Indicud is more of a passion project than something for the masses
Just when it seemed like Kid Cudi was actually on the moon, he’s back, with a new album that stays true to his progressive sound. Cudi has released Indicud, which at first glance seems to offer the same sort of chronic-laced rhymes as his first disc, Man on the Moon.
However, Indicud has a decidedly more somber tone. From its opener “The Resarection of Scott Mescudi,” to the closing “Flight of the Moonman,” the album is a series of battle songs in which Cudi explains how he died and came back.
Cudi’s current discography is cyclical, starting out as the story of a kid who never belonged, reached acceptance and no longer wants to belong to the clusterfuck that is the music industry.
Indicud is Cudi’s rebellion from the reality that he set out for himself. He expresses his isolation and pain song after song in his now infamous sing-song rap style.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that none other than Michael Bolton is featured on “Afterwards”?
It is the unlikeliest pairing since Elton John and Eminem, and hearing Bolton sing “Bring your friends/ we should go to my home/ afterwards, girl come on” makes you long for the sound of nails on a chalkboard.
Bolton aside, the rest of the album does boast some decent features. Current hip hop golden boy Kendrick Lamar adopts Cudi’s explosive themes on “Solo Dolo Part II,” and Cudi enlists A$AP Rocky and frequent collaborator King Chip on “Brothers.”
King Chip really shines [pullquote]”Can we just take a moment to appreciate that none other than Michael Bolton is featured on “Afterwards”?”[/pullquote] through on this album. He is featured on the album’s best song, “Just What I Am,” which is undoubtedly the catchiest with the stoner set.
Despite a chorus of “I wanna get higher/can you get me higher,” both Chip and Cudi are speaking of a much higher power and it emanates through their lyrics, with King Chip’s “ain’t no such thing as Satan/evil is what you make it” being especially profound.
As the album draws to a close, Kid Cudi seems to be drawn to his own sadness, reveling in it, even deeming himself “The Lord of the Sad and Lonely.” The song is more boastful than truly sad, but there is one moment near the end of the song where Cudi addresses the depression that has plagued him the last few years. He thanks his fans and asks that they smoke some good weed for him.
While “The Lord of the Sad and Lonely” is the most direct mention of his mental health problems, the entire album is his recognizance of the past few years, his admittance that there was a problem and that it’s a problem that many people can relate to.
Those who understand Kid Cudi will appreciate and love this album, and those are the people he has made this for.
Songs to listen to: “Just What I Am”, “Red Eye”
OVERALL GRADE: B-
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