Kid Cudi invites fans to rap on his beat for a shot at his label

Kid Cudi is giving fans a real shot at signing to his Mad Solar label by asking them to rap or sing over a beat he built himself, XXL reported on August 12.

Cudi pitched the idea on X on August 5, writing, "What if I made a beat, put it on SoundCloud, let u guys rap/sing on it" and then picking the strongest versions to form a group he would sign and, in his words, "f**k up the world together." He originally asked for 100,000 likes and 20,000 reposts before running with the idea, then lowered that bar to just 2,000 likes once the response rolled in.

He finished the beat two days later and put it on SoundCloud early, ahead of the fuller submission instructions he said would follow. Cudi warned hopefuls he would be "very critical," saying he wants performers who sound polished and original and carry "a story and something to say," and he gave the field a week to record their versions without altering the beat itself.

Fans did not wait for formal rules to start sending in versions. Cleveland musician Dave Zup posted his take on X on Tuesday, August 11, and Cudi responded within hours by inviting him to check his direct messages, an early signal of how seriously he is treating the search.

The hip-hop veteran has built Mad Solar as an outlet for signing acts outside his own solo catalog, and a fan-sourced group would be its most unusual signing yet if the beat search actually produces one. XXL did not report a submission deadline beyond the week Cudi gave participants to work on the track, so the size of the eventual field remains an open question.