Why was Kid Cudi arrested in New York in 2010?
Kid Cudi, compared to so many of his rap peers, has generally tended to stay out of trouble with the law, but that’s not to suggest he hasn’t experienced the occasional brush-in through the years.
In June 2010, while Cudi was 26 and still in the process of building up his career, stories began to circulate that the rapper had been arrested in New York. According to a police sergeant speaking in the wake of the arrest, Cudi had been charged with criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance.
Details about the circumstances leading to his arrest were quite intense. He was reported to have pounded on the door of a woman’s apartment in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York, and when he wasn’t let inside, he went a step further and allegedly kicked the door, eventually managing to rip it from its hinges. He also was said to have broken this woman’s mobile phone.
As for the “controlled substance” that was mentioned by the press, this was believed to have been liquid cocaine. Media outlets reporting on the incident couldn’t say whether or not Cudi had been intoxicated at the time of the alleged offence.
While Cudi was arrested following the incident, he was released in time for a gig he was scheduled to play in Tennessee. Taking to the stage at that year’s Bonnaroo festival, he spoke to the audience about how he had “really wanted to be here tonight”.
By September, the case had been resolved. The charge of criminal mischief was reported by EW to have been dismissed outright, while the possession charge saw Cudi forced to undergo two days of community service as part of a deal.
The rapper was told that if he could avoid getting into any legal troubles over the following six months, the case would be officially dismissed. His legal representative made it clear that the resolution that was reached did not imply Cudi’s guilt.
However, as is mostly the case, Cudi’s career wasn’t damaged by this saga.
His second album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr Rager, was released in November 2010 and was broadly positively reviewed, and by 2018, it had been certified platinum.