Reader Review: KiD CuDi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day (September 15, 2009)

(Since D. Silbs mentions it in the very first sentence of his Reader Review for KiD CuDi's Man On The Moon: The End Of Day (yeah, great title, Scott), let me address it right now: I have been perfectly content to ignore the man, thanks. I just haven't been impressed enough by the man to run out and buy his album, although after reading through this, I believe a trip to the library is in order, at the very least. Anyway, I know a lot of you two have been waiting for this, so be sure you leave some comments for D. Silbs once you're finished reading.)


Since Max seems perfectly content to ignore one of the biggest names in hip hop currently (I still have no regrets), I have to come in to save the day. I'm speaking, of course, about KiD CuDi. He released some bullshit mixtape that people speak of as legendary (he's referring to A Kid Named Cudi), but frankly, it sucks. However, when I heard a few of the singles from his debut album, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, I was intrigued, if not a bit impressed. So, I decided to pick up a copy for myself with a twenty dollar bill I found lying on the ground. I listened to it that first day three of four times straight through, and I haven't listened to it since, because I wanted to sit back and listen to it again with fresh ears so that I don't sound biased. Anyway, enough about me, let me get to the man of the hour, KiD CuDi.

Scott Mescudi was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and everybody knows that Cleveland sucks (unless you're a member of Bone Thugs 'N Harmony and/or Drew Carey), which is probably why he doesn't feel the need to mention his hometown repeatedly like every other rapper on the fucking planet. Near the end of high school, he began rapping acapella in front of his mirror, and during his college years he hooked up with a producer by the name of Dot Da Genius, who supplied CuDi with beats to rhyme over, one of which eventually turned into the hit single "Day 'n' Night."

Anyway, remember that bullshit mixtape I mentioned earlier? It ended up in the hands of none other than Kanye West, who has some pretty shitty taste in music. (He once included Paul Wall on one of his albums. Paul motherfucking Wall.) Regardless, 'Ye felt it was legit, so he signed the KiD to his label, G.O.O.D. Music. Soon after, CuDi was featured on the all-Auto-Tune 808's & Heartbreak, introducing himself to the masses on the title track. Afterward, CuDi released his own hit single, which I already mentioned above but will discuss in more detail in a bit, and now we have the album, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day.


Let's do this.


1. IN MY DREAMS (CUDDER ANTHEM)
I guess you can call this a rap album intro, but it doesn't completely suck. I'm pretty sure CuDi is singing on here, for the duration of the entire track, which sort of pisses me off, but whatever. The beat is somewhat majestic and yet, a little sleepy, but it sets the tone for the album fairly well. That's all well and good, but then Common pops in and speaks for absolutely no reason whatsoever.


2. SOUNDTRACK 2 MY LIFE
Wow. Even though the beat is extremely simplistic, it still rocks, and CuDi rips it apart accordingly. The first few lines are some of the best you will ever hear the man spit: "I got 99 problems, and they all bitches / Wish I was Jiggaman, care free livin' / But I'm not Shawn, or that Martin Louis / I'm just that Cleveland n---a rollin' with them Brooklyn boys". You will not be disappointed with this joint.


3. SIMPLE AS...
It starts out with some freaky sample of a some voices repeating "A,B,C” and “1,2,3". Get it? As simple as A,B,C! Yeah, I didn't think it was funny or clever either. This beat is just too boring, as it consists only of drums and that annoying-ass sample (taken from, of all of the musical acts in the world, fucking Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark). Sure, KiD CuDi spits alright, I suppose, but I fell asleep after listening to about 30 seconds of this shit. When I woke up, Common reappeared, still failing to do anything of any substance. Pass.


4. SOLO DOLO (NIGHTMARE)
The music sounds like it was made up of some strange Asian harp, and sadly this becomes a recurring theme on the album: boring beats. The vocals on this track aren't too bad, but I don't even know what a "Solo Dolo" is supposed to be. Even if CuDi is providing some fairly introspective lyrics, that doesn't automatically make the song any good. I'll skip this one, too.


5. HEART OF A LION (KID CUDI THEME MUSIC)
This track picks up right where "Soundtrack 2 My Life" left off. CuDi still got a no-name producer for this song, but for his part, Free School provides a beat that completely pumps me up: when the instrumental goes for a bit of a walk during the chorus, I lose all control, because of how awesome this shit sounds. CuDi also raps on here rather than using that half-singing, half-rap shit he's been trying to pass off as music for the last three tracks. So, this song is definitely a winner in my book.


6. MY WORLD (FEAT BILLY CRAVEN)
This song has some of those annoying background quacks that Hova's "Run This Town" contained, so I naturally assumed this was also produced by Kanye, but the Internet repeatedly tells me otherwise (this was actually handled by Kanye's right hand man Plain Pat), so I guess I'll go with the majority. As for the song? I know its going to really surprise you all, but it's boring.


7. DAY 'N' NIGHT (NIGHTMARE)
Okay, if you haven't heard this song, you need to get out more. This song got an assload of radio airplay, but it actually deserved all of the attention it received. The Dot Da Genius beat is deep and mellow, and even though it is a bit repetitive, it still rocks. CuDi grabs the beat and fucks it hard, spitting some actual deep lines for a radio-friendly song, even though I bet he was completely baked when he recorded this. Still a dope song anyway. (Ha!) (This also got a shitload of club play, as well, thanks to the popular Crookers remix that some of you two may be more familiar with.)


8. SKY MIGHT FALL
Now this song was actually produced by Kanye West, but to be honest, you wouldn't be able to tell without checking the liner notes. There are no sped-up chipmunk soul samples or anything! The bass on this beat is pretty crazy though, and it bumps hard in your car. The chorus is pretty freaking awesome, which is another recurring trend of this album, but one that I hope continues. This was definitely a high-quality track.


9. ENTER GALACTIC (LOVE CONNECTION PART 1)
I can't tell if he's saying "intergalactic" or "enter galactic" but I will assume the latter, considering the title of the song. The beat kind of sounds like something you would hear at a coffee house with a hint of techno influence. The music sounds as if it would be a better fit for Common's talents, but hey, its a passable track.


10. ALIVE (NIGHTMARE) (FEAT RATATAT)
This was produced by Ratatat, who also help contribute some of the lyrics on this gem of a track, Ratatat. The chorus, once again, kicks serious ass, and the two emcees that appear are beasts on here. The beat is, once again, simplistic, except this time, like on "Soundtrack 2 My Life", the simplicity actually works, creating one of the better tracks on the album.


11. CUDI ZONE
The beat goes all techno in the beginning, but then it comes back down to earth and we start to hear CuDi spit some solid rhymes. The beat also wanders a little bit during the chorus, a trait I really enjoy. This song is the first one on Man On The Moon: The End Of Day with a lame ass chorus, from a lyrical standpoint anyway: "My mind sounds like wooo-oooo". Yeah, it sounds just as bad as it reads.


12. MAKE HER SAY (FEAT KANYE WEST & COMMON)
This is the song that samples Lady Gaga's “Pokerface”. KiD CuDi and Common sound very good over this ode to the ladies, but Kanye West steals the show by rhyming in such disgusting detail that I couldn't help but laugh. The only person who can out-rhyme Kanye on the topic of sex is Ghostface Killah, but Def Jam has seemed to have forgotten about that amazing man. That's an argument for another time, I guess.


13. PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (NIGHTMARE) (FEAT MGMT & RATATAT)
Another production credit for Ratatat and another fantastic beat. The beat is extremely simple again, but in a fantastic way, which paves the way for CuDi to rhyme endlessly about drugs. In the end, he seems to overdose on weed. I'm nearly one hundred percent sure you can't really do that, no matter how hard you try and how much you smoke, but this was a fantastic song anyway.


14. HYYERR (FEAT CHIP THA RIPPER)
This is the kind of beat I was waiting the entire album to hear: heavy on the soul sample with some delicious music playing in the background. Chip tha Ripper adds a quality verse, but CuDi definitely outshines his guest. Let me say this one more time: this beat is awesome.


15. UP UP & AWAY
This beat seems a bit too celebratory. After writing an entire album about depression, drugs, women and lonely childhoods, CuDi emerges seemingly unscathed. How do you go from a shitty perspective to such a great one so quickly? Let's assume drugs until proven otherwise. As for the actual song? It isn't too bad, despite that one complaint. Oh, hello again, Common. Didn't see you there.


FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day is definitely better than I remembered it being, even though the first half of the disc contains some of the most boring instrumentals I have ever heard. The choruses on almost all of the songs kick ass, which is rare, and even the one song that has a shitty hook sounds awesome regardless. Even though all KiD CuDi rhymes about is how sad he is and how much weed he smokes, you have to respect the man for not just taking the easy way out and rhyming about tits.


BUY OR BURN? I had to think long and hard about this one, but at the end of the day, I think this one is worth your money. The shitty tracks on here are absolutely awful, but the great songs kick the memory of the crappy songs right out of your head. Maybe you just shouldn't upload the three really crappy songs to your computer.


BEST TRACKS : "Soundtrack 2 My Life”; "Heart Of a Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music)"; "Day 'n' Night (Nightmare)"; "Alive"; "Make Her Say"; "Hyyer"


-D. Silbs

(Agree? Disagree? Do you love this album, or do you hate the fuck out of it? Either way, make your opinion known by commenting below.)