Giant, wild-eyed statues of Kid Cudi suddenly appeared this week in Paris, New York and off the coast of Long Beach, apparently marking the release of the rapper's latest album, “INSANO.”
All of the 33-foot silver statues depict the Cleveland native with his arms outstretched, with blue and red lights glowing eerily through empty eye sockets and open mouths.
After the first statue appeared in Paris in the Plaza de la Bolsa, the French news agency AFP described it as a depiction of the rapper in a “demonic stance” and said his management informed him to start blasting music from the new 21-track album later that day.
The Long Beach version of the image of the Grammy winner, 39, appeared on a barge in Alamitos Bay on Friday morning, according to a statement city officials posted on social media. Officials said the statue was for a “private promotional event at a local business” but could be seen from any city beach along the coast.
After leaving the bay, the barge carrying Cudi floated up and down the Long Beach shoreline until Friday evening, the city said. During the weekend it is expected to pass through Redondo, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica and Malibú, reported the Long Beach Post.
The new album the statue is promoting was officially released on Friday and features collaborations with Travis Scott, Pharrell Williams and ASAP Rocky. According to AFP, it also includes a sample of Ace of Base's '90s smash hit “The Sign.”
“The responses to the album have been overwhelming,” the rapper wrote on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “I put it all into this album.”
