It’s very likely that Kid Cudi’s appearance on the G.O.O.D Music compilation Cruel Summer was his last as a member of Kanye West’s collective. Late Tuesday afternoon, the Cleveland native told DJ Felli Fell and Yesi Ortiz of LA’s KPWR “Power 106” FM that he’s no longer been a member of G.O.O.D. Music for a while.
“[I’ve known] for at least like six months,” Cudi explained. “I’m very forward-thinking. I’m like, ‘Next year, I want to be doing this.’”
Apparently “this” meant severing business ties with West. The pair cemented a partnership in 2009 when Cudi’s Dream On imprint linked with G.O.O.D. Music. Cudi joins other notable acts that are no longer under the G.O.O.D. Music umbrella including Sa-Ra Creative Partners. Since its inception in 2004, West has added the likes of Mr. Hudson, Pusha T and Teyana Taylor to the G.O.O.D. Music fold. Prior to making his decision, Kid Cudi said he sought out advice from a few of West’s high-profile peers.
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“I kind of knew where I wanted to go,” Cudi further explained. “Then I was trying to figure out what the right decision would be…how to talk to him about it. I went through a process where I talked to Don C, and then I went and talked to Jay-Z. I got their opinions about how to approach things that I wanted to talk to him about it. Everybody gave me their blessings on how I was approaching it.”
Cudi reiterated that he and West are still on good terms. Felli Fell then asked Cudi, “What if I had Kanye on the phone right now and he wanted to talk to you about it?”
“That would be awesome,” Cudi responded. “‘Cause he would be like, ‘Man, Cudi is the illest.’ That’s my big brother like forever. I’ll smack the dog piss out of somebody for Kanye, man. It’s not like some beef thing; it’s just business. I got Jay and Don C’s opinions, because I’ve never wanted to offend [Kanye].
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“I didn’t know how he would take it. I was like, ‘Man, I do not want to make my brother mad.’ Me and Kanye have never bumped heads, we’ve never argued…we’ve never been in heated conversations ever. It’s always been peace, and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to start now.’ I really went out of my way to make sure what I was feeling was justified and it was okay to bring it to the table. And ‘Hov reassured me like, ‘Man, I hear it in your tone that it’s genuine. And everything that your saying to me…I know Kanye, and I know he’ll be receptive to that. I know he’ll honor it.”
Cudi’s third solo effort, Indicud, is scheduled for release April 23.
RELATED:Kid Cudi “Indicud” Release Date, Cover Art & Tracklist
