Kid Cudi is lounging in a colorful attic much like the one in his childhood home in Cleveland.
He’s surrounded by treasures of his childhood: movie posters of “The Last Dragon” and “The Truman Show” (the latter inspired artwork for his latest album, “Free”), a Nintendo 64 game console, a vintage house phone with a long cord, posters of Outkast and Nirvana, a green lava lamp and at least a dozen Pokémon figures. A makeshift window on the back wall opens onto what looks like a portal to outer space.
-
Share via
Kid Cudi gives a tour of his “Big Bro with Kid Cudi” podcast studio.
“It’s kind of like the world outside of this attic,” the Grammy-winning and multihyphenate artist says, reaching toward the window as if he could leap through and enter another dimension. “It’s like you’re traveling through the cosmos.”
The ’90s-themed attic, which he says is a metaphor for his mind, serves as the backdrop for his latest project: a podcast called “Big Bro With Kid Cudi,” premiering Wednesday via Wave Sports and Entertainment.
The idea to launch a podcast began during the pandemic, when touring — and the world — came to a screeching halt. By then, Cudi, born Scott Mescudi, had already logged 20 years of a successful emo rap career, launched a clothing line, forged an acting career and created an animated film. Still, he was eager to explore a fresh frontier.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“I was really hyped on the idea of having a weekly show where I’m kind of like shooting the s— with my friends and having real positive conversations,” says Cudi, 42. “I want it to be a light in people’s lives. Something they can just put on, tune out the world and have a good time.”
He named it “Big Bro” because that’s exactly how he’s been seen by fans and peers throughout his career.
“I realized that’s who I am,” says Cudi. “I’m the one that’s meant to show you what not to do in life and how to avoid the same mistakes that I’ve fallen for in my life.” Big Bro is also the name of his mental health foundation for youth that he launched earlier this year.
Inside Kid Cudi’s studio are posters of Wu Tang Clan and Nirvana, an Ohio license plate, a Polaroid camera, a Nintendo 64 and more.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Now in his 40s, married and fully independent from a record label (hence the album title “Free”), Cudi is in a different place in life.
“I’m just so f— happy,” he says, flashing a luminous smile. His outfit, an Off White hoodie and a fleece bucket hat with a tortoise on the front, is just as uplifting and whimsical as his attitude. “People are going to see the joy on my face when they see the episodes. I think my fans really enjoy seeing me happy and that’s the most beautiful thing about my career — it’s that these fans really care about me.”
After years of opening up about his struggles with addiction, loneliness and depression through his music (on tracks like “Soundtrack 2 My Life,” “Trapped in My Mind” and “The Void”), in the press and in his 2025-released memoir. Despite being so vocal, Cudi still retains a mystique quality that fascinates fans. The podcast, he says, is a space for him to open up more than he already has.
“He’s a larger-than-life figure,” says John Fontanelli, director of original content at Wave and the lead producer on “Big Bro.” “He has a lot of different aliases and personas. He’s a very funny and relatable person and I think that comes through with him as a host.”
“I was really hyped on the idea of having a weekly show where I’m kind of like shooting the s— with my friends and having real positive conversations,” says Kid Cudi, 42.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
To bring his vision to life, Cudi teamed up with Wave Sports and Entertainment, which is home to shows like “7pm in Brooklyn” with NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, “Straight to Cam” with hosts WNBA star Cameron Brink and NBA wife Sydel Curry-Lee and “So True” with comedian Caleb Hearon. Wave was the only company that was “gung-ho” about his show idea and building out the production set of his dreams, he says. Inspired by the set design for Big Tigger’s “Rap City: The Basement” show on BET, Cudi wanted to fill his podcast set with items that reflect his personality and energy.
“I love that set,” he says. “There was this theme where all the guests kind played along like they were really coming to his mom’s house and it was so cool,” he says.
Before filming his first episode, Cudi binged several podcasts and tapped people like writer, producer and actor Lena Waithe, whose guidance helped him navigate hosting and connect authentically with his guests. And of course, he created the catchy jingle for the show himself, which includes the lyrics “Big bro / chillin with big bro” in his signature flow.
Each week, Cudi will sit down with a mix of unexpected guests for wide-ranging, playful conversations that uncover new sides of both his guests and himself. The premiere episode features entrepreneur and reality TV star Kylie Jenner, who rarely does podcasts or sit-down interviews.
“I think it will shed a lot of light on the sides of her life that she doesn’t normally talk about like motherhood, being a businesswoman and juggling both things,” says Cudi. “I was asking her very thoughtful questions and she was being very upfront and transparent, so I felt like this was like a really great episode to start with.”
Each Wednesday, Kid Cudi will sit down with a guest to talk about life, creativity and more.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Though fans may be expecting the show to tackle mental health and other difficult topics, Cudi plans to keep the conversations lighthearted and fun. “I feel like when we get into the mental health stuff, it can get really heavy and at least right now, I don’t want that to be the tone for the show,” he says. “This podcast, for me, needs to be really positive. The conversation needs to be fun, like no stress and not triggering for anyone.”
The podcast is just one piece of a much larger creative surge unfolding in Cudi’s orbit. Later this month, he will kick off the Rebel Ragers tour along with guests including M.I.A., A-Trak, me n ü, Big Boi and Cudi’s longtime producer, collaborator and friend, Dot Da Genius.
Under the artistic alias Scotty Ramon, he also hosted his first solo art exhibit, “Echoes of the Past,” at Ruttkowski;68 gallery in Paris. “I went years not knowing if I could paint and not only could I do it all along, there’s people in the world that are going to f— with it,” he says. He’s already finished with his next art collection, which he plans to showcase in New York next year.
With short films like “Mr. Miracle” and “Neverland” already under his belt, he’s been digging deeper into his director bag as well.
“I’m just so f— happy,” says Kid Cudi. “People are going to see the joy on my face when they see the episodes. I think my fans really enjoy seeing me happy and that’s the most beautiful thing about my career— it’s that these fans really care about me.”
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“I’m somebody who was raised watching the Wayans,” he says. “Some mother— who came in here and were like ‘We’re gonna do it like this.’ People like Robert Townsend and I just know what’s hot. I know what’s funny. I know what’s cool and I know what stories we haven’t seen.”
With his Mad Solar production and music management company, he is the star of an upcoming film called “God Backwards,” which he says will be released later this year. On top of all of that, he recently began streaming on Twitch (“Someone Cooked Here”), where he showcases his music making process including his four-track EP “Have U Bn 2 Heaven @ Nite?” which released in March.
As he continues to dive into different mediums, Cudi says the mission remains the same: to continue evolving, challenging himself artistically and inspiring people along the way.
“[It] makes me feel so good as an artist that I can take this leap into another realm and I’ll still have support,” he says. “There’s people who are like ‘Cudi painting now? Right now. What else you got, kid?’ I love it.”
“Big Bro With Kid Cudi” will drop new episodes every Wednesday starting April 1 on YouTube and other streaming platforms.
