Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon: The End of Day Review

Despite the hype surrounding the debut of perhaps rap’s brightest star and lots of mixed opinions from the blog world. I love this album. Simple as, just big love for Kid Cudi as far as I’m concerned. Other than the basically mediocre opener, “In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)” the rest of the songs are actually mostly brilliant. As soon as the second song, “Soundtrack of my Life” opens with possibly the best opening line of any rap song since Jay Z layed down the same song it talks about on The Blueprint, Cudi raps; “I got 99 problems….and they all bitches” in a highly relatable, grounding move, Cudi puts him and the listener on the same page. The majority of the opening is just as depressing, being really slow, cold raps laid down, but in my opinion it is final half of the album that is the best.

Basically, from “Day ‘n’ Nite” onwards, the albums is killer. That song is irrepressible and the original, being much slower is in my opinion better than the infamous Crookers remix single version. But it’s definitely Ratatat who steal the show. Their production is just bloody brilliant to say the least. Just as good as I would have expected from the electro-instrumental rockers. They put down the best beats for Cudi on the whole album, especially on “Alive”. It is practically just a Ratatat song being rapped over. But that’s only half the point, Cudi brings the songs alive, his actually impressive singing makes these songs pop, indie, alternative, electro and most importantly hip hop. It’s the closest amalgamation of genres present on any album since I heard Girl Talk’s last mashup album Feed the Animals.

I can’t profuse how much I love this album, songs like Pursuit of Happiness, featuring MGMT are also fantastic and the ingenious sampling of an acoustic Lady Gaga on the song “Make Her Say” which is still as good as when it was called “Poke Her Face” on that mixtape and Cudi caps off the album with the brilliant ender “Up Up & Away” which to me sounds like nothing I would of imagined to be on here. First off, it is so much more happy and upbeat than the rest of the album and secondly; THAT CHORUS! You know you’re listening to a brilliant album when a rapper basically sings his last song and pulls it off. Definitely one of the best pop music songs I’ve heard all year. And where The xx’s “Intro” is possibly my favourite opener, this is now my favourite ender.

Just get the album and make sure get it as soon as you can.
Kid Cudi – Alive
& there is also this brilliant mixtape song to hear, with Cudi sampling LCD Soundsystem;
Kid Cudi – Can I Be