Kid Cudi is about to add “filmmaker” to his list of multi-hyphenate talents with the new Netflix project Teddy.
Fresh off the indie horror hit X, Cudi will not only star in Teddy but direct it from a script he himself wrote. What’s more, JAY-Z is onboard as a co-producer, continuing the rappers’ run of cinematic collaborations that began when they teamed on “Guns Go Bang” for The Harder They Fall. JAY also produced that Western, and his partners Jeymes Samuel and James Lassiter are joining him in similar roles for Teddy.
“If I could sum up what the movie is about in one sentence, id say this: It’s as if I took the song ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ and wrote a movie about it,” Cudi said in an Instagram statement announcing the project. “I added a lot of my own personal struggles and experiences in it, so this film is very close to my heart.”
According to Cudi, Teddy has been on his mind since 2013. Originally envisioned as a TV series, the film “is a comedy” with “some real shit” sprinkled throughout. “It’s trippy, it’s fun, it’s sad, it’s life,” said Cudi.
While the movie will mark Kid Cudi’s directorial debut, it’s just the latest in a string Hollywood moves for the creative. He’s also set to star in actress/singer Brittany Snow’s directorial debut, September 17th. Plus, he had a recurring role in Season 3 of Westworld, played himself in Bill & Ted Face the Music, and appeared in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. Back in November, he also dropped his A Man Named Scott: The Kid Cudi Story doc on Amazon Prime.
All this camera work hasn’t stopped him from hitting the studio, either. He recently teamed with Nigo for “Want It Bad,” wrote “Just Look Up” with Ariana Grande for Don’t Look Up, remixed WILLOW’s “transparent soul,” and linked with Eminem on “The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady.” Cudi also dropped his long awaited Man on the Moon III at the end of 2020, leading to him having the shortest song ever on the Billboard Hot 100 (the 37-second “Beautiful Trip”), and breaking the record for biggest vinyl sales week for a male artist and a rap album with 41,500 units sold.
Plus, he’s set to headline the 2022 edition of Governors Ball, tickets for which can be found here. I mean, who needs Ye, right?
