CINCINNATI — Kid Cudi visited the Bengals’ Monday offseason workout, showing up fresh off a concert in the city to see quarterback Joe Burrow and the team as they ramp up preparations for the upcoming season.
Burrow grew up a devoted fan of Cudi, a Cleveland-area native who rose to prominence in the late 2000s, around the time Burrow was a middle schooler in southeast Ohio. The pair’s relationship intensified at the end of the 2021 season during Burrow’s second year in the NFL.
Before the Bengals faced the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, Cudi sent Burrow a personalized song. “It was like, ‘Joe, hello, you need to know you got the glow, Joe,’ or something like that,” Cudi said in a March 2022 interview on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Burrow gave Cudi his game-worn jersey from that Kansas City win.
In the moments after that victory, Burrow discussed adjusting to a growing public profile. “That part is surreal,” Burrow said in January 2022, adding at the time that he listens to Cudi’s “New York City Rage Fest” before every game. A couple of weeks later, Cudi performed at the Bengals’ Super Bowl wrap party following the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Cudi later released a track titled “Burrow” that featured Don Toliver and Steve Aoki and was produced by Dot Da Genius. On the field, Burrow has been a two-time MVP finalist and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Last year, the Bengals went 6-11, missed the playoffs for a third straight season and saw Burrow miss nine games with a turf-toe injury. As Burrow enters his seventh NFL season, Monday’s visit served as a reminder that some longtime Ohio connections remain intact.
