As soon as Kid Cudi surprise-released his new album Satellite Flight, people started saying he'd "pulled a Beyoncé", something that was also said the Air Yeezys dropped, so it's only a matter of time before Beyoncé just becomes a synonym for "surprise". Whether or not Cudi did take a note from Bey was a valid question however, and it's one he addressed in his recent interview with Complex.
"I was like, 'Man, I’m tired of promoting and marketing an album. I just wanna give it,' said Cudi, whose idea came prior to Yoncé's drop. "This project isn’t something I was planning on doing. I just kinda did it, like, 'Let’s see what happens if I do it this way.'”
Apparently, Cudi already had a release date in mind when the R&B diva's album showed up. "I knew I was gonna do it around February—actually January was the target. I wanted to have it around my 30th birthday," he said. "Beyoncé’s album came out around December. If I’d had a time machine I would’ve known, but her stuff was a surprise to all."
The rapper revealed that while Bey beat him to the punch, it showed him that the strategy could pay off. "At the same time, watching Beyoncé drop definitely gave me the confidence and let me know that it could be executed. Like, 'Oh yes! someone was the guinea pig and it worked.' Perfect, now I can try. It’s a beautiful thing that it worked for me because I am not Beyoncé. Maybe in my wildest dreams on my prettiest day. [Laughs.]"
Cudi was happy that despite having a less rabid fanbase than Bey, he was still able to make it work. "I don’t have her legendary-ness, like her fucking amazing abilities and her fans and the millions of people that follow her," he said. "So to see that it was able to work for someone like me… who still considers himself an underground, indie artist, is dope. People like to throw around mainstream but I think I’m only mainstream because of my affiliations."
