How Kid Cudi Rose to Fame: The Story Behind 'Day 'n' Nite' and Kanye West's Discovery

Kid Cudi, born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi on January 30, 1984, in Cleveland, Ohio, grew up in the suburb of Shaker Heights. Raised in a working-class family as the youngest of four, he faced early hardships, including his father's death when Cudi was young, which shaped his introspective style. He began rapping around 2003 at age 19, inspired by alternative hip-hop acts like A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde. After high school struggles—he was expelled for threats and later dropped out of film school—Cudi chased his music dreams. In 2005, with just $500 and a demo tape, he moved to New York City, crashing with his uncle, jazz drummer Kalil Madi, in the South Bronx. How Kid Cudi Rose to Fame?

How Kid Cudi Rose to Fame?

Life in NYC was tough. Cudi worked at a BAPE store in SoHo and dealt with family tensions, including a falling out with his uncle that led to regret after Madi's passing in 2006. This emotional turmoil fueled his creativity. He linked up with producer Dot da Genius, whose family even housed him in Brooklyn on the condition he kept making music. In 2006–2007, Cudi wrote and recorded "Day 'n' Nite," a haunting track produced by Dot da Genius. Inspired by Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me," it captured insomnia, loneliness, weed-smoking, and a search for peace: "Day and night, I toss and turn, I keep stress in my mind."

Cudi uploaded "Day 'n' Nite" to MySpace in 2007, where it slowly gained traction through blogs and word-of-mouth. This viral moment was pivotal—major labels like Motown started showing interest. In July 2008, Cudi released his debut mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, in collaboration with NYC streetwear brand 10.Deep and Fool's Gold Records. The 17-track project, produced mainly by Plain Pat and Emile Haynie, featured samples from artists like Outkast, Paul Simon, and N.E.R.D. "Day 'n' Nite" stood out as the lead single, blending melancholic lyrics with hypnotic, spacey production that felt fresh in the late-2000s hip-hop scene.

The mixtape exploded online, building a dedicated fanbase and catching industry ears. Kanye West's then-manager and A&R, Plain Pat, discovered Cudi's music (likely via MySpace and the mixtape) and introduced it to West. Cudi had briefly met Kanye years earlier—in 2004 at a Virgin Megastore and again while working at BAPE—but this was the breakthrough connection. Impressed by Cudi's unique sound, Kanye signed him to his GOOD Music imprint in late 2008. Cudi even contributed to Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak that year, providing vocals on "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Paranoid," and co-writing "Heartless" and "RoboCop."

With GOOD Music backing, "Day 'n' Nite" got an official push. Remixes (including one by Crookers) amplified its reach, and the music video—featuring surreal, pop-art visuals—debuted on BET's 106 & Park in February 2009 alongside Kanye. The track peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, went multi-platinum (eventually diamond), and became a cultural anthem for emotional vulnerability in rap.

This momentum led to Cudi's debut studio album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, released September 15, 2009, via GOOD Music/Universal Motown. Narrated by Common, it explored dreams, nightmares, depression, and ambition, with features from Kanye, Snoop Dogg, and others. Singles like "Make Her Say" and "Pursuit of Happiness" solidified his stardom, earning critical acclaim and influencing emo-rap pioneers like Travis Scott, Juice WRLD, and Lil Peep.

Kid Cudi's rise wasn't overnight—it stemmed from raw honesty, MySpace virality, a killer mixtape, and Kanye's pivotal discovery. "Day 'n' Nite" wasn't just a hit; it redefined what hip-hop could express, turning a lonely Cleveland kid into a generational voice.