One Giant Leap For Weirdkind
Enlightened | Atlanta Georgia | 09/17/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kid Cudi has truly arrived with his debut album Man on The Moon: The End Of Day. Kid Cudi was the subject of much hype this year after his contributions to Kanye West's 808's & Heartbreaks and when DAY N NITE became so successful. Much weight was being put on his shoulders to not only become the next hip hop star but also to push the genre forward into boundaries it had never been.
Well I'm here to tell you that Kid Cudi has definitely delivered. This album is everything a fan of hip hop and music in general could want. This album is different sonically as well. The sparse production, never overproduced, the use of silence and space. The tracks are sequenced into 5 Acts to give the listener a feeling of a story being told but succeeds in creating a certain atmosphere that is unmatched. That feeling is dark, moody, deep, futuristic and unique. It's hard to exactly say why this album is so good but it really literally is GENIUS. Kid Cudi also has great lyrics. Some people may not feel his lyrics because they only pay attention to technique but he drops lyrics for the mind about life, feelings, emotions etc that grown people can relate to. The album is very mature and wise beyond his years. Kid Cudi combines a unique flow and delivery with a semi-singing/talking approach that works extremely well for him.
Man on The Moon: End Of Day is a crowning achievement and one of the best debuts in recent memory. Sonically the album is amazing (reminds me of ATLiens), Cudi has perfected his style. The album creates an atmosphere from the unique album cover and presentation of the album to the movie-esque back cover. He takes us on a journey with his music and is one of the rare times when an album is more enjoyable as an album rather than a collection of songs. What I mean by that is that the individual songs are great indeed but the sum is greater than it's parts. This album should be enjoyed and listened to straight through (like a movie...) to fully appreciate its creativity and purpose.
I HIGHLY recommend Kid Cudi's debut album as it is undoubtedly and easily one of the great albums of the year. Standing Ovation. Instant Classic.
*also included is a poster,DVD, and lyrics inside the book. The DVD is decent...nothing really noteworthy or prolific about it...just a bonus DVD. Also I bought mine from BB and there aren't any bonus tracks on the cd as it suggests on the cover...a big FAIL for the deception and whichever goofball messed up is fired or should be*"
So unique, so amazing.
Dan A.K. | Oswego, NY | 09/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"THIS IS A LONG, DETAILED REVIEW (warning you beforehand). My goal is after reading this it will inspire you to go buy the album and support Kid Cudi, and make him the next big artist. The music truly is as good as I describe below....
Kid Cudi truly is the man on the moon, you can tell just by the beats on all 15 of the songs. He combines so many elements from different music genres that no other artist sounds like him. His lyrics aren't flawless, but at least he doesn't rap about bling-bling, killing "ni***s" in his music...and he only talks about "bi***es" in a few lines in his songs. The beats, messages, and value of each song more than make up for Cudi's simple lyrics, which by the way I love. Cudi's music is smooth, relaxing and just a privilege to listen to. Cudi along with artists like: B.o.B, Wiz Khalifa, Charles Hamilton, Wale, and Curren$y are going to make hip-hop "alive" again.
Ok, I'll start off by saying the cover art is amazing, clever, and unique.....both covers for that matter. I like the idea of it being a flip book instead of just a CD case with two sides, it feels much more authentic. I tried playing the DVD on my computer but windows media won't pick it up, who knows why....I'm sure it's just my computer being idiotic. So yeah the cover, design, and CD covers are all very well put together and look amazing. The CD did not include the 3 bonus tracks, but after doing research....that's okay because I already had those months before, haha. Onto the important part of this review, Cudi's great music.......
--1) In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem) - 7.5/10 - Very Slow, has an inspirational sound. I could imagine hearing this song in some theatre as you walk in. Maybe if I was a stoner and smoked, I'd appreciate it more. It's a solid track/intro, not one of the better tracks on the CD.
--2) Soundtrack 2 My Life - 9.5/10 - Cudi talks about his life, and the way he is now. The beat has an electric sound. The chorus is amazing, and I sing it everytime I hear it. It's just a great song, with great sound.
--3) Simple As... - 8/10 - Not going to lie, the first time I heard this song it was an instant skip to the next song. After going back and actually giving each song a full listen this song was decent. The beginning is odd, and kind of annoying, but you get used to it. The track might throw you off, but once those drums go and the beat starts it's satisfying. It's a feel good track.
--4) Solo Dolo - 7.5/10 - My least favorite track on the album. That's not saying it's not good, because it is. The track is just creepy, the beat is creepy, and it's slow. The chorus saved the song for me, because it's catchy. I also like the "Star Wars-like" beat throughout various parts of the song, it's nice. The strings in the background of the chorus produce amazing sound. So yeah, my least favorite track but it definitely has its strengths.
--5) Heart of a Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music) - 9/10 - Love the way the song starts up with the piano. The chorus showcases great electric sound. The song is about perseverance, and moving on through difficult situations. The song basically sums up what Kid Cudi is about, fighting through his struggle to prove the doubters wrong and produce this great music. My favorite part of the song is the "NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NOOOOO YEAHHHH," I sing it everytime. Solid track, with meaning.
--6) My World ft. Billy Cravens - 9/10 - Creepy, yet soothing at the same time. The beat is on point. "This will be my world...I told ya so," this line basically sums up the whole song. My favorite part is the 3rd verse (2:49 -3:14), Cudi raps over the beat that the song started off on, it's legit. Relaxing, creepy, soothing = great track.
--7) Day N Nite - 10/10 - You've heard it, you love it, it's still amazing to this day. I remember hearing this song and not wanting to like it because I thought the name "Kid Cudi" was pretty lame. Time has passed since then, and now he's one of my favorite rappers. The video is trippy, the song is great, and will continue to be great in years to come.
--8) Sky Might Fall - 10/10 - I LOVE the drums used in this song, you can't help but bob your head while listening. I can relate a lot to this song with lines like "Grey clouds up above mayne, metaphor to my life mayne," and the chorus: "The sky might fall, but I'm not worried at all." The beat is great, and the song has meaning. Just an amazing song.
--9) Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1) - 10/10 - The beat is ummmm.....INSANE. It fits perfect with the song title, the message, and with Cudi himself. He's the man on the moon, and this is the perfect space beat. It's a song about love: "enter galactic, you and me." Favorite line of this song is: "I want to kiss you on your space below your navelette, the place you keep so neat, so moist, like a towelette." It's pretty funny at least to me. This very well might be my second favorite song on the album.
--10) Alive ft. Ratatat - 15/10 - AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. Ratatat I don't know who your are or know much about you, but DAMN you did work making this beat. I heard this song on a website and it made me want to buy this album. The beat is unique and un-like anything ever made before. The drums, electric sound, everything about it makes the beat so authentic, and makes you want to listen to it over and over. "Everytime the moon shines, I become alive," sums up everything about Cudi. This track is by far my favorite on the album, and saying that on an album so amazing like this is quite a feat.
--11) Cudi Zone - 9.5/10 - So close to giving this a 10/10 because the beat and especially the chorus is amazing. The chorus might be the most enjoyable chorus out of all the songs on the CD. But something is lacking for it to be in the 10/10 class, who knows what it is. This track is a banger though, can't stop listening.
--12) Make Her Say ft. Kanye West/Common - 9.5/10 - This track is a 10, well it would've been if they didn't let Lady Gaga have her own part in the song. Like Day N Nite, by now you're heard and loved this track. Kanye's verse is clever, and so is Commons, they add greatness to the track. So yeah a 10 track if the hermaphrodite didn't have her own little part other than the chorus.
--13) Pursuit of Happiness ft. MGMT/Ratatat - 8/10 - The Cudi/Ratatat duo is unique, lethal and great, I look forward to future tracks. This song just doesn't have the same flare as "Alive" does, none of the tracks do (it's that great). I heard this will be his next single, solid choice, but this is one of the bottom third tracks on the album. It's great, catchy, but isn't one of the better ones.
--14) Hyyerr ft. Chip Tha Ripper - 8/10 - The definition of relaxing. I have a feeling this might be the stoners who buy this album's favorite track. It's a lay-back feel good track, almost makes me want to toke up (kidding). It's a slow tune, but it's a great change of pace at the end of the album. Hyyerr goes into the final track "Up Up & Away" and to me that's a clever pairing....you get hyyerr until you're up up & away, haha. Good track, relaxing, enjoyable.
--15) Up Up & Away - 10/10 - AMAZING way to end off a glorious CD. The song leaves me wanting more, and makes me speculate what's next for Kid Cudi. The song has an acoustic feel, with space-like beat in the background. The song is also referred to as the "wake & bake song." I said earlier Enter Galactic might be my 2nd favorite song, but this song is just as good. "I'll be up up & away, cuz they `gon judge my anyways," sends a good message even though Cudi is really talking about getting high. The real message is do what you want to do, don't worry about what others will say or think, because they'll hate either path you choose to walk. Great ending, great song, great album, great artist.
Cudi truly is a one of a kind artist that does things his way. His way is unique, soothing, and produces great music. If "artists" like Soulja Boy, LiL'Wayne, and LiL'Jon can sell millions of album copies there is no excuse why this album shouldn't do the same. This album should win Album of the Year, or at the very least be nominated. Every track from beginning to end is great, some greater than others obviously, but each still have staying power in the end. Go out and support a REAL artist, that makes great music. Thank you Mr. Solo Dolo for this masterpiece you made in the studio, you have me convinced. Buy this people, you won't be sorry.
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