As I’ve said before, I’ll take any opportunity I can get to write about Kid Cudi. “He is my favorite living artist and not just cause he’s on my label,” Kanye West has stated, and I almost have to agree. The artist affectionately known as Cudder really made an impact with audiences everywhere with his first outing, Man on the Moon: The End of the Day, a trippy look inside Cudder’s past and his dreams. The question now, of course, is whether or not his second effort, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, will have a similar impact.
Thanks to the magic of YouTube, I have the answer: not exactly.
The thing that made Cudi’s first album so appealing was the fact that it was easily relatable. Sure, the specifics are of course not universal, but the sense of despair and loneliness infused every track was something that kept me coming back for more and more listening sessions with the album, eventually finding some hope with the final track on the album, “Up, Up, and Away.”
Mr. Rager isn’t relatable, though it’s equally dark. The album is a reaction to Cudi’s sudden fame and his downward spiral (he was recently arrested for cocaine possession, which he recently admitted to having been addicted to), and his realization of his dangerous ways. The lack of empathy in the album is a flaw that turns it into more of a character study than a shared experience, though that doesn’t make it any less fascinating.
The album has some real standalone gems, like the lead singe “Erase Me,” and his follow ups, the slow, dreamy “Mr. Rager,” and the St. Vincent-sampling “MANIAC.” But a lot of the album’s genius comes from the songs that really gel well with the album’s concept: “Scott Mescudi Vs. The World,” is the album’s Cee-Lo Green-featuring opening track, while “All Along,” seems like a radio-friendly yet morose diatribe about Cudi’s loneliness. The album ends on a note similar note to its predecessor; “Trapped In My Mind,” is an optimistic tune with the refrain “Hey, it’s not that bad at all.”
Of course, some of the album isn’t as great. Both songs featuring Mary J. Blige are listenable, but not memorable, and the explicit “The Mood,” has no defining qualities. Thankfully, the album’s lengthy tracklist keeps these bland tracks from weighing down the entire album.
Overall, Cudder does show evolution with his second album, and even drops a couple of references to his role on HBO’s How to Make It in America. Is it a perfect outing? Of course not. But with Cudi abandoning rap entirely for his new rock band Wizards, it’s an interesting outro to someone who has grown disillusioned with fame. B-
The album drops on November 9. Pre-order it here.
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I thought it was better than the first. I really liked The Mood and the Mary J songs. I though on the whole the album was much more cohesive in its vison and real in its emotions.
Cudi's album is an experience. Not just another set of tracks his label forced him to produce and get out there for a quick buck. And because it's and experience, no review will do it justice — you have to hear it for yourself.