Kid Cudi jumped onstage with Kanye in Chicago, and now he's defending every second of it
Ye's Soldier Field homecoming was already a spectacle. Then Cudi walked out - and the internet had a lot more than music to argue about.
In brief
Kid Cudi jumped onstage with Kanye in Chicago, and now he's defending every second of it
Two nights at Soldier Field. A reunion nobody quite expected. And then, the morning after, a prolonged argument on X that pulled in half of hip-hop Twitter. Kanye West's Chicago homecoming concerts on September 3 and 4 were already being called some of the most star-studded shows of the year - and then Kid Cudi walked out, and the story got a lot more complicated.
West had been through considerable controversy in the years leading up to the shows, but fans in his home city put all that to the side on Friday, September 4, to see the final of his two homecoming nights at Soldier Field - his first Chicago performance in five years. The guest list alone was staggering. Kanye packed the second night with hometown heroes Chief Keef, Twista, and Lupe Fiasco, and also brought out Rick Ross, Don Toliver, Travis Scott, Young Thug, and CyHi.
But the guest that broke the internet wasn't any of them.
Cudi made a surprise appearance during West's second Chicago concert at Soldier Field on September 4, and the two artists performed together, bringing back memories of their long history as collaborators. According to Complex, Ye staged a G.O.O.D. Music reunion with Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Common, and surprise guest Kid Cudi, who joined him for "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" and "Ghost Town" before performing "Pursuit of Happiness." Setlist.fm logged it as the first public collaboration between Ye and Kid Cudi since August 2024.
The backstory is what gave the moment its weight. The public fallout between the two began in February 2022 when Kanye removed Kid Cudi's contributions from Donda 2. Kanye was upset over Cudi's close friendship with Pete Davidson, who was dating Kanye's ex-wife Kim Kardashian at the time - and Kanye declared on social media that Cudi would not appear on the album, leading Cudi to fire back that they were no longer friends. And then, as Deadline reports, following West's antisemitic behavior, including a pro-Hitler song, for which he apologized with a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal in January, Cudi told West he was "done" with him.
So when Cudi walked out onto that stage Thursday night, a lot of people had opinions.
New York radio personality Peter Rosenberg was the first major voice to go public with criticism. Rosenberg wrote on X that he was "disappointed in a lot of people," posting on September 4 and saying the reunions had come only a year after West had made deeply offensive remarks. Cudi's response was direct and personal. Deadline reports that Cudi told Rosenberg he didn't "really care if ur disappointed in me" and wrote, "That man is my brother. U don't have a relationship w him like I do. Damn near 2 decades of art and friendship."
He didn't stop there. Cudi added that West "was dealing w mental health struggles for years and now he's good" and that "everyone deserves some grace when they family." According to WION, Cudi revealed he eventually forgave West because West gave him a sincere, personal apology - something Cudi noted West rarely does for anyone.
The first night, September 3, was no slouch either. Big Sean made a surprise appearance, pulling from the G.O.O.D. Music compilation Cruel Summer and his own Dark Sky Paradise across a setlist totaling over 40 songs from Ye's catalog, with Twista, 2 Chainz, and Future also joining Ye atop his traveling globe-like stage. HotNewHipHop also noted that Kanye took a moment to salute Lil Durk, who is currently on trial facing murder-for-hire charges, by playing Durk's J. Cole collab "All My Life." That detail, too, drew its share of online commentary.
The Cudi situation cut deeper than a typical celebrity friendship story, though, because of the specific history involved. Cudi addressed the backlash in a Saturday social media post following Rosenberg's comments condemning people who have remained close to West despite his past antisemitic remarks. Cudi's posts stayed up. He didn't walk anything back.
What Rosenberg said in return was pointed: that he wasn't necessarily calling out Cudi specifically, but that seeing people rush back into Ye's orbit a year after a "Heil Hitler" song was the thing that stung. The two went back and forth publicly for most of Saturday, with neither side blinking.
The wider guest list at both shows - which also included Lupe Fiasco, Travis Scott, Big Sean, Common, Young Thug, Rick Ross, Don Toliver, 2 Chainz, and Chief Keef on the Friday night alone - will keep people talking about whether Ye's rehabilitation in hip-hop circles is moving too fast, too slowly, or whether that's even the right frame. Cudi's answer, for now, is simple: the friendship predates the controversy, the apology was real, and the stage was where they belonged.
The setlist from night two still had a few songs listed that never got played - "Faneto," "Through The Wire," "Say You Will" among them. Those songs were on the paper setlist but were ultimately not performed. Maybe next time.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
