[HOST] Fans love how Cleveland rapper Kid Cudi bares his soul through his music, but
one thing in particular stands out - his humming.
[HOST] The internet is full of memes celebrating Cudi’s hums - and he’s probably very aware.
[HOST] In fact, Mr. Rager has been humming his entire career.
[HOST] An early example can be found on “My World” off of his debut album,
'Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day.'
[HOST] A number of tracks on 'Man on the Moon 2' featured the hum, but “Ghost!” is a fan favorite.
[HOST] On “Going to the Ceremony” off of Satellite Flight, we hear it in the opening seconds.
[HOST] 2016’s Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' begins some hums.
[HOST] But what is it about Cudi’s hums, or humming generally that evokes such a visceral
response?
DR. KIM: Humming is an intimate act because you barely hum to strangers.
But it is directly tied to memory.
[HOST] That’s Dr. Suk-Jun Kim, composer and senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen
in the United Kingdom.
[HOST] He authored the 2018 book, 'Humming' where in it he writes quote:
DR. KIM: What I mean by socio-acoustic is that sound allows us to understand
our relationship to the world.
So when you hum for strangers it’s like opening up and inviting them into your personal space.
[HOST] For nearly 10 years, Kim has been collecting sounds from hundreds of people for something
he calls The Humming Project.
DR. KIM: With this project I'm interested in collecting memory of a community
so I use humming as a way to reveal such memories.
[HOST] In doing this he shows how the close act of humming can link people together through
common songs like old childhood lullabies.
[HOST] Jun hadn’t heard of Kid Cudi prior to his Genius interview, but after listening
he found that Cudder’s hums fit perfectly into his artistic research.
DR. KIM: I think Cudi's humming is very intimate because he allows us into himself
and shows us his loneliness and anxiety.
[HOST] Cudi knows his music resonates on a greater level.
He has been public about his own struggles with mental health - notably checking himself
into rehab October 2016.
[HOST] And this is why fans love him - his music resonates.
CUDI: My mission statement since day 1, and I’m getting so worked up talking about this.
All I wanted to do is help kids not feel alone and stop kids from committing suicide.
TRAVIS SCOTT: Kid Cudi is like, really one of the main dudes that I looked at and listened
to all the time.
He saved my life.
He saved me from doing random bad things to myself.
[HOST] And for many, their love for Cudder begins with his hums.
[HOST] Cudi recently performed at Coachella 2019 and seems poised to have a great year
- hopefully we’ll get some more hums from him in the process.
[HOST] I’m Jacques Morel with Genius News, bringing you the meaning and the knowledge
behind the music.
Peace!