Kid Cudi on his ‘brother’ Kanye West, moviemaking with Leo and finally learning to love himself

There is an illuminating moment in the new Kid Cudi documentary, “A Man Named Scott,” that captures the Ohio native’s improbable run to becoming a hip-hop superstar. “It’s masterful how was able to piece together all sorts of visuals, artwork and music to tell Kurt’s story,” says Cudi, when asked how he and Alexander came up with “A Man Named Scott‘s” dreamlike treatment, which includes dancers, actors and trippy special effects. He was going to ask all the right questions.” During the filming of “A Man Named Scott,” Alexander found Cudi’s restlessness as an artist refreshing, even when it led to missteps such as his critically panned 2015 rock turn “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.” “It was always beautiful to see that his approach was based on following his feelings and personal preference versus public opinion,” says Alexander. He says in the documentary that the birth of his daughter, Vada, now 11, gave him the joy that he couldn’t find in his career, and that he now regrets that he put the women in his life “through so much drama.” When the subject turns to younger artists like Jaden and Willow Smith and Lil Yachty hailing him in “A Man Named Scott” as a change agent whose music has helped some struggling kids live for another day, he takes it all in stride.