I'm going to start the first review of this blog's history with one of a fairly new, yet majorly popular new rapper. I'm talking of course about Kid Cudi. He released a subpar mixtape that people speak of as legendary but frankly, it sucks. However, when i heard a few of the singles from his new album on the internet, i was intrigued, if not a bit impressed. So i decided to pick up a copy if his debut album for myself with a 20 dollar bill i found lying on the ground. I listened to it that first day 3 or 4 times all the way through and i haven't listened to it very much since, because i wanted to sit back and listen to it again with fresh ears so i don't sound biased. Anyway enough about me, let me get to the man of the hour, Kid Cudi.
Kid Cudi was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio, and everybody knows that cleveland sucks (With the exception of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony), which is probably why he doesn't repeatedly mention that he likes his hometown like every other rapper on the planet. Near the end of high school he began rapping accapella in front of his mirror, and while he was at college he teamed up with a producer by the name of Dot Da Genius, who supplied CuDi with beats to rhyme over, one of which eventually became the beat of the hit single, "Day n' Night."
Well that crappy mixtape i was talking about earlier? Yeah it somehow ended up in the hands of none other than Kanye West, who has a crappy taste in music at times. I mean he had Paul Wall on his album (even though the song itself is pretty good, Paul Wall still sucks). Anyway, Kanye thought it was legit, so he signed the kid to his label, G.O.O.D. Music. Soon after, Kid Cudi was featured on Kanye's autotune aided album, 808's and Heartbreak, which introduced Cudi to the masses. Cudi then released that hit single, which i will get to later, and BAM, now we have this album, Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day. Lets do this.
1. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)
I guess you can call this an intro, but it doesn't totally suck. CuDi is singing on here, like the whole time, which sorta pisses me off but whatever. The beat is somewhat majestic and a little sleepy, but it sets the tone for the sound of the album, however it tends to lean more towards the side of sleepy. Thats all well and good, but then Common comes in and talks unnecessarily.
2. Soundtrack 2 My Life
Yes, all of you have heard this song, and yeah it's pretty good. Even though the beat is extremely simplistic, it still rocks, and CuDi rips it apart accordingly. The first few lines are probably Cudi's most quotable. "I got 99 problems, and they all bitches, wish i was jigga man, care free livin, but im not Shawn, or that Martin Louis, im just that cleveland n***a rollin with them brooklyn boys". This song is one of the reasons i remember purchasing this album, and trust me, you will not be disappointed with this joint, although i find myself not loving it like i used to.
3. Simple As…
Starts out with some freaky sample of people saying "A,B,C,1,2,3". Get it? simple as A,B,C! Yeah i didn't think it was funny or clever either. This beat is just too boring, consisting of just drums and an annoying ass sample. Sure Kid Cudi sounds fine, but i fell asleep after listening to about 30 seconds of this. Oh and there's Common again, failing to say, or do anything of substance! yay! PASS.
4. Solo Dolo (Nightmare)
The beat sounds like some weird oriental harp or something, and sadly this becomes a recurring theme on the album; boring beats. Sure the vocals on this track aren't too bad, but i don't even know what a "Solo Dolo" is. Even if he's getting introspective with his lyrics, that doesn't make the song any good. Skip this one too.
5. Heart of A Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music)
This song definitely picks up right where "Soundtrack 2 My Life" left off. Sure, CuDi got a no-name producer for this track, but this beat isn't too bad, and when the beat goes for a bit of a walk during the chorus,it's a much appreciated change of pace. The half sing/half rap thing continues, so this song only ends up as merely alright in my book.
6. My World (Feat. Billy Craven)
This song was produced by Kanye's righthand man, and you can tell by the annoying "quacks" that laced this instrumental just as they did in the MUCH more entertaining "Run This Town". This song was borrrrrring. skip it.
7. Day n' Night (Nightmare)
Okay, if you haven't heard this song, you need to get out more. This song got an assload of airplay, but the song deserves it. The beat is deep and mellow, and even though it is a bit repetitive, it's still pretty good. CuDi grabs the beat and rides it fairly wel, spitting some actual deep lines for a radio friendly song, even though i bet he was baked when he recorded this. Still a dope song anyway (get it?).
8. Sky Might Fall
Now this song actually was produced by Kanye, and to be honest you can't really tell. There's no chipmunky soul sample or anything! The bass on this beat is crazy though, and it bumps hard in your car. The chorus is pretty good, which is also a recurring trend of this album, however this is a trend that i hope continues for a while. Definitely a quality track.
9. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1)
I can't tell if he's saying "inter-galactic" or "enter galactic" but i assume the latter, considering the title of the song. The beat kind of sounds like something you would hear at a coffee house with some techno influence. This beat sounds more fit for Common's talents, but hey, its a passable track i guess.
10. Alive (Nightmare) (Feat. Ratatat)
This song is produced by the man who stars along CuDi on this gem of a track, Ratatat. The chorus, once again, kicks serious ass, and the two MC's beast this this track up and down. The beat is again simplistic, and this time like "Soundtrack 2 My Life" the simplicity actually works, creating one of the better tracks on the album.
11. Cudi Zone
The beat gets all techno in the beginning, but then it comes back down to earth and we start to hear Kid CuDi, who rhymes solidly over this track. The beat also wanders a little bit during the chorus which i really enjoy. This song is the first song with a lame ass chorus, from a lyrical standpoint "My mind sounds like wooo-oooo". yeah it sounds just as bad as it reads.
12. Make Her Say (Featuring Kanye West and Common)
This song samples Lady Gaga, as i'm sure you can all tell from the outset. Kid Cudi and common sound very good over this ode to the ladies, but Kanye West absolutely steals the show by rhyming in such disgusting detail about a hypothetical sexual encounter that it just makes me laugh. The only person who can out-rhyme kanye about a sexual affair is Ghostface Killah, but Def Jam has seemed to have forgotten about that amazing man, but hopefully he'll move labels soon. Well thats an argument for another time i guess.
13. Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) (Feat. MGMT and Ratatat)
Another production credit to Ratatat and another good beat. The beat is extremely simple again and a little trippy, but in a fantastic way, which paves the way for Cudi to rhyme endlessly about drugs. In the end he seemingly overdoses on weed. I'm just about 100% percent sure you can't do that no matter how hard you try, but its a fantastic song anyway.
14. Hyyerr (Feat. Chip tha Ripper)
This is the kind of beat i was waiting the ENTIRE album to hear, heavy on the soul sample and delicious instrumental in the background. Chip tha Ripper adds a quality verse, but CuDi definitely spits the better one. Just one more time, this beat is really good. I got a nice vibe from this track. Well done.
15. Up Up & Away
This beat seems too celebratory. After an entire album of depression, drugs, women and lonely childhoods, CuDi emerges seemingly unscathed. How do you get from such a crappy mood to such a great one? Lets assume drugs until proven otherwise. As for the actual song? its not too bad despite that one complaint, but the beat isn't hard enough for my tastes. Oh, hi again Common.
In Conclusion: Well this is definitely better than i remember it, even though the first half of the album consists of some of the most boring instrumentals i can ever remember hearing. The choruses on almost all of the songs work well compared to most rap songs of the day, and even the one song that has an awful chorus is still a solid track regardless. I am slightly reminded why i bought this album in the first place, because even though all the kid rhymes about is how sad he is and how much he smokes, you have to respect him for not just taking the easy way out and rhyming about breasts.
So What?: A lot of people are going to like this album, but i personally don't. It's too depressing and too radio friendly to consistently make my playlist. But ALOT of people will like this album, so give it a spin yourself and tell me what you think.
Best Tracks : "Soundtrack 2 My Life", "Heart Of a Lion", "Day n' Night", "Alive", "Make Her Say", "Hyyer"
-Daniel
-Daniel
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