Rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer, Kid Cudi, went live on Instagram Friday evening to surprise fans with a full preview of a new unreleased track, “Leader of the Delinquents.”
The rapper took to Twitter earlier that evening to invite his fans to tune into his Instagram Live. “Alert: I’ll be live in an hour. All supporters please tune in,” he said.
In his live-stream, Cudi was joined by friend Jaden Smith, who had nonchalantly disclosed that the motive behind the arrangement was to surprise his fans with a preview of the never-released song.
The live-stream caught the attention of over 23,000 viewers who were actively engaging throughout the comments, waiting in anticipation to hear what Cudi had been mixing up. Though Cudi has involved himself with multiple projects, most recently collaborating with artists including Selena Gomez, Jaden Smith, Schoolboy Q, and Quavo, he has not released any solo work since the release of his last album: “Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’.”
Precisely, due to the four-year-long pause since the album’s 2016 release, fans are thirsty for some new content, especially now with the world on lockdown.
Former rapper KYLE added to the flooding of comments on the live-stream, saying, “I’ve been trapped in my mind. I’m tryna’ escape,” implying that he is one of many that is in need of Cudi’s creative flow as a way to escape realities of self-isolation as the new normal.
The surfacing of his presence could not have come during a more appropriate time, as Cudi has manifested himself as a rapper that advocates for mental health awarenes: a topic that is crucial and relevant to the conversations surrounding the effects of the nationwide pandemic.
His candidness about his struggles with depression has opened up a dialogue about mental illness and treatment. The rapper’s story has been so impactful that he has been quoted in a Psychology textbook talking about his battles with overcoming the mental disorder.
The textbook includes quotes from his infamous message to his fans that he wrote on Facebook back in 2016 before he had gone into rehab to deal with his emotional distress. The long message to his fans, in which he explained just how damaged he was feeling at the time, stated, “Idk what peace feels like. Idk how to relax. My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it.”
Now, with years of recovery under his belt, Cudi introduces the new track during the live stream by mentioning, “I thought it would be perfect for right now. I just feel like putting something out to the world and giving you guys something to relax to and vibe to,” he said.
In the first verse of the song, Cudi almost sounds like he is making parallels to his life under quarantine. He begins with, “Hello friends, this is Cudder again/Gotta smack ‘em with some sh** before [the] world ends,” continuing, “Same old denims, worn for days/I been home makin’ jams and many wonderful waves/I’ve seen in wonderful shades/Peekin’ at the shadows of the new landscape/I’ve been trapped up in my mind, I’ve been trying to escape,” he raps on the mid-tempo track.
However, “Leader of the Delinquents” is not an entirely new song. While its original recording date is unknown, Cudi did preview the song April 21, 2012, at a set at SUNY Geneseo after a fan asked him if he still rapped.
Though Cudi first performed the track eight years prior, he never officially released it. It is unclear whether the song will serve as a lead single for his anticipated, upcoming album “Entergalactic,” nevertheless, Cudi did tease that he’s not done with the surprises.
During his live stream, he said, in promise, “exciting things coming up soon…in the next couple weeks, actually,” and while it is currently unclear if this track will ever see an official release, both Smith and Cudi have provided the hints fans wanted.