Kid Cudi: Man on the Moon – The End of Day

Kid Cudi made such immediate hype in hip-hop a little over a year ago with the release of his mixtape A Kid Called Cudi [download]. When he released the instant hit “Day ‘n Night,” Cudi’s hype further exploded. A firm protégée of Kanye West, Cudi has received the seal of approval from numerous artists in the hip-hop game and outside the game as well. Released on G.O.O.D Music, Man on the Moon: The End of Day far exceeds traditional hip-hop and throws itself into an alternative, yet, conceptual abstract of Kid Cudi’s life journey.

Man on the Moon, much like a play, is broken down into five acts, transitioned and outlined by the spoken word of Common. Act 1: The End of the Day is introduced by “In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem),” an orchestrated track that is anything but an astonishing representation of what’s the album has to hold. Stretching over to “Soundtrack 2 My Life,” Cudi speaks of a bout with depression after his father’s death and the ever-lingering idea of being alone in the world over an eclectic array of guitar strings and keys. A chilling display of desperation carries over to Act 2: The Rise of the Night Terrors with “Solo Dolo,” a haunting and darkly produced track that Cudi’s voice rolls over so instrumentally.

Continuing with his alternative hip-hop deliveries, “My World,” co-produced by hit-maker Jeff Bhasker, starts to unravel the a sense of hope otherwise unimaginable on the album, as Act 3: Taking a Trip and Act 4: Stuck makes room for the radio sandstorms “Day n’ Night,” “Make Her Say,” and the Kanye produced “Sky Might Fall.” The optimistic “Sky…” incorporates a production pattern similar to Ye’s “Welcome to Heartbreak,” but in a much more simple and direct manner, which could be said the same for describing Cudi’s delivery on the song. The Lady Gaga inspired “Make Her Say” provides the platform for Kid to hold the mic alongside Kanye (who produced the track), as well as aforementioned Common. To no surprise, Cudi gets lost amongst the Chicago MCs, but nonetheless releases an enjoyable verse.

The bass-heavy “Cudi Zone” is single-handedly Kid Cudi’s strongest performance on the LP, smoothly transitioning his lyrical content from pen to ear for a vivid vocal piece, whereas the upbeat “Heart of a Lion” acts as an intellectual metaphor for courage (a la Wizard of Oz), something drastically conveyed throughout the album. Closing of the album with Act 5: A New Beginning, Cudi notions moving forward with “Pursuit of Happiness,” and “Up, Up and Away.” The former, which features electronic/indie rock band MGMT and electronic duo Ratatat (who produced the track), lets Cudi display a bittersweet lyrical content expressive of rising above all circumstances, whereas “Up, Up, and Away,” is a guitar driven upbeat track finalizing Cudi’s journey.

Kid Cudi’s fearless approach to Man on the Moon: The End of Day, lyrically and production-wise, makes it one of the most intriguing and thought-provoking albums of the year. Despite a clear understanding that Kid should not sing and can’t even rap that well [weirdly] only solidifies the ultimate power of this album. It sets a stage for one hell of a trippy dream sequence with some marvelously tasty and in depth stories along the way.

Cudi’s minimalistic and simplistic approach to his ‘rhyme’ schemes and deliveries are at times debatable, but there is a lyrical depth otherwise unannounced in hip-hop albums today. Imagine 808s & Heartbreaks with similar, more thorough production, as well as a more potent lyrical threshold. Similar emotion, even if he’s most likely on a little bit of a mellow high while recording, the pain, stress, success, and labour of his life is instilled in his craft.

Unfortunately, tracks like “Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I),” and “Alive (Nightmare)” may have ruined this prevailing fluidity, as they don’t necessarily hold the same weight in the numerous layers of complexity that embody the album. The same could be said for “Make Her Say,” which hardly fits the mould of the conceptual atmosphere. Man on the Moon… is an eerily dark journey, solely capable through the outstanding bravery Cudi puts forth throughout. At times, the depressing (yet unimaginably intriguing) journey Cudi leads us on may seem overwhelming, but the superior intellectuality this album overshadows any hesitations present. Man on the Moon: The End of Day is an admission of struggles, fears, and hopelessness with the vivaciousness to overcome, and rise above. It may not be ‘hip-hop,’ but it embodies the bravery hip-hop was founded on.

86/100

Soundtrack 2 My Life

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Cudi Zone

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Solo Dolo

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