Kid Cudi came into the scene with his trip-hop anthem Day N' Night back in 2007. Fast forward to 2009 and Cudi has built quite a reputation having co-wrote songs on both Kanye West's 808 and Heartbreak and Jay-Z's Blueprint 3. For Cudi's debut he recruits Ratatat, MGMT, Kanye West, and Common along side new fellow new comers Chip Da Ripper and Billy Craven to build his spacey, introspective debut album.
Cudi samples folk and hard rock with distorted electronic finesse that creates an electronic production that breathes fresh air into hip-hop. If anything Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon is a beautifully arranged and produced album. Dark, moody, and experimental the 25 year old Cudi has grown a lot production wise sense his "A Kid Named Cudi" mixtape. When he doesn't use any samples he more than compensates with the minimalist electronic production that Kanye West has popularized. Like Mos Def, T.I., Lil Wayne, or Ant (from Atmosphere), Kid Cudi uses his voice as an instrument as he harmonizes and sings along side his beats to create one of the more organic sounding hip-hop albums (a daring feat considering his strong electronic influence).
Kid Cudi isn't trying to be the best rapper alive, he's perfectly content with his lyrics even if at times you do wish for a little more. While he doesn't have a childlike flow or simple abc123 lyrics, at times his production would really shine with maybe a more lyrical rapper to mold a story with his beautiful production. Yet, Cudi can get away with the less is more mantra. Kid Cudi for the most parts raps about his life as a young adult confused alone, yet still enjoys himself, but once the marijuana smoke clears he's back to being confused but a little more confident in his own journey of self-discovery.
While the albums does have it's share of missteps like the Lady Gaga sampled "Make Her Say Poke her Face" sounds off with the rest of the album. Same can be said about "Hyyerr" Feat. Chip Da Ripper another ode to the ladies sounds off too, as it sounds better placed on a Piles or Lil Wayne album. Not saying Kid Cudi can't make love (or love making) songs, as Enter Galactic (Love Connection) is one of Kid Cudi shining moments.
Cudi's debut is a sold album with some minor missteps, but his production is amazing. It's no wonder Kanye West and Jay-Z have both had songs written and produced by him. His production and song writing really shines on "Soundtrack 2 My Life", "Day N' Night", and "Enter Galactic (Love Connection)".
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