Much like last week when Sara was excited about the Matt & Kim album, Sara is probably going to be lining up and waiting to get her hands on Kid Cudi’s sophomore album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.   Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (now that’s a mouthful), Kid Cudi was born in Ohio. Kid Cudi might not be a household name yet, but he is one of the most imaginative rappers making music today. This week, Cudi proves that his first album was not a fluke, with the release of his sophomore album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.
Cudi was born to a Mexican/Native American teacher and an African American Choir Teacher. Needless to say that Cudi was exposed to a large genre of music growing up as a child. Unfortunately, Cudi had to grow up quick with the death of his father due to cancer when he was 11 years old.
Growing up with a wide variety of music always helps the ear and creativity of person, and Cudi was no exception. Early 90’s rap groups experimented with sound, Like GangStarr/Jazzmatazz, The Brand New Heavies, Main Source and X Clan. Cudi found his musical inspiration through Hip Hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde.
After dropping out of the Univrsity of Toledo, Cudi moved to Brooklyn to pursue his love of music. Cudi was a part of the underground scene for several years, until he released a mix tape in 2008 that caught the attention of Kanye West (insert the cliché heartbeat from Sara here). West liked Cudi’s style and signed him to his record label. Cudi and West collaborated several times on West’s fourth album 808s & Heartbreak with Cudi even helping write West’s biggest hit, “Heartless.”
After the success and exposure from West, Cudi was quickly labeled as “the Next Best” in Hip-Hop. Cudi’s debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, was highly anticipated and when the album was released, it was received very well. When I first heard the album, I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan. Who knows, maybe it’s because I’m not a fan of Hip-Hop or a fan of all his references to marijuana. Nevertheless, I gave the album a couple more spins (because Sara forced me to) and before you knew it, I was hooked. The album had a dark psychedelic sound to it, very reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest and Pharacyde. The album was a deeper look into the rapper, talking about drug use/abuse and his father.
Man on the Moon: The End of Day is an album that isn’t really heard these days. The creativity and production of the album is top notch. After playing it several times, I had the chance to really appreciate the lyrics and the storytelling that was going on. The album took me back to the underground rap scene in the 90’s and sounded a lot like Defari.
Cudi’s album dropped earlier this week, and it is hard to say what the album will sound like so who knows how it will be received? If Cudi used his creativity as he did on his first album, then his sophomore album will not disappoint. So check out Cudi’s album or else Sara will hunt you down!
Top 5 Songs
2. Day & Nite
4. Highs N Lows
5. Memories
Useful Links
Related ETS Links
Sara’s Review of Man on the Moon
Artist of the Week- Raphael Saadiq
Kanye has improved massively over the many years. Many years ago he was barely known as being a producer, only to those that were into hip hop, take a look at him now.