Kid Cudi gained international recognition and began his rise to stardom with his commercial single “Day ‘n’ Nite,” which went on to feature on his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day in 2009.
After moving from his native Ohio to New York, two chance encounters with Kanye West helped to elevate his career. However, according to Jim Jones, he is “solely responsible for Kid Cudi’s career.”
During a recent conversation with VIP Saturdays on Sirius XM he recalled his first meeting with Cudi.
Jim Jones Says “Kid Cudi Was Nobody”
“Kid Cudi was nobody,” Jim Jones declared. “He worked in a f###### store under Koch Records. I was signed to Koch Records. I didn’t even know Kid Cudi worked down there. Lisa Brunt’s nephew at the time was doing some work for me in my studio, and he’s like, ‘Yo, I manage these video directors, and I want them to shoot a video for you,’ and s### like that. I’m like, ‘Show me the video.’ They showed me the video, ended up being a Kid Cudi video that they shot for free for him.”
Kid Cudi then continued, “They’re like ‘This is the kid that works in the f###### rock-n-roll store under Koch. They just did it for him,’ and I was like, ‘Give me the record, and I’ll let y’all shoot me a video.’ They got me the record, they shot the video.”
When asked how Hot 97 got hold of a version of “Day N Night,” Capo said someone from the station took it before removing him from the track.
“I put it on YouTube. Somebody at Hot97 ripped it off of YouTube and started playing it at Hot97,” Jim Jones said. “When he got his deal, they took me off the record and went for ads without me on the record. DJ Cassidy did that, you dig. You know I bumped into him, but that’s my man, though. It’s always a joke, though, but it happens like that. I’m solely responsible for Kid Cudi’s career. You can go tell him that, and he’s going to tell you, ‘He’s right.’”