Kid Cudi Found An 'Uncle' In Michael Bolton During Indicud Session

In the digital era, when getting an exciting feature on your latest single can be as easy as trading verses and beats via e-mail, there are still rare moments when artists spend quality time vibing in the studio to create something special. Kid Cudi did just that with Michael Bolton, telling MTV News that the legendary singer turned out to be like the uncle he never had.

Guest appearances on Cudi's third solo album Indicud include Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky, but how about that 9-minute track with Michael Bolton singing "bring your friends," on the hook? You can't help but wonder how on earth that one came to fruition, but obviously it involves being a fan in the first place.

"My mom is a huge fan so I grew up hearing him in the household and he did the song with The Lonely Island that I thought that was genius," Cudi explained. "I love those guys' work and seeing what they did with Michael they really utilized him, but I was like man I wanna utilize him in a way where I'm not tryna make a joke or anything--I just wanna use the mightiness of his voice in a way that's never been done before."

As a rule, Cudi will only feature an artist on his album if they've actually had time to kick it together and connect, and the chill time with Michael Bolton was everything he expected and more.

"I reached out, he responded immediately and we were able to get him in the studio for like three hours and most of the time he spent talking and just dropping science," he revealed, smiling as he relived the moment. "It was really cool to have his energy and just to be around him because he's such a legend, so down to earth and cool. He was like the uncle I never had."

If you need more visuals of that moment, Cudi described Bolton as "swagged out with the diamond earring," wearing the "ill blue sweater" and of course, splashed with "extravagant cologne that smelled like a dozen babies in a cotton field somewhere."

"His energy was just something I've never ever seen," he added. "I learned a lot from being in that session with him and that's when the real excitement comes, when you do these features with people you admire, then you meet them and they're everything you imagine them to be. Now I just have these moments in my mind of this cool session I had with Michael Bolton and we made this song about bringing your friends back to the crib!"