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Album Review Moon Man Goes Berserk
The Cleveland-based legend releases his 9th solo studio album that shows probable signs of moving toward a different direction. Is it for the best? That's debatable.
Back in 2013, Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi, released the fiery 'Indicud' to a lukewarm reception. The reason for this? It was a stark departure from the spacey and somber sound that dominated his first two 'Man on the Moon' albums that are now deemed by many to be classics.
Why do I bring up an album that's over 10 years old?
Well, it seems like Cudi is repeating history by creating an album that is once again about breaking the mold he created for himself while just having fun with it.
As a result, we get 'INSANO', a 21-track, star-studded album about Cudi living his best life and brandishing his lavish lifestyle.
For any longtime Cudi fan, reading half of that should make you feel a bit uneasy.
Though I love that Cudi is living his best life and having fun with his music, I'm not sure the braggadocio bravado that he's carrying on 'INSANO' suits him all that well.
This is largely due to the fact that his bars are just not well written or performed.
"Act like my poo don't stink," Cudi says on the lackluster 'MOST AIN'T DENNIS', which is the second album released this past Friday that makes a reference to someone's shit not stinking.
There's a slew of silly rhyme schemes and blunders found throughout the record that has you questioning if this is truly the same guy that made us feel seen through very poignant lyricism in past albums.
It's not all bad, though. On my personal favorite, 'BLUE SKY', Cudi speaks on finally reaching a sense of peace and clarity in his life, and is why he can finally see the blue sky after all this time. It's no mistake that my favorite song off the album is also the most reminiscent to the Cudi of old.
On 'ELECTROWAVEBABY', Cudi takes the feel-good nature of the album to new heights and opts for a much more melodic and almost-romantic approach. With the backing of a fun little whistle beat and some light synth-work, this track is much more fun to vibe to than anything else.
Cudi also calls on some big names in music to hop on some of these tracks. As always, we see him collab with Travis Scott on the very abrasive and hype 'GET OFF ME', as well as on the terrible 'AT THE PARTY' with Pharrell Williams. A$AP Rocky, DJ Drama, Lil Yachty, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, and a vocal sample of XXXTENTACION's 'Orlando' all make an appearance.
And you know what? For the most part, other than the Pharrell and Lil Wayne features, everyone turns in a pretty fair performance. It's just some of these tracks get marred by some bizarre choices done by Cudi that leaves a lot to be desired.
All in all, I enjoyed 'INSANO' even though it's a very flawed and inconsistent record. Cudi's just having fun, and deservedly so. But as to how it stacks up against his discography, this is pretty bottom-tier Cudi. Nowhere near as bad as 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven', but also not as good as 2022's 'Entergalactic.'
6.7/10
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