Kid Cudi is a creative auteur unlike any other in the business. Despite highly-publicized mental health issues in 2016, Cudi released Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, one of the most impressive and idiosyncratic albums in a year rich in great new hip-hop. Last night, he appeared on The Tonight Show to perform a cut off the album, “Kitchen,” with the help of a full string section. Amidst a fog of fake smoke, Cudi delivered an earnest performance of the slow, sweeping song, characteristically utilizing his unique singing voice as much for its sonic texture as for its lyrical content. You could argue that it’s not even really a hip-hop song–and you’d probably win–but that’s just his style. Cudi’s comfort zone is “outside the box,” and that’s why his fans adore him.
Watch Kid Cudi’s Tonight Show performance below of “Kitchen” from 2016’s Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ below, via NBC: