KiD CuDi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day

KiD CuDi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day (2009)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes

Cleveland, Ohio, or The Moon? Trying to find the true place of KiD CuDi’s origin has been a task worth carrying out since the release of his buzzworthy mixtape, a KiD named CuDi. Eavesdropping on a casual conversation regarding the KiD may yield several different results. On the one hand you may hear talks of utmost praise, while on the other you will hear nothing but doubt and hatred. Most of the time, these talks are backed by pure speculation, questioning whether or not Cudi can live up to the hypebeast he has given birth to over the past year, without having any real basis of argument. With the release of his highly anticipated solo debut, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, we now have a collection of 15 original productions to base our decision on, rather than just a handful of mixtape tracks.

Heading into the album, I had very little idea of what to expect from Mr. Solo Dolo. Besides the few leaks and singles, it was up in the air whether we were going to get the “singer” or the “rapper.” Instead, we find that he creates a balance of his own, some type of hybrid that bridges the two together. He hardly ever “raps” on the album, but he doesn’t bust out his Ne-Yo notes either. He stays in his lane, basically doing what he is comfortable with, and surprisingly he does it well. Specifically on tracks like “Simple As…” and “CuDi Zone”, where the quicker BPM allows CuDi to spit some rap-esque flows that still seem to fall in the category of singing, allowing him to craft quite catchy melodies that are sure to get stuck in your head.

But how exactly is the self-proclaimed martian taking advantage of the melodic landscapes he laid out for himself? Well, let’s just say that this is where we run into our first speed bump. KiD CuDi fails to touch on much other than himself with his words, preaching about his many obstacles and uphill battles, sometimes seeming a bit tiresome and played out. Maybe it doesn’t go without reason, he has seen a considerable amount of doubt and animosity towards him, right? Not enough to push him to the edge of diva-status, which he sways very close to during Man On The Moon. Specifically on tracks like “Sky Might Fall”, a dark, synth-lathered production that is a tad over dramatic on the lyric tip. For example, “Grey clouds up above man, metaphor for my life man”, a line that seems to come right out of my little sister’s diary.

Once you look past the somewhat cheesy lyrical content, you begin to uncover a greater good in this record. That greater good lies in the production, spanning several different moods and layers, which is expected when looking at this star-studded lineup of producers on paper. You have hip-hop heavyweights like Kanye West, Emile, and Plain Pat, who you all had heard make several appearances on a KiD named CuDi, and you also get to hear some intriguing production credits from the indie duo, Ratatat, who has continued to make a push into the hip-hop spectrum. Most notable tracks like “Make Her Say”, featuring Kanye and Common, as well as produced by Kanye West, and “Hyyer” featuring Chip The Ripper and produced by Crada, hold true to that hip-hop sound, filled with rap heavy lyrics and boom-bap drums. On the other hand, indie rockers like Ratatat and MGMT come through for a great appearance on one of the album’s high points, “Pursuit of Happiness”.

Although there are a considerable amount of well-produced tracks, we do run into a misstep here and there. “Enter Galactic”, produced by Illfonics, does an excellent job of making you want to do the Kangaroo Dance from Big Daddy. Filled with cheap synths and boring drums hits, this track was an almost instant skip, especially once the hook dropped. “Alive”, the first taste of Ratatat we get on the album, isn’t such a bad track, but I wish we could have heard a bit of an advancement from the production duo. The beat sounds like it came right off one of their remix tapes they dropped a few years back. But even with the exception of a few lackluster tracks, the album still holds a definite sense of cohesiveness.

That cohesiveness is held together by a fairly innovative and well-thought-out system of Acts. Each Act contains its own theme, taking us through several different moods and feelings. Although some of the themes don’t seem all that mature, it is interesting, and it brings a dimension to the album that seems to lack on many projects these days. Along with the five Acts, Common lends his poetic prowess to the album, giving us some insight in between each of the breaks. It certainly adds a bit of flavor into the mix, but it was an element that the album could have probably gone without.

Man On The Moon is by no means a groundbreaking record, but it offers a refreshing and fun sound that can be enjoyed by a diverse music audience. I can’t really say I have ever heard anything like this from a hip-hop artist, or any artist for that matter. An A for effort but a C for execution is in order for KiD CuDi. With all the talks of retirement, who knows if we will ever get a follow-up to this fairly well-crafted rookie showing. Hopefully CuDi realizes that life isn’t so bad on G.O.O.D. Music, and comes back to tune up any faults he may have committed with his debut.