, West re-recorded all the work on the album, with him completing it over the course of just two weeks at West Lake Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Guest vocals from PartyNextDoor, Ty Dolla Sign, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, Jeremih, and 070 Shake, among others, are included.
Danielle Balbuena, known professionally as 070 Shake, is an American rapper and singer. She is best known for her guest appearance on English singer Raye's 2022 single "Escapism", which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaked atop the UK Singles Chart, and won Song of the Year at the 2024 Brit Awards, as well as her features on American rapper Kanye West's tracks, particularly the 2018 song Ghost Town.
"4th Dimension" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their first album Kids See Ghosts (2018). The song features Louis Prima who was credited as a co-writer due to his work being sampled prominently. The song was produced by West, with additional production from Mike Dean and Noah Goldstein. The song samples Prima's "What Will Santa Claus Say " and Shirley Ann Lee's "Someday". Lyrically, the song features Kids See Ghosts presenting their thoughts to stop themselves from becoming worried.
"Kids See Ghosts" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their first album Kids See Ghosts (2018). The song features a guest appearance from Mos Def, who received credit under his real name of Yasiin Bey. It was produced by West, Kid Cudi, and Plain Pat, while additional production was handled by Andrew Dawson, Justin Vernon and Noah Goldstein. Apart from Plain Pat and Goldstein, the producers wrote the song alongside Bey. Making heavy use of synthesizers, the song draws inspiration from ambient music. Lyrically, the song reflects on the difficulties of fame and success.
"Cudi Montage" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, released as the final track on their eponymous debut studio album (2018). The song was produced by Kid Cudi and Dot da Genius, with co-production from Mike Dean. The song also features vocals from Mr Hudson. Dot da Genius recorded with Kids See Ghosts in 2018, and he recalled West as unifying him and Kid Cudi's musical interests. An electro-gospel track with rock influences, the song samples Kurt Cobain's unreleased track "Burn the Rain". In the lyrics of the song, Kids See Ghosts pledge to not repeat past mistakes.
"Freeee " is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their first album Kids See Ghosts (2018). The song features a guest appearance from American musician Ty Dolla Sign. It is the sequel to West's song "Ghost Town" from his eighth studio album, Ye (2018). The former was produced by West and Kid Cudi, with co-production from Mike Dean, Jeff Bhasker, and BoogzDaBeast, while additional production was handled by Andrew Dawson, Andy C, and Russell "Love" Crews. Apart from BoogzDaBeast, the lead and co-producers wrote the song alongside Ty Dolla Sign and Corin Littler, who has the stage name of Mr. Chop and received songwriting credit due to his work being sampled.
"Feel the Love" is a song by the American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed by the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, and released as the opening track on their first studio album Kids See Ghosts (2018). The song includes a feature from GOOD Music president Pusha T. It was produced by West and co-produced by Mike Dean and Benny Blanco, with additional production by Plain Pat, Evan Mast, Justin Vernon, Francis and the Lights, Cashmere Cat and Noah Goldstein. Recording of the song was finished less than 10 hours before the album's release, with Pusha T's vocals being recorded during this time period. An industrial song, it features drums and synthesizers. It includes West scat singing in a manner that was compared to his performance on "Lift Yourself", while Pusha T raps the only verse and Kid Cudi sings a chorus about love.
"Fire" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their only studio album (2018). West, Kid Cudi, BoogzDaBeast, and André 3000 produced the song, while additional production was handled by Evan Mast. Written by the producers with the exception of BoogzDaBeast, it is a rock-influenced track that includes a sample of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!". In the lyrics, Kids See Ghosts refuse to let haunting demons define them.
"Reborn" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their eponymous debut studio album (2018). The song was produced by the latter of the two members and Dot da Genius, while co-produced by Plain Pat and Evan Mast, with additional production from Benny Blanco. The lead producers wrote it alongside West and Mast. Prior to release, Kid Cudi had posted about being reborn. Dot da Genius recorded with the duo in 2018; he recalled West as unifying him and Cudi's musical interests.
"Ghost Town" is a song and a masterpiece by American rapper Kanye West from his eighth studio album, Ye (2018). The song features vocals from PartyNextDoor, Kid Cudi, and 070 Shake. It was produced by West, co-produced by Mike Dean, and features additional production from Francis and the Lights, Benny Blanco, and Noah Goldstein. The song is a hip-hop track that features psychedelic elements. It is composed around a sample of "Take Me for a Little While", performed by the Royal Jesters, and also includes a sample of "Someday", performed by Shirley Ann Lee.
"Guilt Trip" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Mike Dean, S1, with an additional production credit for Travis Scott and Ackeejuice Rockers for the samples of "Chief Rocka" by Lords of the Underground and "Blocka" by Pusha T featuring Popcaan and Travis Scott. The song's lyrics deal with looking back at a failed relationship, similar to fellow Yeezus track "Blood on the Leaves". West provides his vocals through rapping and singing through an Auto-Tune processor, reminiscent of his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. The song includes vocals from rapper Kid Cudi, who later expressed negative opinions about his feature due to his vocals being recorded years prior.