Credit: Alamy

Kid Cudi was just starting his career in 2008 with his debut mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi. The body of work is home to his hit single ‘Day ‘n’ Nite’, as well as other fan favourites like ‘Cleveland Is the Reason’ and ’50 Ways to Make a Record’. While it’s one of the best projects of his career, many of its songs have gone under the radar in the context of his catalogue — until now.

If you open TikTok in October 2025, you’re bound to come across the infectious lyrics, “Goin’ back to Honolulu just to get that/ That Maui Wowie, that Maui Wowie.” It’s the chorus to Cudi’s early career gem, ‘Maui Wowie’, an ode to the Hawaiian-themed strain of marijuana. The Cleveland rapper has plenty of songs about weed, but he couldn’t have imagined this one would blow up nearly 20 years later.

The track is having a resurgence thanks to a trend that finds TikTok users hanging from streets signs and singing the hook. According to Know Your Meme, the trend was started by @aaronxbrownn on September 5th, which has since taken off. The song has 21million Spotify streams and is growing fast, with the track currently positioned at number 29 on the Viral 50 – Global chart.

Cudi has even acknowledged the trend himself, posting a video of himself hanging outside Progressive Field, the baseball park of the Cleveland Guardians. “Yeaaaaaaaaa,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank u to everyone for posting my song and havin fun and showing love!!! 17 year old and timeless.” With the success of the record, it’s no wonder he’s beaming.

While fans can sometimes feel bitter about their favourite song hitting the mainstream, it’s hard not to love the fact that ‘Maui Wowie’ is getting its flowers. It’s a record that displays the pure essence of Cudi, and one of the reasons why he made it as a musician in the first place. Cudi has long been associated with weed, and a quick look at his song titles shows it. Between tracks like ‘Marijuana’, ‘Hyyer’, ‘Up Up and Away’, and ‘Ashin’ Kusher’, he’s soundtracked many a smoke session.

‘Maui Wowie’ was released in July 2008 through streetwear brand 10 Deep and indie label Fool’s Gold Records. Like much of A Kid Named Cudi, the track uses production from another song: Grind Mode’s ‘I’m So High’. It also interpolates John Legend’s ‘Let’s Get Lifted’. In the song, he raps, “Yeah, back up in the mix/ Aloha n*gga, Cudi lookin’ for a fix/ Got enough dough, just to take a trip/ To get a little pinch of the Maui Wowie.”

A Kid Named Cudi ended up catching the attention of Kanye West, who later signed Cudi to his G.O.O.D. Music label. It was life-changing music for Cudi, and it clearly keeps on giving to this day. All these years later, kids are playing a deep cut that was so raw that he included a fart in the outro. With TikTok, you can never write a song off.