Kid Cudi-Man On The Moon: The End Of Day
Rating: 4.5 Out Of 5
Best Songs: "Pursuit Of Happiness," "Cudi Zone," "Soundtrack To My Life," "Simple As..."
Throwaways: "My World"
Every once in a while, an artist comes out with a body of work that is so unique and so groundbreaking, that it leaves its mark on the game for years to come. Nas did it. Jay-Z did it. The members of the Wu-Tang Clan did it. Their albums were so different and revolutionary that it set the standard for other hip-hop artists from that point on. Now in no way shape or form am I comparing Kid Cudi with any of these artists. The three aforementioned hip-hop legends were gritty lyricists who could go bar for bar with any artist in the game. Kid Cudi will never be a top notch MC. But what Kid Cudi has done with his debut album, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, is create a sound that hip-hop has never heard before. Mixing R & B-style singing with his rapping ability over some of the best production I have ever heard on a hip-hop record, Cudi cannot be put into any category. He doesn't have the best voice and he will never be a top ten lyricist. But what Cudi posses is the ability to create infectious hooks without the use of Auto-tune, tell you a story (his entire album is crafted like a play, with each act giving us a different theme of songs) and give you a beat to match the mood of the song, and create anthems that people can relate to. Dat Kid from Cleveland has created one of the most creative CDs to date.
Broken down into five acts, Scott Mescudi introduces us to his dream world with "In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)." Cudi's voice floats over a soothing mix of violins and synthesizers as the track invokes feelings of a kid daydreaming while his mind wanders off into space. The music fades as Common, who narrates the album, takes over with a poetry-like speech about the problems infecting our world. Cudi then launches in to "Soundtrack 2 My Life," where we find Mr. Solo Dolo confronting the issues he experienced growing up. Although the beat, consisting of haunting strings and outer space-like noises, isn't necessarily dark, Cudi digs deep as he speaks about his mother, his tendency to be alone, and the death of his father. The chorus is just one of the many infectious melodies that Cudi brings us throughout his album, and part of what makes this record so great.
"Simple As..." is one of my favorite songs on the album. As the song begins with a chilling voice counting to three and recounting their abc's, a tympani drum bangs out one of the best beats on the CD. Cudi raps about being the underdog and the pressures to live up to the hype as we move into act two.
Act Two, the "Rise of the Night Terrors" showcases beats that will remind you of the nightmares you had when you were a little kid. "Solo Dolo" finds Cudi singing over a beat that sounds like a creepy jack-in-the-box is winding up as the rhythmic bass line shakes your body. "Why must it feel so wrong when I try and do right?" Cudi sings. "Heart Of A Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music)" takes an upward turn though, with Cudi telling us in the chorus that his mother told him never to let anyone break him. "My World" is the first song that I was disappointed by on the album, as Cudi sounds extremely monotone on his verses and the beat is a far cry from the gems that we have come to expect through the first half of this album.
Act Three gives us the song that gave Cudi his rise to fame with "Day N Nite," followed by the reworked "Sky Might Fall" which sounds like a track Kanye could have put on 808s and Heartbreaks. Luckily, Kanye allowed Cudi to take ownership of the track, and he does it justice. "Enter Galatic (Love Connection part 1)" is a strange song and feels a bit out of place on the album. Cudi spills his heart to the ladies on this track, but it has a very poppy feel to it.
We move on to Act Four, the best act on the album. Starting off with "Alive (nightmare)," Ratatat brings us the first of their two dynamic beats for Cudi. A screaming guitar rift backs Cudi spitting about coming alive when the sun goes down. "Cudi Zone" might be my favorite track on the album. An anthem in every sense of the word, a thumping beat accompanies the heavy synthesizer as Cudi is at his lyrical best here. Spitting about the work he has put in to get to the top, Cudi tells about the peaceful zone he can disappear to in his mind when the hate gets to loud. The hook is powerful and matches the up tempo beat perfectly.
After "Make Her Say," which needs no explanation, Ratatat and MGMT give us the best beat on the album on "Pursuit of Happiness," an uplifting track about the struggle to find happiness and the joy that comes in finding it. Another anthem that anyone can relate to, Cudi's voice works wonders over the guitar and piano that make up this futuristic beat.
The album closes with Act Five, where we find Cleveland's own Chp Tha Ripper assisting Cudi on the smoker anthem "Hyyer." Cudi closes out his masterpiece with "Up Up & Away," as Mescudi gives us his version of a ballad over a beat that sounds like a Coldplay song. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Kid Cudi's creativity on this album is something to be truly admired, as he has crafted a style that cannot be duplicated in the hip-hop community. He shines lyrically on multiple tracks, and while the lyrics are very simple on the rest, it in no way detracts from the music. Cudi speaks to his audience and you can tell how hard he is trying to connect with his fans. While incorporating all genres into his song making, Cudi has created a near classic that will propel him into the forefront of the freshman class.
