Pallade Veneta - Giant statue of rapper Kid Cudi appears in Paris

The 10-metre (33-foot) statue at the Place de la Bourse depicts Kid Cudi in a demonic posture with red glowing eyes staring down at his hands.

The rapper's management said it was due to start blaring out his new album later in the day.

Two more statues are due in New York and Los Angeles over the weekend.

Kid Cudi celebrated the release of his album with a listening party at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

"Insano" features collaborations with some of hip-hop's biggest names including A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott and Pharrell Williams.

It also includes a sample from the 1990s pop hit "The Sign" by Ace of Base, on "Electrowavebaby".

Kid Cudi, real name Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, turns 40 this month and recently cast doubt on his future, posting on X that he had only "1 more album and then im done w my deal and not sure what ima do after that".

The rapper has been a distinctive figure in rap since emerging around 2008 with hit mix tape "A Kid Named Cudi" that launched him into a close collaboration with Kanye West.

From the start, he challenged the macho trappings of hip-hop, speaking openly about his problems with depression and attacking misogyny, including with an appearance in a floral dress on "Saturday Night Live" in homage to similar statements by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain in the 1990s.

Kid Cudi is also creative director of the fashion brand Members of the Rage and a regular at Paris Fashion Week, and has appeared in multiple films and TV shows including "Don't Look Up", "Westworld" and "We Are Who We Are".

L.Guglielmino--PV