Kid Cudi has fondly remembered a time when the R&B legend, Mary J. Blige, blessed him with her presence in the studio.
The rapper-turned-actor took to Twitter on Friday (November 10) to share a story about the recording of 2010’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, on which the What’s the 411 singer appears on “Don’t Play This Song.”
“Cool MOTM2 story: I originally had this backyard family reunion type song I wanted Mary on,” he began. “I reached out, not knowing if she would respond, and she did. She came to the studio in all her elegance, I play her the joint, she likes it.
“She asks to hear more from the album, I tell her its pretty heavy subject matter wise, she was open to hear. I played her Dont Play This Song, when its over she says she wants to get on something like that.”
He continued: “I was like FOREAL?? I felt like she connected w the pain, she felt me, she understood me and she did not judge. She knocked out her part (I was so fuckin happy the shit came out DOPEEE as u all have heard) then asked to hear some more, we did These Worries right after.
“Workin w Mary was def top 3 illest moment in my life and Ill always cherish it and appreciate her for embracing a troubled young man just tryna express himself. Mary, I love you, WE love you, Thank You @maryjblige.”
Check out the tweet below:
Cool MOTM2 story: I originally had this backyard family reunion type song I wanted Mary on. I reached out, not knowing if she would respond, and she did. She came to the studio in all her elegance, I play her the joint, she likes it. She asks to hear more from the album, I…
— The Chosen One (@KiDCuDi) November 10, 2023
In another tweet, Kid Cudi also reflected on the 13th anniversary of Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, and talked extensively about how his mental health was compromised during the recording of the project.
This “open book” policy isn’t one that’s new for the “Day ‘n’ Nite” artist, as he’s long been a mental health advocate.
The Alchemist Responds To Kid Cudi’s Joint Album Request
Back in 2022, he was a keynote speaker at a dinner for New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Youth Anxiety Center.
“Before I actually had therapy, the music was there for me,” Cudi said (via Vogue). “It was the perfect way to express myself and feel safe doing it. I’m always asking my daughter if she’s cool. I’m always checking in with her. That’s important; I feel like that’s good for our connection.”
The Ohio native then opened up about how he kept his mental health issues bottled up and smothered as a child since he felt as if he had nobody to turn to.
“It was one of those things where it was just like: How do you come up to Mom who’s dealing with four kids, and your dad died, and she’s taking care of everybody on her own, that you’re dealing with something,” he explained.
