 An Instant Classic! |
| Review Date: September 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Legend, |
| This album is so innovative that it almost seems before its time. Every track is perfect, and not only that, but the album is also expertly put together from start to finish (with Common's narrating). This genius album will no doubt get nominated for and win multiple Grammys, top most best of the year lists, and earn a spot on most best of the 2000's lists. If I could sum up the album in one word, it would be: FUTURISTIC! |
This album = Dark Side of the Moon for hip hop music
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| Review Date: September 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Raymond J. Mendoza, Tampa |
| I picked this album up on a whim because of its $3.99 first day release price, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a fan of main stream hip hop, more the alternative stuff (the Roots, Talib Kweli, Common, etc.) but the production and overall story concept of this album was pretty interesting. The beats are sparse with a lot of spacey sounds but a lot of them are really catchy (hear "Alive"), and the interludes with Common are interesting because they narrate the story of a stoner, and all the songs fit into different acts within the album. This is the first hip hop album in a long time that is more enjoyable when you listen to the whole album in entirety, it's a steal at $3.99. |
One giant step for Rap-kind...
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| Review Date: September 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nse Ette, Lagos, Nigeria |
Kanye West's protege KiD CuDi finally releases his debut album proper (after releasing some mix tapes) and it is a sprawling ambitious project featuring CuDi's laid back sing song rapping style set to a bleak futuristic soundscape.
A concept album of sorts, interspersed with narrations by Common and broken into five "acts", the album opens with the trippy sounding ballad "In my dreams" ("Welcome, you're in my dream now" says Cudi), followed by the woozy rap "Soundtrack 2 my life". "Solo dolo (Nightmare)" is a stripped affair that sounds bleak and beautiful, while "Heart of a lion" is a genty pulsing number, while "My world" is a dreamy melancholic sounding song laced with tender piano.
The bleep-filled spooky sounding "Day N night (Nightmare)", the lead-off single has already hit the US and UK top 10 (and is also available in the excellent upbeat British-sounding Crookers Remix), while picking up the pace somewhat is the superb Kanye West produced "Sky may fall" (which reminds me of Kanye's "Welcome to heartbreak"). "Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I)" is a galloping Disco-tinged song and is one of my favourites.
"Alive (Nightmare)" features electronic music duo Ratatat and has a synth/Rock feel, while "CuDi zone" has techno-style strings set to a slowed down beat. "Make her say" is the current single and features Kanye and Common, as well as a sample from Lady Gaga's "Poker face". It sounds like a nursery rhyme set to "Golddigger"-style beats and it works. "Pursuit of happiness (Nightmare)" is another swirling synth/Rock number, this time featuring MGMT. "Hyyerr" featuring Chip tha Ripper is a string-swathed ballad that sounds like some seventies soul classic, and closing is the pulsing guitar-driven "Up Up & Away (The Wake & Bake Song)".
Experimental, and accessible at the same time, I would say CuDi has more than lived up to all the hype. This album should shoot his star well into the stratosphere. |
Simply Great
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| Review Date: December 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Grady Morgan, TX |
| This album is outstanding. It ain't your mama's hip-hop. Kid Cudi's style is very dreamy and trance-like. I can't wait for more from this guy. |
Lyrically brilliant, a new direction for hip-hop
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| Review Date: February 25, 2010 |
| Reviewer: rtz., PVD |
| Let me start by saying I am unabashedly absorbed in this album. I bought it about three weeks ago and have been listening to it exclusively since. It is simply incredible. As broad as the hip-hop genre has grown, I still feel like this one breaks the mold, making it tough to compare it to any other artist. The beats are clean and deep, and extremely well produced (just check the the piano on My World). Kid Cudi's flow is deliberate, not always rapping and not quite singing, but the lyrics are straight ridiculous and match the beats hit for hit. The subject matter offers a depth not often seen in hip-hop. I suppose Common, Lupe and Mos Def come to mind as similarly thoughtful lyricists (and Common even makes a cameo), but Cudi's album follows a storyline start to finish, diving into his consciousness, the world that haunted his dreams as he grew up, and takes us full circle to him overcoming his demons. It gives the album an overarching theme that ties the whole thing together, and every song is unique and sick. If you're not sure, just listen to CuDi Zone. It should give you a pretty good sample of what the album is all about. For me, the more I listen to it the more I like it... Five stars without a doubt. |
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