Sometimes, you just have to know when to move on. Midwestern rapper Kid Cudi has announced that he is no longer affiliated with Kanye West‘s G.O.O.D. Music label. The rapper made the news public during an extensive interview with Power 106, stating that he has decided to take a different path.
“I’m announcing that I’m no longer on G.O.O.D Music,” Cudi said. “This is something that no one knows, really but I’m no longer on G.O.O.D Music. I could never get tired of Kanye. We were talking on the phone the other day. I’ve been wanting to talk to him about starting my own direction and he got it because he’s trying to start his new path. “Man, I feel you…. There’s no beef, there’s no problems with anyone on the label. It’s all love.”
Since Cudi’s emergence, other artists like Big Sean and Pusha T have seemingly become a higher priority for G.O.O.D., and Cudi’s latest releases have received less support. Later in the interview, the rapper revealed that he talked to hip-hop mogul and longtime Kanye friend, Jay-Z about his plans to leave–as well as Don C. West’s manager.
After he was asked how long he’d been waiting to make the announcement, “For at least, like, six months,” Cudi shared. “I’m very forward-thinking. I’m like, ‘Next year, I’m going to be doing ‘this.” I kinda like, knew where I wanted to go and then was trying to figure out what the right decision would be. I went through a process where I talked to Don C, then I went to talk to Jay-Z, and got their opinions about how to approach him. Everybody gave me the blessing.”
Cudi signed to G.O.O.D. Music in 2008 after building a steady buzz on his own in New York City via a series of well-received mixtapes. The Cleveland native was immediately touted as arguably the biggest up-and-coming star on Kanye’s imprint, and contributed to West’s 808s & Heartbreak album before releasing his debut, Man On the Moon: End of Day in 2009, which included the rapper’s most successful single to date, “Day N Nite.”
