"Erase Me" is a song by American musician Kid Cudi, released August 17, 2010, as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from his second studio album '' Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager'' (2010). It features a

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

by his mentor, fellow American rapper

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, and was produced by

Jim Jonsin James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), professionally known as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer, songwriter, businessman and DJ from South Florida. Jonsin has collaborated with numerous artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, ...

. The song proved to be another hit single for Cudi, with the song reaching the

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.

Background and release

The song features a guest verse from American rapper and producer Kanye West, who had signed Cudi to his

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

imprint in 2008. The song was produced by high-profile

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Jim Jonsin, who in 2008 produced two number one hit singles on the ''Billboard'' charts; "

Lollipop A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are ava ...

" by

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

and "

Whatever You Like "Whatever You Like" is a song by the American rapper T.I., released as the lead single (second overall) from his sixth studio album, ''Paper Trail'' (2008). The song was written by T.I. and David Siegel, alongside the song's producer Jim Jonsi ...

" by T.I. Speaking on the collaboration before its release, Jonsin told Rap-Up.com: "We did one song together, which is kind of rock-influenced. It was something I wanted to do with him and just see where he would go." Jonsin compared Cudi's blending of sounds to his own Rebel Rock artist

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

's genre-bending album ''

The Adventures of Bobby Ray ''B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray'' is the debut studio album by American rapper B.o.B, released on April 27, 2010, by Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place during 200 ...

'', stating "It's a mix. It's kind of some

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

stuff, some hip-hop traditional rap stuff, and then some

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

- pop stuff. He's goin' everywhere." Cudi later said that Jonsin had misinformed fans about the new album, "I got mad love for Jim but he was misinformed. There is no Kanye & Kid Cudi Duran Duran song, I'd sample a 90s record before a 80s record anyday and when I worked with Jim, I hadn't even started sessions with

Plain Pat Patrick Reynolds, professionally known as Plain Pat, is an American music executive, record producer, songwriter and disc jockey (DJ). He is perhaps best known for overseeing American musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi, during their respective ...

and Emile yet so the direction of my album was yet to be determined." The song debuted on a Cleveland radio station on June 30, 2010, and was officially released to Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 17, 2010. On August 24, 2010, "Erase Me" was released digitally via iTunes.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

, directed by

Jason Goldwatch Jason Goldwatch (born September 1, 1976) is an American music video director and commercial director who is a Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of Decon, a creative agency and record label based in New York. He is best known for his work ...

, was released on October 11, 2010. In the video, Kid Cudi plays a Jimi Hendrix-influenced character, sporting a black afro wig and a headband. American actors Christopher Mintz-Plasse and

Clark Duke Clark Duke (born May 5, 1985) is an American actor, comedian, and director known for his roles in the films '' Kick-Ass'', ''Sex Drive'', and ''Hot Tub Time Machine'', as well as playing Clark Green in the TV series ''The Office'', Dale Kettlew ...

make

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

s as Cudi's bandmates in the video.

Remix

During a performance in August 2019, Kid Cudi announced that the soundtrack for the film ''

Bill & Ted Face the Music ''Bill & Ted Face the Music'' is a 2020 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. It is the third film in the ''Bill & Ted'' film series, and the sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Bogus J ...

'' would feature a remix of his 2010 song "Erase Me" produced by Steve Aoki.

In other media

In 2010, Kid Cudi made a guest appearance on American television drama ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'', starring as himself and performed his ''Man on the Moon II'' single "Erase Me", during the episode. In 2011, the song was featured on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

's hit morning sports show '' SportsCenter''. In 2015, the song was featured on ''

Guitar Hero Live ''Guitar Hero Live'' is a 2015 music rhythm video game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, X ...

''.

Legacy

In 2020, American

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...

band

Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup (abbreviated as BFS) is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Burney (guitar, backing vocals), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion, backing vo ...

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

the song, featuring rapper 10k.Caash.

Track listing

; 7" Vinyl A-Side # "Erase Me" (featuring Kanye West) - 3:13 B-Side # "REVOFEV" - 3:03

Charts and certifications

"Erase Me" made its debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #22. On August 30, it debuted on the New Zealand single charts at #22. On September 5, it debuted on the UK singles chart at #58, and #18 on the UK R&B Chart.

Chart performance

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2010 singles Kid Cudi songs Kanye West songs Song recordings produced by Jim Jonsin Songs written by Kid Cudi Songs written by Kanye West Music videos directed by Jason Goldwatch GOOD Music singles Songs written by Frank Romano Universal Motown Records singles 2010 songs Songs written by Jim Jonsin Pop rock songs Rap rock songs