HOW KID CUDI CHANGED HIS LIFE

THE RAPPER FINALLY FOUND HAPPINESS AFTER FACING ADDICTION AND FOCUSING ON FAMILY

- BRENTON BLANCHET

Kid Cudi was just 25 years old when he released his multiplatinum hit “Pursuit of Happiness” in 2009. At the time, the rapper was new to the music industry—and still had years to go before he fully connected with the people and things that make him truly happy. Today, at 41, Cudi (born Scott Mescudi) says he’s finally achieved that pursuit: “I’m at complete, total peace.”

The musician, fashion designer and actor’s journey to this point was hard-fought, as he recounts in his new memoir Cudi, which hit shelves in August ahead of his 11th studio album, Free. Now Cudi is opening up about his whirlwind rise to stardom—and how he navigated complex relationships with industry titans and faced addiction—to come “out on the other side” as an influential figure in hip-hop and a happily married father of one. Adds Cudi: “I just feel really blessed.”