WZRD

WZRD is an American rock duo formed in New York City in 2010, consisting of rapper and singer Kid Cudi (Scott Mescudi) and producer Dot da Genius (Oladipo Omishore). The project marked a deliberate departure from Kid Cudi's hip-hop work, embracing a psychedelic, pop-rock and alternative-rock sound heavily influenced by grunge and space-rock aesthetics. Songs like «The Dream Time Machine» and «Teleport 2 Me, Jamie» reflect this shift toward guitar-driven, atmospheric songwriting.

The duo released their self-titled debut album, WZRD, in February 2012, which found Cudi singing rather than rapping for most of the record, layered over Dot da Genius's dense, distorted production. Tracks such as «Upper Room» and «Love Hard» leaned into moody, hazy textures, while their cover of «Where Did You Sleep Last Night?» nodded to the grunge lineage that shaped the project's sound.

WZRD stands somewhat apart in Kid Cudi's catalog as an experimental side project that let him explore rock songwriting outside the framework of his mainstream hip-hop releases, foreshadowing the more rock-leaning textures that would later surface throughout his solo work.