Kid Cudi Replacing Kayne West as Headlining Act at Rolling Loud Miami Festival

Kid Cudi is stepping in…

The 38-year-old half-Mexican American rapper, singer, record producer and actor has replaced Kanye West as the headlining act for Rolling Loud Miami.

Kid CudiCudi will replace Kanye West during the 3-day celebration after festival organizers announced Ye’s departure due to “circumstances outside the control.”

“Due to circumstances outside of our control, Ye will no longer be performing at Rolling Loud Miami 2022. Please welcome @KiDCuDi!” they shared via Twitter on Sunday along with the updated schedule for the festival.

Co-founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler shared additional insight with Deadline regarding West’s departure.

“We were looking forward to Ye headlining Rolling Loud Miami 2022. We spent months working with him and his team on the performance. Unfortunately, Ye has decided that he will no longer be performing,” they said in the joint statement. :”This is the first time a headliner has ever pulled off our show and though we don’t take it lightly, we wish him the best. We look forward to welcoming Kid Cudi as a headliner in Miami and we can’t wait to see what he has in store.”

The swap is interesting because West and Cudi have extensive history together both professionally and personally.

West helped launch Cudi’s career as a producer signing him to his Good Music label in 2008. Cudi’s first three studio releases Man on the Moon: The End of DayMan on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, and Indicud were released under the imprint before his departure from Good Music in 2013 under good terms.

In 2018, the pair released a self-titled collaborative album as the duo Kids See Ghosts.

Their relationship became strained earlier this year following a public argument on social media that was reportedly connected to Cudi’s ongoing friendship with Pete Davidson, who is currently in a relationship with West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

In a since-deleted tweet, West posted a note on Instagram that read in part, “Just so everyone knows, [Kid] Cudi will not be on Donda 2′ because he’s friends with you know who.”

It’s unknown if the pair had mended fences following the melee.

Rolling Loud Miami will also feature Future and Kendrick Lamar as headliners on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The full updated lineup can be found below.

Kid Cudi Earns Third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart with “Man on the Moon III: The Chosen” 

Kid Cudi has another smash on his hands…

The 36-year-old part-Mexican American rapper/singer has earned his third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as Man on the Moon III: The Chosen debuts at the top of the chart dated December 26.

Kid Cudi

The set, released through Republic Records on December 11, earned 144,000 equivalent album units in the week ending December 17, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Prior to the Man on the Moon III landing, Kid Cudi previously reigned with the set’s previous installment, 2010’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager and 2013’s Indicud, both of which debuted in the top slot and reigned for one week.

Beyond the two leaders, Kid Cudi’s three other projects all reached the top five: 2009’s Man on the Moon: The End of Day (No. 5), 2014’s Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon (No. 2) and Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ (No. 5, 2017).

In addition, the act Kids See Ghosts, a duo comprising Kid Cudi and Kanye West, also claimed a No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with their eponymous LP in 2018.

Man on the Moon III: The Chosen likewise debuts at No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums chart and at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200, behind Taylor Swift’s Evermore.

As Man on the Moon III arrives, 18 of its tracks dot the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, led by the top 10 arrivals “Tequila Shots” (No. 7) and “She Knows This” (No. 9). The pair produce Kid Cudi’s third and fourth top 10s, following his 2009 breakthrough “Day and Night” (No. 5) and this year’s “The Scotts,” billed to The Scotts, Travis Scott, and Kid Cudi, which debuted at No. 1 in May and held for one week.

Here’s a full rundown of where all 18 Man on the Moon III cuts show on the ranking:

No. 7, “Tequila Shots”
No. 9, “She Knows This”
No. 12, “Show Out,” with Skepta and Pop Smoke
No. 16, “Another Day”
No. 21, “Mr. Solo Dolo III”
No. 22, “Dive”
No. 24, “Heaven on Earth”
No. 27, “Sad People”
No. 28, “Damaged”
No. 32, “Beautiful Trip”
No. 33, “The Void”
No. 35, “Rockstar Knights,” with Trippie Redd
No. 37, “Sept. 16”
No. 39, “Elsie’s Baby Boy (Flashback)”
No. 40, “Lovin’ Me,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers
No. 44, “The Pale Moonlight”
No. 47, “4 Da Kidz”
No. 50, “Lord I Know”

With 18 simultaneous placements, Kid Cudi becomes the fifth artist to post at least that many entries on the chart in a single week. His company includes Drake, who has claimed 10 separate weeks with 18-plus entries, Lil Uzi Vert and The Weeknd, each with two such weeks, and Lil Wayne and Pop Smoke, who have managed the feat once apiece.

Kid Cudi Collaborates with Jaden Smith on “Higher Up” Track

Kid Cudi has joined forces with kid Smith on a new musical collaboration…

The 28-year-old part-Mexican American hip-hop artist/songwriter appears on a new track titled “Higher Up,” which has been released by Jaden Smith.

Kid Cudi

The new rap single contains rhymes from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s 14-year-old son,  which are delivered over the instrumental track from Kid Cudi’s 2009 song. The young Smith presents a chilled-out R&B beat and some lyrics dedicated to his famous parents.

“Higher Up” opens with a gentle piano playing along a relaxed percussion beat. Jaden’s deep voice, which sounds very different from how his vocals sounded in his cameo on Justin Bieber‘s “Never Say Never,” comes as a surprise at the start of the song. Kid Cudi joins the rhymes during the song’s hook, singing the line, “Who’s all ready to go higher up?”

Smith sings, “I’m just a kid who’s not really a kid/ I’m different, dawg, I wear dresses / I’m not upset / You don’t mess with my style cause this stuff’s aggressive/ I’m sorry mom and dad I’m just trying to live, tell them bloggers when they see me to stay out my business.”

“Higher Up” is the first of two projects between Kid Cudi and Smith.

The “Day ‘n’ Nite” hitmaker has previously revealed that the young Smith would be a featured artist on his next album, Indicud, which is slated for release in 2013.