NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� is the latest celebrity being called to testify at 鈥� sex trafficking trial in New York.
The popular melodic rapper is expected to take the stand Thursday and tell the jury about his brief relationship 14 years ago with Combs鈥� ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer .
According to court filings and testimony, the Cassie-Cudi relationship, which grew out of the two working on music together, sent Combs into rages in which he beat her. Prosecutors contend that Combs was so upset he arranged to have Cudi鈥檚 convertible firebombed.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges that he leveraged his status as a power broker to abuse women.
Here鈥檚 what you need to know about the 41-year-old Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi.
Who is Kid Cudi?
The Cleveland born-and-raised, skinny-jean wearing, Grammy Award-winning rapper has long been celebrated for his alternative hip-hop, emotional music that effortlessly weaves genres together in surprising ways.
Music blogs and other tastemakers quickly caught on to Cudi's 2007 single, 鈥淒ay 鈥榥鈥� Nite,鈥� with its unique singsong style that later appeared on his blockbuster 2009 debut, 鈥淢an on the Moon: The End of the Day鈥� as 鈥淒ay 鈥榥鈥� Nite (Nightmare)." The album's hits included 鈥淧ursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)鈥� and is easily one of the most influential rap records of the last two decades. In September, 鈥淒ay 鈥榥鈥� Nite鈥� was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Cudi began as prot茅g茅 of when the then-uncontroversial rapper signed Cudi to his G.O.O.D. Music label in 2008. Cudi left in 2013.
He is featured on Jay-Z's 鈥淭he Blueprint 3鈥� and West's landmark 鈥�808s & Heartbreak.鈥� Cudi has always had an eye and ear toward innovation. In 2022, his album 鈥淓ntergalactic鈥� was released alongside a Netflix adult-animated romantic comedy of the same name, which he allowed him to 鈥渆xplore the abstract.鈥�
What is Kid Cudi鈥檚 involvement with Combs and Cassie?
, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, has been the trial鈥檚 central witness with her accounts of years of violence and sexual abuse.
She testified that Combs arranged for her to meet Cudi in 2011 to work on music. The two began dating soon after, and she said she got a burner phone to communicate with Cudi in secret.
Cassie said she and Combs had broken up at the time, although they still engaged in sex parties that Combs orchestrated. It was during one of these that Combs looked at her phone and learned of the Cudi relationship, Cassie testified.
In response, with a corkscrew and kicked her in the back.
When Cassie and Combs were out of the country in 2012, Combs told her that Cudi鈥檚 car would be blown up and Combs wanted Cudi鈥檚 friends there to see it, Cassie testified.
Cassie鈥檚 mother, Regina Ventura, testified that Cassie told her Combs was so angry about her relationship with Cudi that he planned to release sexually explicit videos of her and send someone to hurt Cassie and Cudi.
Cassie testified that Cudi came to visit her at her mother鈥檚 Connecticut home around Christmas in 2011 and she broke up with him, fearing for both of their safety.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has.
Kid Cudi's more recent music, and acting
His latest album, Soon after its release, 鈥淚nsano (Nitro Mega),鈥� a partner record that featured Wiz Khalifa, Pusha T, Steve Aoki and more, arrived.
On May 9, Cudi released his latest single, 鈥淣everland.鈥� A short film of the same name, directed by Ti West and produced by Monkeypaw Productions, will premiere at this June.
Also in May, Cudi officially launched his new apparel label, WZRD.
Daring fashion has been a longtime passion for Cudi; the rapper has partnered with brands such as BAPE and Adidas. He collaborated with the and in 2021 channeled Nirvana frontman by wearing an Abloh-designed Off-White floral dress on stage at
Last week, he announced his engagement to menswear designer Lola Abecassis Sartore.
Cudi is also a celebrated actor, having appeared in a number of feature films and television programs. They include 2020s the 2021 Netflix original the HBO series 鈥淗ow to Make It in America鈥� and the glossy 鈥淗ouse Party鈥� remake in 2023, in which he played it straight as an anti-social lurker who doesn鈥檛 like parties (鈥渢oo much laughing鈥�) and only wanted to go to give his pal LeBron a poem, as The Associated Press' Lindsey Bahr
___
Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak and Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
