In his 40 years on earth, Kid Cudi has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows. He bared his soul, helping millions along the journey, realizing it’s okay to not be okay, and became a trailblazer for emo-rap in the process.
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Cudi has continued to refine his repertoire outside of music, sharpening his skills as a director, actor and writer for the silver screen. The Ohio native premieres his Mr. Miracle short film with Billboard on Friday (Sept. 19), which brings his poignant Free track to life and co-stars LaKeith Stanfield.
“I wanted this to be a love letter to my fans because they’re part of the reason I’m in this place of peace I’m in right now,” Cudder tells Billboard. “They never left me lonely, they have always been there.”
It was only right Cudi took it back to his familiar stomping grounds of Cleveland’s House of Blues for the short film.
Shot in black-and-white, the opening scene finds the multi-hyphenate getting mentally ready for a performance while backstage alongside Stanfield, an actor Cudi’s long “respected and admired,” as the duo ruminates about their turbulent journeys to stardom.
A cinematic score gives the feeling of a scene straight out of a superhero movie. “Fearlessness, that’s my superpower,” Cudi reflects. “Not many of us have it. You’re like me, I know you’ll understand. I jumped out into the unknown without any fear in my heart.”
Kid Cudi continues to recall how many fans have told him they’ve saved their lives, but it’s the eternal connection with fans that’s saved him. “People say I’ve saved their lives and that’s the wildest thing to think about. But in reality, they’ve saved mine,” he says.
Following a moment of solace, Cudi rocks the House of Blues stage, while the clip becomes more of a live performance music video to the grungy track. Once he puts the mic down, the lights dim and the darkness Cudi’s surrounded with flips to a light shining on him, the kid’s gonna be alright.
Watch the Mr. Miracle short film and check out our brief interview with Cudi below.
Billboard: Take us through the inspiration for the ‘Mr. Miracle’ short film as it ties back to the song and ‘Free’?
Kid Cudi: Mr. Miracle is a celebration of life and I felt like I wanted to have a moment of reflection in the beginning. I wanted to do something to celebrate them and what better place to do it than in Cleveland in my hometown at the House of Blues, which I have history in — I have performed there a number of times. It made sense to go back and do something for the fans and send them my love through a visual.
What made LaKeith Stanfield the right co-star for this as a creative who can relate to your experience?
LaKeith has always been somebody I respected and admired for a long time. We recently met, he asked me to get on one of his records for his album, and we became fast friends. You know, our experiences through the darkness are similar — we have both been through the hell and came out on the other side. I know he could relate, you know, as an artist and just as a human on this planet, I know he can relate to what I’ve been through. It just was perfect.
I recently acted with him in his short film for our first single Fast Life (coming Sept. 26), so when it came time to set this up I thought it would be great for us to share the camera again. I think that’s something people will notice when they watch — me and him on camera together is a powerful thing. Both of us have put in work throughout the years and just have so much respect from our peers, and to me it’s like getting Will Smith and Martin Lawrence together to do Bad Boys — it’s the ultimate union.
This is hopefully the beginning of many things for me and LaKeith. We’re hoping to develop things together. He’s a great scene partner, doing the scene with him was so ill, and I can’t wait to share the screen with him again. He’s a phenomenal actor and an amazing person.
The conversation with LaKeith feels like a scene from a superhero movie. Do you ever feel like a superhero with your fearlessness?
Yeah man, I do at times feel very superhero-ish with my presence in the culture. I’m someone that people look up to, that they say saved their lives in some way, and I don’t know. I don’t ever want to act like I’m a savior or some superhero because I am just a man, and all I can do is tell my truth and help others. It’s a simple thing for me.
I don’t see it as this big extraordinary thing — as an artist that’s our job, that’s our duty. It’s standard to put your heart and soul in your music and not just say a bunch of shit that doesn’t mean anything. Really put a message in there and connect with the fans.
The ending feels like you saw the light. Does that message apply to your personal life as well? How would you define that right now?
Yeah, the reason I put that in there was to show a visual of what I’m feeling, you know? I love that it goes from dark to a bright light because that’s literally what happened. I was living in the darkness for years and one day I looked up and saw the light.
It’s just a powerful feeling. Right now in my life I feel complete. I am thoroughly happy. I have everybody in my life that needs to be there to love and support me — like my wife, my sister, my nieces, my daughter, my best friend, my mom, my brother Dean. I just feel totally in full completion.
I know there’s more to accomplish in life, there’s levels to this s—. The happiness I feel now won’t even be close to the happiness I feel years from now when I have another kid, or when I’m renewing my vows, or when I’m 60 years old and my kids are in college and I’m dropping them off at school and Lola is crying and I’m like, “It’s okay!” Lola is here listening to me answer these questions right now, she said I’d be crying more than her.
But yeah, I just know there’s more happiness to come, and I’m really looking forward to it. Right now this is the happiest I could ever be, but there’s so much more happiness to come.
You’ve always been open and vulnerable throughout your career. Why was this the right time to look in the rearview and peel back the layers of your entire life with your memoir?
I feel like I’ve gone through such a journey my first 40 years on this planet, I felt like it could help somebody in the same way the music could. I feel like I was at this place in my life where it was time to have some reflection.
Do you plan to release more short films tied to the album in the future?
Not tied to the album. I think after this I’m done with Free, but people will be able to see Neverland soon. We’re working on a way for that to come out so fans can absorb that — I know a lot of people have been excited to see it, and it’s coming soon.
But I am definitely going to direct more short films in the future. I just finished writing my next one. It’s a really beautiful, heartwarming, funny short that I feel like a lot of people will connect with — a lot of my fans will connect with it. It’s a powerful piece and I can’t wait for you all to see that. Hopefully we shoot next month, so that’s moving forward.
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