NEWS
Kid Cudi performs "Tequila Shots" on 'Saturday Night Live' April 10, 2021.
Will Heath/NBCKid Cudi opened up about his friendship with late designer Virgil Abloh in a series of posts on Wednesday (Dec. 1), in which he shared his thoughts on the pioneering fashion figure, as well as the final texts the two shared before Abloh’s death from cancer on Nov. 28.
“It’s taken me a few days to make this post. Tryna find the right words,” Cudder wrote on Instagram alongside a series of photos of the two together and the rapper wearing some of Abloh’s Louis Vuitton designs on stage. “Virgil was the kindest most warmest soul I’ve ever met. He was a true visionary, genius, disrupter, epic DJ and artist, but he was also just truly a beautiful human. I’ve never known anyone quite like him. And I know i never will. Once in a lifetime.”
The second part of the post featured a heartfelt dedication to Abloh, who Cudi thanked for “being a true friend and always makin me feel special when u sent a text, made time for me to hang or sent some shoes w my name on them. I love you endlessly. Til we meet again my friend. I hope u see what you’ve done. You changed the world forever. You did that. I love you Virgil. Goodbye my friend.”
Cudi, who walked in this week’s Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2022 show — where he performed his song “Moon” — also shared the pair’s final text exchange from last week. “I’m glad I got to tell u how I felt about u,” he tweeted. “Im happy u didn’t leave here not knowing. I love you Virg FOREVER.”
In the text exchange included below that note, the friends casually talked about the show, with Cudi writing, “Miami gon be a feature film n—a!,” with Abloh responding, “MAJORRRRRR… action movie.” A few days later, Cudi had more on his mind, adding, “Yo willis whats good! Wanted to connect w u about the show and see what u had in mind for me to wear. Im gettin my hair colored today and wanna have a color that goes w the fit… Hope u had a great thanksgiving w the fam!! So thankful to have u in my life. Love u brother.”
Abloh shared the love, responding, “Mad love for you my G… Did you get a fitting time yet?”
Fashion house Louis Vuitton’s first-ever U.S. fashion show was a somber, whimsical tribute to Abloh, just days after his death. The Miami menswear event, an unofficial kickoff to the prestigious Art Basel fair, had been in the works for months and guests including Kim Kardashian West and her daughter North, Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, model Bella Hadid, Joe Jonas, Maluma and Pharrell, arrived in sleek LV monogrammed silver speedboats. Cudi and Erykah Badu performed at an after-party.
See Cudi’s posts and video of his performance below.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
