Kid Cudi Wears A Floral Dress On ‘SNL’ For ‘Sad People’ Performance As Tribute To Kurt Cobain

Kid Cudi also paid tribute to late ‘SNL’ legend Chris Farley during his first performance, along with a mossy green sweater that was another nod to Cobain.

Kid Cudi, 37, went viral for his outfit choices during his Saturday Night Live debut! The rapper took the stage in a floral dress for his performance of “Sad People” designed by Virgil Abloh’s Off-White label. The look was also a nod to the the late Kurt Cobain, who performed in several dresses throughout his career — including a floral one. The Nirvana frontman, who died in 1994, also wore a dress on the 1993 cover of magazine The Face. Cudi added a flower necklace adorned with skulls to complete the look.

Other celebrities have also paid tribute to Cobain in similar ensembles, including Post Malone at a fundraiser for the WHO’s COVID-10 Solidarity Response Fund in April. Of note, Kurt performed on SNL with Nirvana in Jan. 1992 and Sept. 1993. The dress totally elevated Kid Cudi’s already amazing second performance. “Close call, life on the edge/Ahh, when the time comes, I’ll find peace/I can find love in me,” he says in the powerful lyrics that also make reference to “swimming in pain.”

The dress wasn’t the only Kurt tribute of the night: for his first performance of “Tequila Shots,” Cudi opted for a mossy green sweater which is another iconic Kurt look. Cobain rocked a similar sweater during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged concert back in 1993, just a year before his passing. He also wore a shirt with the face of late SNL cast member Chris Farley, who died in 1997. Immediately after the show, Cudi shared an image of a beat up backstage sign at Studio 8H that read “Watch Your Head” with “Farley” scratched next to it. Farley is often regarded as one of SNL’s most iconic performers who acted alongside legends Chris Rock, who hosted the season premiere, and Adam Sandler.

Both looks got plenty of applause on Twitter. “Kid Cudi pulling the ultimate Kurt Cobain tribute on #SNL on the week of this death. @KidCudiall about love and suicide prevention and awareness!!!” one fan wrote, including side by side photos of the rapper and Kurt in the similar ensembles. “Kid Cudi is SERVING in this dress #SNL,” another added, while a third quipped the Cleveland, Ohio native looked “f——— fabulous.” They can say that again!

As for the latest season of SNL, things have been looking a little different as the production takes every precaution around COVID-19. “They will likely have no audience and they will have to be very hands-on when they select their celebs and musical acts to host,” a source close to the show told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY last year. “Lorne Michaels is very confident that will happen and some hard work is to be done and a lot of sleepless nights but he wouldn’t want it any other way. This season is very important for Lorne and the cast and they are going to try to make it very special.”