Once having listened to Scott Mescudi’s (a.k.a. Kid Cudi) debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, it’s easy to believe that he had a part in Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak last year; it’s got the same amalgam of electronic influences as well as dealing with the same somewhat morose subject matter. Kid Cudi is able to avoid immediate comparison to West’s last album thanks to a broader assortment of influences and sounds, which could be in part thanks to the larger number of collaborators.
Kid Cudi's impression of McDonald's eighties mascot, Mac Tonight
While Kid Cudi’s debut is definitely impressive, it hits a number of snags. One big thing is Common’s completely unnecessary narration, which appears at random. It’s as though Mescudi feared that the unity among the tracks as far as the production and lyrics were concerned wasn’t enough to make the album feel conceptual, so lines for a narrator were tacked on between certain songs. It doesn’t flow, and doesn’t feel genuine; it only serves to disrupt Man on the Moon’s momentum. Speaking of flow, another issue is that Kid Cudi barely has one. This isn’t exactly crippling, as the vocal patterns are very well constructed, but his voice is caught awkwardly betwixt singing, rapping, and talking voices, not really registering as any of these. Lyrically, while Mescudi certainly can’t be accused of being empty or bereft of feeling, as there’s a lot of that here, more often than not he sacrifices any sense of poetry for directness to the point of coming across as self pitying. Up Up & Away is an unfortunate example of this, with the embittered cheerleader-esque refrain “They gon’ judge me anyway, so WHATEVER.”
Jinkies, yo!
Issues are indeed abound in Man on the Moon, but as mentioned before, the album is far from a flop. One of the record’s best qualities is the production; not only is it fairly diverse, but the elaborate construction in many cases is remarkably accomplished. The best moments come when Kid Cudi runs with the spacey feel that underlies the album; on Alive and Pursuit of Happiness in particular, both helmed by indie electronic outfit Ratatat (with help from MGMT on the latter track), the beats are trippy while with an alluring, head bobbing rhythm. Pursuit‘s music is also a perfect match for the deformed hope in the lyrics, psychedelic with a hint of sadness.
Soundtrack 2 My Life is a perfect example of how capable the melodies are. The vocal harmony is so compelling that the cheesy Charles in Charge reference, Jay-Z quoting, and dramatic lines like, “it’s close to go and trying some coke, and a happy ending would be slitting my throat” are barely distracting. The following Simple As… has a beautifully layered intro and startlingly clever wordplay (“as simple as that for your simple ass”), and the piano leading along the heavy synths and Mescudi’s bitter lyrics is absolutely beautiful. Great as these moments are, the highlight has to be Kid Cudi and Kanye West’s send up of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face on Make Her Say, which carries an amusing energy on par with The Roots’ single Birthday Girl.
Man on the Moon fumbles a bit at the end with the generic slow jam sound of Hyyerr as well as Common popping up once more to conclude his narration, but the album doesn’t quite end on a sour note. Kid Cudi is able to largely live up to the hype that has surrounded him for the past year, and his interesting perspectives on the genre will no doubt yield even better works in the future.
June 4th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Dude, your review fucking sucks, this albums is revolutionary. It shows a different side to hip hop. A more artistic and laid back side. Common was in there to loop you into the next track to make you pay attention to all that was being sang. Your review is wack. Ask anyone that knows Cudi, loves his shit.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Revolutionary? I’m sorry man, but if you think that an artistic and laid back approach to hip-hop is revolutionary, you haven’t heard a whole lot of it. And Common’s presence was merely to keep listeners paying attention? That just further validifies my point – when you need something that gimmicky just to keep people paying attention to your shit, there’s a problem!
July 13th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Smh. Dog. Even though you got a few solid points in your review, you couldn’t be more wrong. Cudi’s shit is different on pourpouse. The whole point of being the man on the moon is because his shit is out there. Your review is pretty much saying his album isint great because your not used to it. And woah, what the fuck have you been listening to, no flow? He’s got more flow than lil Wayne. Your review is a piece of shit
July 13th, 2010 at 11:00 am
“He’s got more flow than Lil Wayne”… wow. The genius who rhymed ‘run’ with ‘runnin” and ‘running’? That ain’t sayin’ a whole lot. His flow isn’t as lazy and uninteresting as Lil Wayne’s, no, but it’s incredibly awkward, so much that the idea of people denying it just baffles me.
“My world turns. Flippin’ the bird. To the ones who fiGURE.”
That’s a good flow?? You’ve got to be kidding me. And no, I’m not saying it isn’t great because I’m not used to it. No matter how used to boring, amateurish flows I could be, it wouldn’t change the fact that his isn’t very good.
July 13th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Dude. Lil wayne doesnt even write his own shit. Cudi has a differnt flow than lil wayne’s. “My world turns. Flippin’ the bird. To the ones who fiGURE.” “His world spins, while flipping off haters. Cudi can actully freestyle with nothing but flow. Wayne cant. “My world turns. Flippin’ the bird. To the ones who fiGURE.” Scott is more of an underground rapper and he puts rythem and rhyme toghether in a differnt manner than your commercialized bullshit.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
MY commercialized bullshit? When did I ever say anything good about Lil Wayne? I agreed that Kid Cudi was better than Lil Wayne, but I also said that this was not impressive at all; this is like being impressed that a grown man could read faster than a retarded child.
It wasn’t necessary to explain to me what he meant with his little rhyme, I was somehow able to decipher that on my own, but I appreciate the looking out. Underground rap does have a reputation, yes, for creating irregular rhymes and vocal patterns. But you can’t dress up a lack of talent as being merely ‘different.’ Listen to B. Dolan, early Sage Francis, Busdriver, P.O.S., Sole, Atmosphere… I could go on and on. These are examples of erratic underground rap flows, and Kid Cudi can’t compare to a single one of them.
“My world turns. Flippin’ the bird. To the ones who fiGURE.” Since you’re so fond of referencing this, I’ll explain my reasons for thinking it’s shit. He’s forcing a rhyme together that doesn’t work, and instead of using a different word, or better yet, adding something, he puts an awkward emphasis on it, which just illustrates even further how poorly it fits. And it’s not even the lyric, it’s the delivery – MCs like Eminem are known for being able to make weird lines fit, particularly by the way he rushes through half of the line and finesses the other. Cudi just blurts it out, as if he were talking. The “GURE” sounds awful, like he just remembered that he’s supposed to be rapping and is desperately telling the listener “See? That rhymes!” And the album is FULL of moments like these.
If you’re really trying to convince that Kid Cudi is all that great, why not talk about the beats? His beats are great. Or how about the fact that he raps about more personal issues, which is rather unique for commercial rap (don’t kid yourself, this is about as underground as Drake). But setting up straw man arguments and repeating yourself about how great his flow is even in spite of its undeniably choppy quality is not going to get us anywhere.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:58 am
picking out particular lines that you don’t think are good isn’t a good way to argue whether an album is good or not. Clearly dagan isn’t a fan of cudi’s way of rapping. that’s fine if he’s not a fan. that doesn’t mean he’s right but he’s entitled to his opinion. Having said that, i think cudi makes the beats he chose on his album sound better by the way he raps and sings. Obviously cudi made his flow “choppy” because thats what he envisioned for some of his songs. saying the album is filled with awkward moments isn’t a fact about his music, because dagan is one of the only people who actually feels that way. other people who know a little more about music and what sounds good didn’t have a problem with it as much as he did or at all. i will admit sometimes cudi’s flow doesnt flow as well as it could but don’t you think him or someone that was producing the album would have said something if it was really taking away from its appeal? Some people just dont appreciate the artists direction. All in all the clear example that dagan gave for backing up his point in his review was saying hyyer “was a generic slow jam”. The melodies in that song are among the best of the album, on top of cudi’s flow adding a quicker dynamic to the overall tempo, in contrast to chips slower flow in the beginning. That song was one of the best examples of cudi’s flow going perfectly with the melody and overall beat of the song. It is anything but generic and if dagan had any validity around hiw knowledge of music who would have recognized it.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
“picking out particular lines that you don’t think are good isn’t a good way to argue whether an album is good or not.”
It really is, tony – it’s citing examples for why you don’t like something, rather than simply saying “I don’t like this.”
“All in all the clear example that dagan gave for backing up his point in his review was saying hyyer “was a generic slow jam””
Ah, I see. It’s only okay when you do it. And when it’s about reviews, not albums.
“Having said that, i think cudi makes the beats he chose on his album sound better by the way he raps and sings.”
Actually, I partially agree – sometimes yes, it does come together very well.
“Obviously cudi made his flow “choppy” because thats what he envisioned for some of his songs. saying the album is filled with awkward moments isn’t a fact about his music, because dagan is one of the only people who actually feels that way.”
You say this is not a fact, but you assert this only by suggesting that more people would agree with you than me. This is like saying that the majority of movie goers enjoyed the Twilight series, and therefore negative reviews of it are wrong.
“i will admit sometimes cudi’s flow doesnt flow as well as it could but don’t you think him or someone that was producing the album would have said something if it was really taking away from its appeal?”
Okay, first of all you contradict yourself here. Earlier you said:
“Obviously cudi made his flow “choppy” because thats what he envisioned for some of his songs.”
These moments you refer to where his flow isn’t as good – how do you know he didn’t ‘envision’ those as well? This just makes me think that while his flow is frequently awkward, sometimes it’s so bad that even his fans can’t deny it!
As for the other part of that comment, you’re not really saying much to back up your opinion.”Surely people involved in the production process would have the good taste to tell him whether or not this was bad!” Well, they don’t. How do I know this? Because CRAP ALBUMS ARE RELEASED ALL THE TIME. Why didn’t the producers stop them, either? I’m sorry, but to say that certain music must be good because the producers wouldn’t put out crap is a silly argument.
“[Hyyer] was one of the best examples of cudi’s flow going perfectly with the melody and overall beat of the song.”
In parts, yes.
“And we float…”
Mmhmm. With you so far.
“We kids with hop-” “BETTER THE COKE WE SMOKE. DAWG. PLEASE DON’T MISS”
…what? He’s harmonizing, and completely interrupts himself. This is going perfectly with the melody? Sounds more like he’s trying to push two different things together, with NO finesse whatsoever, and it doesn’t work. Pursuit of Happiness is a much better example of his following the melody.
“if dagan had any validity around hiw knowledge of music who would have recognized it.”
You’re right. I will stop writing reviews and go study out in the far east, hoping to achieve a level of validity with my musical knowledge that meets your standards.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:08 pm
His flow is great and obviously everyone here can see it. His mixtapes can show you it along with his freestyles and this album. He is revolutionary with his unique style and mix of electronic,alternative, and hip-hop all in one so that is probably what Maxx is stating. His album does not fall short and you probably just can’t relate, contrary to many kids living through similar things as cudi. “Man on the Moon 2″ is just going to be brilliant along with his first album. So, please take a rest with this arguing and take another listen to his album and DREAM ON….
August 6th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
I’ve noticed that cudi is one of those hate it or love it type artists. Some people like him but some people just don’t see the appeal in his music.
Clearly you’re the latter.
And I get the impression you’re an asshole.
“You’re right. I will stop writing reviews and go study out in the far east, hoping to achieve a level of validity with my musical knowledge that meets your standards.”
How old are you dude?
And stop insinuating that your a musical expert. I’m not saying i am but you for sure are not.
August 8th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Very nice. I like how you ignore the childish insults that top off all but one of the responses to this review, so that you can suggest that I’m an asshole. How old am I? Apparently not old enough to make sarcastic comments without receiving the wrath of a beacon of maturity such as yourself. Also, I never said, nor meant to imply, that I am any sort of expert; my intention was merely to further explain the reasoning behind the review. And no, I disagree that Kid Cudi is all that polarizing – I don’t hate him, I don’t even dislike him. I just think he’s got some kinks he needs to work out before he can really make the impression he seems to want to make. In fact, the review is quite positive in places, it just points out that he’s not that great.
Ky, I have to disagree that the negativity in the review comes from an inability to relate. I can’t relate to Straight Outta Compton at all, for example, and I think that’s a great album. I do hope you’re right about Man on the Moon 2 though… it would be nice to see Kid Cudi hit his stride.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:52 am
@ Dagan- Wow I cant believe how much shit you’re getting for this review. It is very well written and well thought out. I feel like this guy’s music is only appealing because it is a refreshingly different branch of hip-hop- I think someone called it “relaxing” or “artistic” in the comments here. The sounds of his music are new and cool, but his writing is laughable. I just listened to that song he made “Erase Me” and listened through twice to try to find any pair of lines that rhyme, and there literally are none. Maybe he should just be a producer for a few years like Kanye did and just take notes while other people rap on his shit.
Also you made a great point in response to the idea of Cudi being “polarizing”- I thought the same thing when I read that he’s, as someone so articulately put it, “one of those hate it or love it type artists”- um…no, no he’s not. This review is nuanced and highlights both strengths and weaknesses of an album. You can’t just label something as “love or hate” anytime someone doesn’t fucking love something just because you don’t feel like paying attention to the details of a multi-faceted argument.
August 12th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Guys, chill. Dagan is getting worked up by some people that really disagree with him. Fine, you have every right to disagree with a review: “Hannah Montana is the next Mozart” or some bullcrap like that, but that doesn’t mean that you should flame out the reviewer on it. I would agree that in places like “Soundtrack 2 My Life” Cudi’s flow works with the melody to the point where I really just care about the lyrics, but does that mean that the rest of the album is par or better? Kid Cudi did something different and he did great for that. It doesn’t mean he’s flawless. He’s unique, very lyrical, and has great melodies to his songs, that doesn’t mean that he can flow like Snoop Dogg, or spit like Twista or Tech N9ne. Let’s just chill out, Dagan made good points but he does say a lot of positive about this too, don’t forget that.
August 17th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
kid cudi tried to do the vocals on his album and failed. he got someone else to do them over..you can see it on the album credits and this nardwuar interview where he gets exposed for this and walks out on the interviewer.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjde_skU3p8.
At first sight kid cudi gets you with those tight as beats. Then he got me in deeper with by being personal, talking about his depression. But then you realize his lyrics are minimalist and general, even though the beats are abstract. Theres no real substance in the lyrics. This is touched on in the interview with Nardwuar as well.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:32 am
i dont care what you say. kid cudi is without a doubt my favorite rapper just because he is real. he might have choppy rap but thats why his fans love him. kid cudi changed my life and changed my perspective on rap ad hip hop all together. but if theres anything negative i would have to say about him is that i dont like it when he uses auto-tune. that makes him sound weird as fuck.
August 19th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Holy crap, people who agree with me! Thanks guys, it’s always nice to know that some folk can see where I’m coming from.
Hip-hop, I think you’ve touched on something there – perhaps sticking with production while honing his MC skills might not be such a bad idea. As you point out, it certainly worked for Kanye.
Thanks Glenn, that’s what I’ve been saying all along – he’s not TERRIBLE, but he’s got a lot of wrinkles that need ironing out. Also, have you heard Twista on The Prodigy’s Get Up Get Off? Oh man, he fuckin’ kills it.
Haha nice link, Liam. Those are my favorite aspects of the album too, the beats and his alternative subject matter. I also agree that the lyrics can be downright cringeworthy at times in their directness, and on top of that he doesn’t often do a very good job explaining why he’s so sad in the first place. I will say though that despite a very fumbled delivery and extremely general lyrics, he still manages to sound genuine.
I may not share your opinion, danny, but I certainly respect it. And I’m glad that somebody gave you a fresh view on hip-hop – it’s especially nice now, seeing as how commercial hip-hop has become so formulaic and boring, and how the people who actually try different things rarely get as much success as those who simply follow the pattern.
The auto-tune can be a bit much at times, yeah.. but there are times when it works as well. That’s one of the reasons I enjoyed 808s and Heartbreak so much; the music really matched the auto-tune in how cold and robotic it sounded.