Inside Kid Cudi's new podcast, where he offers 'Big Bro' advice and good vibes

1 hour ago 1

Kid Cudi is lounging successful a colorful attic overmuch similar the 1 successful his puerility location successful Cleveland.

He’s surrounded by treasures of his childhood: movie posters of “The Last Dragon” and “The Truman Show” (the second inspired artwork for his latest album, “Free”), a Nintendo 64 crippled console, a vintage location telephone with a agelong cord, posters of Outkast and Nirvana, a greenish lava lamp and astatine slightest a twelve Pokémon figures. A makeshift model connected the backmost partition opens onto what looks similar a portal to outer space.

Kid Cudi gives a circuit of his “Big Bro with Kid Cudi” podcast studio.

“It’s benignant of similar the satellite extracurricular of this attic,” the Grammy-winning and multihyphenate creator says, reaching toward the model arsenic if helium could leap done and participate different dimension. “It’s similar you’re traveling done the cosmos.”

The ’90s-themed attic, which helium says is simply a metaphor for his mind, serves arsenic the backdrop for his latest project: a podcast called “Big Bro With Kid Cudi,” premiering Wednesday via Wave Sports and Entertainment.

The thought to motorboat a podcast began during the pandemic, erstwhile touring — and the satellite — came to a screeching halt. By then, Cudi, calved Scott Mescudi, had already logged 20 years of a palmy emo rap career, launched a covering line, forged an acting vocation and created an animated film. Still, helium was anxious to research a caller frontier.

“I was truly hyped connected the thought of having a play amusement wherever I’m benignant of similar shooting the s— with my friends and having existent affirmative conversations,” says Cudi, 42. “I privation it to beryllium a airy successful people’s lives. Something they tin conscionable enactment on, tune retired the satellite and person a bully time.”

He named it “Big Bro” due to the fact that that’s precisely however he’s been seen by fans and peers passim his career.

“I realized that’s who I am,” says Cudi. “I’m the 1 that’s meant to amusement you what not to bash successful beingness and however to debar the aforesaid mistakes that I’ve fallen for successful my life.” Big Bro is besides the sanction of his intelligence wellness instauration for younker that helium launched earlier this year.

Artifacts wrong of Kid Cudi's podcast studio.

Now successful his 40s, joined and afloat autarkic from a grounds statement (hence the medium rubric “Free”), Cudi is successful a antithetic spot successful life.

“I’m conscionable truthful f— happy,” helium says, flashing a luminous smile. His outfit, an Off White hoodie and a fleece bucket chapeau with a tortoise connected the front, is conscionable arsenic uplifting and whimsical arsenic his attitude. “People are going to spot the joyousness connected my look erstwhile they spot the episodes. I deliberation my fans truly bask seeing maine blessed and that’s the astir beauteous happening astir my vocation — it’s that these fans truly attraction astir me.”

After years of opening up astir his struggles with addiction, loneliness and slump done his euphony (on tracks similar “Soundtrack 2 My Life,” “Trapped successful My Mind” and “The Void”), successful the property and successful his 2025-released memoir. Despite being truthful vocal, Cudi inactive retains a mystique prime that fascinates fans. The podcast, helium says, is simply a abstraction for him to unfastened up much than helium already has.

“He’s a larger-than-life figure,” says John Fontanelli, manager of archetypal contented astatine Wave and the pb shaper connected “Big Bro.” “He has a batch of antithetic aliases and personas. He’s a precise comic and relatable idiosyncratic and I deliberation that comes done with him arsenic a host.”

To bring his imaginativeness to life, Cudi teamed up with Wave Sports and Entertainment, which is location to shows similar “7pm successful Brooklyn” with NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, “Straight to Cam” with hosts WNBA prima Cameron Brink and NBA woman Sydel Curry-Lee and “So True” with comedian Caleb Hearon. Wave was the lone institution that was “gung-ho” astir his amusement thought and gathering retired the accumulation acceptable of his dreams, helium says. Inspired by the acceptable plan for Big Tigger’s “Rap City: The Basement” amusement connected BET, Cudi wanted to capable his podcast acceptable with items that bespeak his property and energy.

“I emotion that set,” helium says. “There was this taxable wherever each the guests benignant played on similar they were truly coming to his mom’s location and it was truthful cool,” helium says.

Before filming his archetypal episode, Cudi binged respective podcasts and tapped radical similar writer, shaper and histrion Lena Waithe, whose guidance helped him navigate hosting and link authentically with his guests. And of course, helium created the catchy jingle for the amusement himself, which includes the lyrics “Big bro / chillin with large bro” successful his signature flow.

Each week, Cudi volition beryllium down with a premix of unexpected guests for wide-ranging, playful conversations that uncover caller sides of some his guests and himself. The premiere occurrence features entrepreneur and world TV prima Kylie Jenner, who seldom does podcasts oregon sit-down interviews.

“I deliberation it volition shed a batch of airy connected the sides of her beingness that she doesn’t usually speech astir similar motherhood, being a businesswoman and juggling some things,” says Cudi. “I was asking her precise thoughtful questions and she was being precise upfront and transparent, truthful I felt similar this was similar a truly large occurrence to commencement with.”

Artifacts successful Kid Cudi's podcast studio.

Though fans whitethorn beryllium expecting the amusement to tackle intelligence wellness and different hard topics, Cudi plans to support the conversations lighthearted and fun. “I consciousness similar erstwhile we get into the intelligence wellness stuff, it tin get truly dense and astatine slightest close now, I don’t privation that to beryllium the code for the show,” helium says. “This podcast, for me, needs to beryllium truly positive. The speech needs to beryllium fun, similar nary accent and not triggering for anyone.”

The podcast is conscionable 1 portion of a overmuch larger originative surge unfolding successful Cudi’s orbit. Later this month, helium volition footwear disconnected the Rebel Ragers circuit on with guests including M.I.A., A-Trak, maine n ü, Big Boi and Cudi’s longtime producer, collaborator and friend, Dot Da Genius.

Under the creator alias Scotty Ramon, helium besides hosted his archetypal solo creation exhibit, “Echoes of the Past,” astatine Ruttkowski;68 assemblage successful Paris. “I went years not knowing if I could overgarment and not lone could I bash it each along, there’s radical successful the satellite that are going to f— with it,” helium says. He’s already finished with his adjacent creation collection, which helium plans to showcase successful New York adjacent year.

With abbreviated films similar “Mr. Miracle” and “Neverland” already nether his belt, he’s been digging deeper into his manager container arsenic well.

“I’m idiosyncratic who was raised watching the Wayans,” helium says. “Some mother— who came successful present and were similar ‘We’re gonna bash it similar this.’ People similar Robert Townsend and I conscionable cognize what’s hot. I cognize what’s funny. I cognize what’s chill and I cognize what stories we haven’t seen.”

With his Mad Solar accumulation and euphony absorption company, helium is the prima of an upcoming movie called “God Backwards,” which helium says volition beryllium released aboriginal this year. On apical of each of that, helium precocious began streaming connected Twitch (“Someone Cooked Here”), wherever helium showcases his euphony making process including his four-track EP “Have U Bn 2 Heaven @ Nite?” which released successful March.

As helium continues to dive into antithetic mediums, Cudi says the ngo remains the same: to proceed evolving, challenging himself artistically and inspiring radical on the way.

“[It] makes maine consciousness truthful bully arsenic an creator that I tin instrumentality this leap into different realm and I’ll inactive person support,” helium says. “There’s radical who are similar ‘Cudi coating now? Right now. What other you got, kid?’ I emotion it.”

“Big Bro With Kid Cudi” volition driblet caller episodes each Wednesday starting April 1 connected YouTube and different streaming platforms.

Read Entire Article