Kid Cudi does not play by your’s, mine, or any record lable’s rules, and he wants you to know it. Cudi’s new album, INDICUD, is both an example and further demonstration of his rebellious practices. After all, Indidud comes on the heels of his departure from G.O.O.D. music and mentor, Kanye West, as well as, a critically panned rock album, WZRD. If you follow Cudi on Twitter (@ducidni), you know bad publicity or critical reaction does not phase him one bit and his work on Indicud is meant as a statement to this fact. He has been very blunt about his career and his personal issues, including his non apologetic drug use (that now includes acid). Cudi even welcomed Indicud being leaked early, saying he was “just glad people got a chance to hear it.” Cudi even retweeted dozens of fans who obviously illegally downloaded the album, and thanked them for the feedback, positive and negative.
Each one of Cudi’s albums have been genuinely unique from its predecessors, none of his albums have had the same emotions. Man on the Moon sounded like a prestigious underground rap album, while Man on the Moon 2 was purposely dark and depressing. WRZD was an experimental rock album, that ironically turned out awkwardly pop-y. Indicud is an alternative rap album that features 3 instrumental songs, including the intro and outro to the album, but Indicud even includes a song “Red Eye” where Cudi only sings back-up on the chorus. Oddly enough, many critics and fans have called “Red Eye” featuring R&B singer, Haim, the best song on the album. Cudi also adds to the esteemed list of artists he has collaborated in the past. Artists featured on Indicud include; Too Short, RZA, A$AP Rocky, and wait for it, MIchael Bolton.
Like all of his album since Kid Cudi’s first studio album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, Indicud is not very consistent. In other words, when Indicud is good, “Red Eye”, “Immortal”, “New York City Rage Fest”, it’s really good but when it misses, “King Wizard”, ‘Lord of the Sad and Lonely”, the drop-off is rather significant. Not to say the misses on this album and the two previous are terrible tracks, they just fail to meet the bar Cudi set for himself as an underground rapper and with his debut effort. There are numerous articles and reviews asking if Kid Cudi has the Orson Welles problem, meaning, like Orson Welles, did he release his best work too soon and spend the rest of his career trying to equal early prominence? I tend to believe this is a little overblown. Tracks such as, “Immortal”, prove the genius and lovable stoner is still there and with us. Although cliche, Indicud, proves Kid Cudi is an artist, and artists experiment to their satisfaction.
