In a flurry of social media posts, Kid Cudi provided fans with several promising updates about his forthcoming projects, while dashing the hopes for one high-profile release that fans have been anticipating for years. In a December 21 tweet, Cudi responded to a fan asking if The Scotts, his much-hyped joint album with Travis Scott, was still in the works.
“Naw, I’m not doin’ that. The moment has passed,” he wrote, though in a separate follow-up tweet, he did say that he and Scott would still be releasing collaborative tracks going forwards.
Their collaborative single “The Scotts” became Cudi’s first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, debuting at no. 1 and eventually earning a platinum certification. It marked the duo’s fourth collaboration after Scott’s “Through the Late Night” and Stop Trying to Be God” and Cudi’s “Baptized in Fire.” Travis has been vocal throughout his career about the influence Cudi had on him artistically, and both are instrumental figures to understanding late 2000s and 2010s hip-hop.
In his August 2020 GQ cover story, Travis Scott said that the pair were working on an album, and had several songs already in the can. He hesitated to offer much in the way of concrete description, but promised “Some fireness!” from the tandem. During an Apple Music interview later that year, Cudi said that Scott inspired his more rap-centric approach to Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, the last entry in his trilogy.
The musician and actor’s willingness to work with Scott again is notable partly because they share a mentor in Kanye West. Cudi and West released a collaborative album in June 2018, but have had a very public falling out in recent years, and their rift is something Cudi has been candid about not seeing a way to repair. It’s unclear where the relationship between Scott, who is working on his eagerly awaited fourth studio album, and West is presently.
Cudi was also asked by fans about working with Frank Ocean, Tyler, the Creator and The Weeknd in the future, and downplayed the probability in characteristically zen fashion. “I think the question is would they ever work [with] me? And I doubt it, especially Tyler. Believe me I’ve asked. Abel’s the homie [though] but I think that ship has sailed. It’s all good!” he wrote. Later adding, “Some things just [aren’t] gonna happen guys, it’s okay!”
Even with The Scotts off the table, Cudi has stayed incredibly busy, and has quite the slate of projects for 2023. In September he released his animated TV special Entergalactic, in which he voiced the lead character, alongside an album of the same name. He has several high-profile films coming out as part of his burgeoning acting career, including roles in an adaptation of Brandon Taylor’s acclaimed novel Real Life, Brittany Snow’s addiction drama September 17th, and John Woo’s yuletide revenge flick Silent Night.