i was rooting for cudders. i really was. i’m sure many of you know that all three of us here at weworemasks were fans of cudi from the beginning, and all three of us liked the first installment of man on the moon. it’s also no surprise that a lot of his fanbase was unhappy with the release, but that’s neither here nor there. his second album was pushed back several times (originally had a summer release date) and even now, it feels like the album was rushed.
despite being a picky listener (i know, you couldn’t tell), i don’t like writing negative reviews. but for some reason, i had to make an exception for this one. if you don’t feel like readong 450 words, you can check out the short-form version of my review here. granted, i had nothing to do with this video, but i’ve adapted it as such. deal with it.
and the best part about this record is the album cover. hit the jump for the review.
-grizzly
Artist: Kid Cudi
Album: Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
Record Label: Universal/Motown/G.O.O.D. Music
Release Date: November 9, 2010
It’s funny – if there was one new artist pre-Rosewood movement that could carry his own weight as a member of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music record label, it was Kid Cudi. He managed to release a successful mixtape and build his own buzz prior to ever being signed. He was also one of the first from the XXL Freshman bunch to release his debut album. Granted, the LP was critically polarizing, but his fanbase continued to grow with the ongoing commercial success of “Day N Nite” and “The Pursuit of Happiness.”
Somewhere along the lines of his debut and his drug charges, Cudi lost track of what worked for him. He knows he isn’t the best rapper. He is however, good at singing, embracing melodies and writing great hooks (see: “Erase Me,” Kanye West’s “Welcome to Heartbreak,” David Guetta’s “Memories”). So how come there aren’t very many memorable hooks on MOTM II? Why is this record so completely devoid of appeal, both personal and commercial? And how do you explain how misguided and inconsistent it is?
Taking into consideration the bulk of the album’s content, we’re looking at drugs, using them and partying with them. It’s not some deeply embedded secret either. With titles like “Ashin’ Kusher,” “Wylin Cause I’m Young” and “Marijuana,” it’s not difficult to see his intentions. And sure, one must revert back to the album’s subtitle of The Legend of Mr. Rager, which allows the record to embrace this type of debauchery and reckless abandonment. Despite the title, when you’re showcasing lyrics like “Money to blow/That’s more money for blow,” there’s so much more left to be desired.
The earnest and vulnerable leanings of the first volume of Man on the Moon worked well for Cudi, in that it made him the most likeable and approachable anti-hero. He had his qualms, but listeners could sympathize with him. But there’s very little to be applauded here. Instead, we’re subjected to an endless barrage of stoner babble over the type of droned, syrupy production that serves as the most fatal of album buzz kills. Very few songs are actually noteworthy and interesting and even then, do little to keep the record afloat. The Cee-Lo feature on “Scott Mescudi vs. The World” is a clear-cut asset. “All Along” and “Trapped in My Mind” send the album out on a high note and are two of the album’s saving graces, but show up after the listener has already lost interest.
In the end, Kid Cudi is still an underdog. The music he’s making isn’t for the masses anymore and the risk is especially worth applauding. However, alienating the fanbase that loved the styles of your mixtape and first album and ditching it for a more disconnected and narcissistic sound isn’t good business. The term “sophomore slump” is so much further than applicable here, but almost a moot point now; Considering Cudi’s plans to ditch the hip-hop landscape altogether, in favor of a rock band for his next outing. And “Erase Me” is enough indication of how that will turn out. Lastly, an underdog who’s on a constant slide into obscurity isn’t exactly becoming.
Grade: 4.2/10
…yeah!
WEWOREMASKS IS DEAD. 
“However, alienating the fanbase that loved the styles of your mixtape and first album and ditching it for a more disconnected and narcissistic sound isn’t good business.”
Very well said. I completely agree with your review. And I too love MOTM I
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And now I remember why I fucking love this blog.
Fantastic review.
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highest of fives to the both of yous!
-g
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I don’t want to come off as a Cudi fanboy by disagreeing but this exceeds his previous efforts by far. A Kid Named Cudi and MotM1 do portray Cudi in a more positive and likable light, but they’re not nearly as creative. Another thing, If he did in fact create more songs in that manner, they wouldn’t really mirror what has happened to him between MotM1 and 2. Therefore, he’d be lying.
Another thing I like is that no one song on this album sounded like another. MotM2 featured plenty of ‘Cudi’ branded generic songs (heart of a lion, cudi zone, sky might fall). These sound good but they all sound too similar, despite how catchy each of them are.
I applaud Cudi for experimenting more with other stuff in this album, and not leaving every songs appeal up to it’s hook.
favorites: REVOFEV, Scott Mescudi vs. The World, Maniac, The End, All Along, Ghost, Trapped in my Mind.
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i’m all for opinions man, but i disagree with nearly everything you said. for someone who can’t pen lyrics anymore, you’d think to put more effort into a hook for a number of good reasons. just take a look at the content of “mojo so dope,” “marijuana,” “ashin kusher,” “wylin cause i’m young.” that’s 25% of the album that sounds EXACTLY THE FUCKING SAME. there isn’t anything important or substantial being said in any of those.
and as far as your favorites go, the 4 songs i did like on the album are: scott mescudi vs the world, all along, trapped in my mind and mr. rager. maniac and revofev are way too clusterfuck-ish for my personal tastes.
and i’m not trying to stereotype, but do you smoke weed?
-g
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Honestly, im a huge cudi fan, but this album sucks. Yea it has some zoney beats but the lyrics are tenuous. Its just a bunch of songs about him saying how he doesnt care cuz hes famous and has money and does drugs and hes mad at everyone. That could be what he intended the album to be seeing as its titled “the legend of mr. rager” but seriously this has nothing to do with thought or anything its just him being mad at people. Songs like marijuana (which sounds like a coke song not a marijuana song) seem like he is just trying to appeal to all the little stoner kids hes created so he can entice them into buying shitty music, it says and means nothing. Pretty much he is telling a bunch of unstable kids that its alright to be mad at everyone and do drugs cuz they help. Where is being mad at everyone and doing drugs going to get you? If he actually wanted to make this album like this i hope he realized the error, that hes just mad and acting accrording to being mad. which isnt good. His first album MoTM I actually presented ideas and thoughts. This quote sums up MoTM II “fuck it nigga i was prolly zooted!”
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also, seriously cudi – a rock band? erase me sucked. how but some more i be high, higher up or cudi zone sounds. good god sir get off the fucking band wagon.
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I don’t care your credentials or wordplay, he who denies Mr. Rager is a classic and pushes the limits and boundaries and expectations of hip-hop or for that matter, any genre of music today is ignorant. Mr. Rager, maybe simply for personal reasons, and even with its lack of obvious lyrical content, is one of the darkest, deepest, coldest tracks I’ve heard in my twenty three years of life on this planet. I’ll give you mojo so dope, marijuana, ashin’ kutcher, and even wild’n cause I’m young (that last one is actually dope, no pun intended, lyrically), but even excluding those, you have yourself 13 beautiful, out-there, legendary tracks.
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*And erase me – not a huge fan of that at all. But you’re missing a key point – Scott Mescudi’s music was never published for “the masses”… fuck “the masses”, they have their own Jason Derulo and Flo Rida. Cudi is for that one in every ten, that kid who’s felt loneliness and played the role of an outcast. Though it sounds awfully dickriderish, Cudi agrees.. if you don’t vibe, you’re not the crowd his music is catered to. Furthermore, how can you argue about the drug references? That’s like walking into a bar and bitching amount the amount of alcohol they serve. “Rager”, in cudi’s mind, means tripping off of any substance, be it cocaine, heroine, or weed. Also – I must stress that this album was about his MOVING ON from those substances and his negative experiences with them, not promoting them. When he says “Money to blow/That’s more money for blow,” it’s almost cynical in the way that it’s saying that’s what I did once upon a time, see how stupid it was? The album is timeless and lives up to its Cudi’s name.
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everyone is entitled to there opinion. but do yourself a favor with reviews and dont ASSUME that the listener will be bored with the album by the time you were. its your personal opinion not the readers. also anyone that hates this album is NOT a true cudi fan or even understands what hes trying to do. cudi is one of the realist artist out there right now, he sings about real things real problems things people can relate to. “Money to blow/That’s more money for blow,” hmmmm i wonder why he said that? cuz he had a coke problem! everyone knows that and hes is now thankfully off it. cudi made this album when he was in a dark place and made it for people to be able to listen to and get through things while there in there own dark place. so the lyrics are deeper than usual and if your not able to understand that then no wonder you think his album is shit. you say its misguided and inconsistent then say in the next paragraph that he has a CLEAR theme for the album…..uhhhh??? i give this review a fuckin FFFFFFFFFF———–
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“everyone is entitled to there opinion. ”
^ take your own advice, sir.
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I’m not gonna single anybody out but I think a lot of people are forgetting the purpose or motivation behind Cudi’s music. He has said in a COUNTLESS amount of interviews that his main goal with music is to tell HIS story. He doesn’t make his shit for other people. Of course, Cudi and all of us know how much he values and loves his fans but he doesn’t compromise his creativeness for ANYBODY. Sure, he’s said a couple times that it would be nice if kids & ppl who listen to his music can learn from his mistakes, but he is by no means making his music so he can tell others what to do and what not to do. Every person who listens to his music can and will perceive it the way THEY want to perceive it and Cudi knows that and knows that you don’t create art to please everyone because you will be wasting your time.
As fans of music, I think too many of us become way too selfish. We want artists to make what we want to hear & what we like and that leads us down a road of close-mindedness (a terrible & common disease)
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i think you all are just trying to prove a point when im pretty sure no one cares. the guy gave his opinion in a review and i dont think you are going to change his mind
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*high fives*
Yo @weworemasks this review is a hit! … cuz its exposing album’s weakness !!
Just checking out your past reviews and I demand you need to be doing this more often cos mostly your views are on point !!!
November is lined up with quite a few interesting music releases, so hoping you will tackle them in a near future. I’ll be back for sure!
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@smokesblunts – i have no clue why cudi thinks he can launch a rock band and be good at it. the guy’s hit the late night circuit with a guitar in his hand, plucked the E string about 12 times and calls himself a guitarist. he’s worse than lil wayne. at least i’ve heard wayne play some chords. also, i’m not too sure the guitar was even plugged in both times.
@mr. rager – hard to take your opinion in jest when your username is what it is. cudi…not for the masses? if he didn’t care about being commercial, then he wouldn’t have played THREE VERSIONS of day n nite BACK TO BACK at the great hangover tour. instead of showcasing one song for fifteen minutes, don’t you think he would’ve shed some light on new music? especially with man on the moon I on the horizon, why waste so much fucking time? and if he didn’t want to be commercial, why the fuck is “pursuit of happiness” on a vitamin water commercial? oh – that’s right…money for blow
moving on from those experiences? are you that dense? read the lyrics to marijuana and wylin cause i’m young again. hardly moving on. he said it himself – “i give a fuck about a fucking lifestyle.”
@zach – if everyone’s entitled to their opinion, how could you possibly “give my review a fucking FFFFFFFFFFFFFF?” i can assume whatever the fuck i want, it’s my review on my website. i mean christ, have you ever read an album review in your life? one guy on the internet hates on your favorite album and you get your panties all knotted up.
and really, am i supposed to feel sorry about cudi having a coke problem? i literally could not give a fuck less if that’s a “problem.” for all intents and purposes, i’m fairly certain doing coke is a choice. and i’m not so sure that him saying he “has money for blow” is really helping us feel sympathy, rather disgust.
@pops – finally, a voice of reason. high-five.
@matt – to an extent, everyone makes music for someone else. it’s straight up a lie to think that someone who willingly signs a record deal with universal motown is in the industry to make songs he can snort coke to in a basement. if he wants to make music for himself, then he needs to lock himself in a basement and make music like this. that way, none of us are subjected to listening to it. it’s not a matter of being selfish, it’s a matter of making good music.
@anonymouse – i still think your username is awesome, and well done. none of these cudi stans are gonna sway me in the slightest. after all, someone’s gotta buy his records to support his “coke problem.”
@a visitor – i’ll do my best. reviews are fairly time consuming, but definitely expect a few more for the month of november (especially kanye’s – though i don’t expect it will be subjective!)
also, this is the first (and probably last) time i’ll ever say this. but i’m glad to have so many haters on this website giving us hits. it’s a shame we’re not getting paid for this.
PHEW.
-grizzly
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hey hey hey….smoke weed everydayyyyyy
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Right, I get that. To an extent, every artist wants his or her music to be liked by as many fans as possible. That’s the desire to succeed. That’s human nature. I totally agree with you about that. I don’t really understand where your going with the “snort coke in a basement” comments?? You seem infatuated with the disapproval of his coke addiction. I guess you couldn’t handle that an artist you liked spiraled out of control. You didn’t like it and so you wrote this review to broadcast your distaste? His coke problem lost your respect for him, thus, perhaps influencing your opinion of his music, but only you know that for sure.
To the utmost degree, Cudi has made music for himself (and by “for himself” I mean, the way he desires to create) his entire, albeit, short career. I don’t know how influenced his music is by the authorities of Uni-Motown but his shit is unlike anything most of us have ever heard and that speaks for itself. Cudi IS under Kanye at G.O.O.D. which is under Motown, and Kanye seemingly does whatever the fuck he wants, so I’m sure Cudi has more freedom than you think.
And quit quoting the fucking lyrics. You obviously can’t comprehend the way he uses them. Cynicism and sarcasm goes right over your head. Unlike most artists who talk about the same shit and take the same stance on almost every fucking song (ie. Lil Wayne), Cudi’s lyrics are constantly EVOLVING simultaneously with the way he as a human being is evolving. His songs are grouped into ACTS because every act is a different chapter of himself. And these acts are fused together to tell his story. That’s why he seems to be a completely different person on different songs.
I’m not trying to get you to like MotM2. I don’t care. It’s your opinion, and my opinion is you’re missing out. You’ve misinterpreted the essence of Kid Cudi in a way that disgusts me. I’m gonna go get his album on the 9th. I’ll buy it twice, once for you.
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matt, i’m gonna break down your essay reply for you:
I guess you couldn’t handle that an artist you liked spiraled out of control. You didn’t like it and so you wrote this review to broadcast your distaste? His coke problem lost your respect for him, thus, perhaps influencing your opinion of his music, but only you know that for sure.
+++ uhhh, you do know that kanye west is one of my favorite artists, right? there’s very few artists out there who’ve had as self-destructive of a career as he has. i don’t give a shit that cudi does coke. i do give a shit when all he raps about is doing drugs, being high and equating that with him feeling normal. it gets fucking tired and old real fast.
To the utmost degree, Cudi has made music for himself (and by “for himself” I mean, the way he desires to create) his entire, albeit, short career. I don’t know how influenced his music is by the authorities of Uni-Motown but his shit is unlike anything most of us have ever heard and that speaks for itself. Cudi IS under Kanye at G.O.O.D. which is under Motown, and Kanye seemingly does whatever the fuck he wants, so I’m sure Cudi has more freedom than you think.
+++ the only reason cudi has freedom to do as he pleases with his music is because his boss is kanye west. there isn’t a snowman’s chance in hell that anyone would put out an album that has ONE single on it. my guess is cudi’s going to do 70-80k the first week, then about 20k the second week, then 5k the third week.
And quit quoting the fucking lyrics. You obviously can’t comprehend the way he uses them. Cynicism and sarcasm goes right over your head. Unlike most artists who talk about the same shit and take the same stance on almost every fucking song (ie. Lil Wayne), Cudi’s lyrics are constantly EVOLVING simultaneously with the way he as a human being is evolving. His songs are grouped into ACTS because every act is a different chapter of himself. And these acts are fused together to tell his story. That’s why he seems to be a completely different person on different songs.
+++ QUIT QUOTING THE LYRICS OF AN ALBUM I JUST REVIEWED? HOW THE FUCK ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO GIVE YOU EXAMPLES OF WHY I HATE THE ALBUM?
don’t act like you’re some literary fucking wizard (hey, like your boy kid cudi!) who understands the depth of this album. yeah, i get it. the shit’s broken down into acts, yadda yadda yadda. it’s not impressive in the least. like i said, i’ve applauded the risks involved with his album making (and don’t forget, i love the first MoTM) — that doesn’t mean i like what i hear.
I’m not trying to get you to like MotM2. I don’t care. It’s your opinion, and my opinion is you’re missing out. You’ve misinterpreted the essence of Kid Cudi in a way that disgusts me. I’m gonna go get his album on the 9th. I’ll buy it twice, once for you.
+++ buy it twice, i don’t give a fuck. don’t come on my website and condescend me as such. i don’t give half a shit what my opinion is or how it affects one reader in the slightest. that’s what the internet is for. if my one bad review of this album irks you that much, then please feel free to find an outlet that would accept your writing and praise the record. or go troll the entertainment weekly review and tell them how much you love their review.
and you clearly DO care what my opinion is. why the fuck else are you writing 300 word comments?
-grizzly
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@ matt, seriously dude. i think u need to take a step back and look at the album without a biased “i love cudi” opinion. because all the lyrical genius u say he has, is not at all prevalent in MoTM II. If u actually look at wat cudi has been doing lately, hes not acting like a lyrical genius hes acting like a coke addict running around harrassing chicks and going crazy outside their house. Also id like to point out that ppl dont just say “oh yea i should prolly stop doing coke all day” and actually do it. Its cool that u want t support him n shit but honestly this guy needs to figure his shit out and maybe stop writing music, not because he is bad at it, but because he has definately gonna way fucking down hill since he became famous. Theres a lot of ppl that do understand what cudi talks about in his albums. (and @ that guy who said im not a cudi fan cuz i think his new album is shit, cudi is making his own life worse he needs to just get over himself and figure his shit out). Maybe after he gets through this he will come out with a better album while looking back on it like he did with motm I.
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uhhhh, no I don’t know that Kanye West is your favorite artist because this is the first time I’ve ever read a review on this website. I think there was a link from the Entertainment Weekly review? But anyways, Kanye is also one of my favorite artists. Understand that there is more than one way to enjoy music. I noticed that your ENTIRE review of the album is about his lyrics and song titles. Not ONCE do you even touch on the musical characteristics of the album (a bad habit if you’re a music critic). I guess I’m one of the lucky few that can tune out, or focus more on, lyrics or melody if I want to.
I’m glad you agree with me that Cudi does have his freedom because he’s working under Kanye (thank God). I would love for Cudi to sell more than what you’re predicting but at least there’s 100K people out there that can appreciate great, original and unique music. Album sales don’t mean dick anyways. By the way, that’s why he’s got a song in advertising, it’s called exploitation-of-your-publishing-so-that-you-can-make-a-living-on-things-other-than-the-dying-income-stream-of-record-sales
Trust me, I’m no literary wizard, haha. But I’m intelligent enough to understand (to an extent) and respectfully acknowledge where he’s coming from. And his script-styled tracklists are impressive because it enhances his story-telling to another level
You’re wrong. I don’t care about your opinion. I just hate shitty opinions in general. And I write 300 word comments because I enjoy expounding my own opinions.
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@smokesblunts
first of all, sweet username bro.
now, seriously dude, I never said he was a lyrical genius. In fact, I’ve never even thought to myself that he’s a lyrical genius. In fact, I’ve NEVER THOUGHT THAT ABOUT ANYBODY AS LONG AS I’VE LIVED. Don’t be an ignorant fuck and don’t put words in my mouth.
Lyrics, to me, are not all that important. Sure, I like lyrics and love singing along to shit. But lyrics don’t mean SHIT if the music isn’t good. That’s just how I feel. The composition is the heart of the existence of music. The literal content of lyrics doesn’t have to be great, or good; they can be down right shitty! BUT, if those shitty lyrics are put to good music and delivered beautifully, then you’ve got yourself a fucking good song! Usually. I’m sure there’s some exceptions.
And how does one “act” like a lyrical genius? ha.
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yo and I just went back to the E-Weekly Review and saw that there’s a comment by another person named Matt right before you posted your link, Roshan. Ain’t that some ironic shit? I promise you that ain’t me cuz I don’t download those weakass leaks, so I haven’t heard MotM2 yet. Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever commented on a review lol
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uhhhh, no I don’t know that Kanye West is your favorite artist because this is the first time I’ve ever read a review on this website. I think there was a link from the Entertainment Weekly review? But anyways, Kanye is also one of my favorite artists. Understand that there is more than one way to enjoy music. I noticed that your ENTIRE review of the album is about his lyrics and song titles. Not ONCE do you even touch on the musical characteristics of the album (a bad habit if you’re a music critic). I guess I’m one of the lucky few that can tune out, or focus more on, lyrics or melody if I want to.
+++ the reason i didn’t touch down on the musical characteristics is because i couldn’t care less. look at all my previous reviews for this website and realize that this review is special; i HATED the record. i couldn’t possibly even care enough to touch base on anything besides the overall concept, theme and a few examples on how bad the record is. i love cudi’s melodies, and unfortunately, none of the good ones (besides about a handful) can be found on this record.
Trust me, I’m no literary wizard, haha. But I’m intelligent enough to understand (to an extent) and respectfully acknowledge where he’s coming from. And his script-styled tracklists are impressive because it enhances his story-telling to another level
+++ this time, there’s no narrator. remember common on the first album? there’s nothing that actually says “HEY THIS IS A BRAND NEW ACT.” it’s a clusterfuck of songs with no separation whatsoever.
You’re wrong. I don’t care about your opinion. I just hate shitty opinions in general. And I write 300 word comments because I enjoy expounding my own opinions.
+++ how could my opinion possibly be considered “shitty.” i mean yes, if my review was “fuck kid cudi, take this F.” i’d understand. i articulated my thoughts and gave reasons as to why i hate the record. if that’s not a valid opinion, then i’m not quite sure what is.
Lyrics, to me, are not all that important. Sure, I like lyrics and love singing along to shit. But lyrics don’t mean SHIT if the music isn’t good. That’s just how I feel. The composition is the heart of the existence of music. The literal content of lyrics doesn’t have to be great, or good; they can be down right shitty! BUT, if those shitty lyrics are put to good music and delivered beautifully, then you’ve got yourself a fucking good song! Usually. I’m sure there’s some exceptions.
+++ if you don’t care about lyrics, then feel free to listen to and enjoy waka flacka flame. his producers are incredible and the beats on his album are fucking MASSIVE. and i’m totally serious.
And how does one “act” like a lyrical genius? ha.
+++ because he called himself a lyrical wizard in the complex review WHILE bashing wale.
yo and I just went back to the E-Weekly Review and saw that there’s a comment by another person named Matt right before you posted your link, Roshan. Ain’t that some ironic shit? I promise you that ain’t me cuz I don’t download those weakass leaks, so I haven’t heard MotM2 yet. Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever commented on a review lol
+++ here’s the thing matt. i’ve put up with your essays this entire time…
…AND YOU HAVE YET TO HEAR THE FUCKING RECORD?
don’t you think you owe it to the concept of argument to know what the hell you’re actually arguing for? keep in mind that i loved the first album, and i love his mixtape. my brother, my co-blogger, and three of my closest cousins were all fans of the previous works and HATE this record. don’t you think that says something? instead of spouting off all of these arguments, why don’t you come back in this thread and tell me what you think of the album…you know…after you actually listen to it.
until then, i’m done talking to you.
-g
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Haha dear god, bears.
Shook up the hornets nest on this one.
Came in here to say two things:
1) motm >>>>>>> motm II.
2) I would rather listen to birdman jr than mr rager’s ass any day.
That. Is. All.
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agreed. also because i like lil wayne. i don’t love him, but carter II is nasty, and III was a good listen.
-g
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Truly yours, your biggest fan. This is Stan.
great review
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I, also am down for opinions. I am a fan of this album for several reasons, and weed is a factor but not a major one. The critical success of his first album will bring further harsh reviews, because of the high rating the second one will be viewed with a strong ass microscope. I agree that his title has brought him a right for such debauchery, and it also displays the extremely grim and dark side of this such “mr. rager’s” life. The opinion that everyone would probably agree upon is that this album is more a relative album. People need to relate to the songs in order to enjoy them thus my satisfaction of this album. If you are in a point of your life where you’re reaching a bottom this album will bump for you. If you’re searching for a feel good expression such viewed by the first album you will be disappointed. I feel he is definitely up to something in this trilogy and changes hurt but tend to not sting so bad later. The transition is quite similar to his boss, Kanye, when I hear people asking for Kanye to return to his College Dropout form I notice they’re not huge fans of Late Registration. But for those who enjoyed Late Registration and College Dropout they all enjoyed Graduation. What Cudi has done is seperate his fan base into two different categories. Those enjoy the Grim nature of a certain lifestyle(MOTMII), and those who are in a very bright optimistic POV(MOTMI). The one thing I totally noticed and lacked in the second album is a linear plot such displayed by Common in the first album. My opinion is just an opinion and is open for counters, and bashing. Have a nice day.
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@pow – at least you weren’t an asshole, right? and at least you listened to the album. haha.
-g
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so many Cudi stans here. Loved the debut, this sucks, nice review Grizzly.
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Matt was a mistake. Nobody loves you. My opinion is right. WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
That is all.
Great review for an abortion of an album.
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awesome review… pretty much nailed it. I thought MOTM 1 was ok.. but nothing compared to a lot of his mixtape work. That seems to be the only thing that truly carries any weight for any artist now. Albums are so horribly watered down to cater to the masses that they lose what makes them special. Cudi is guilty of this too, but also guilty of trying too hard it seems..?
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An F, damn. I’m no cudi stan but that feels a bit extreme. There was still a couple good tracks like you said, despite all the self hatred and loner druggy mojo. Giving an F from a loyal cudi fan? Doesn’t seem too loyal to understanding his struggle.
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me being a fan of cudi has nothing to do with the F. i try to be as objective as possible when i review albums. i love eminem, still gave him a C and felt that was generous.
4/16 songs are good and enjoyable for me, personally. 25%, technically. there’s very little hope that this album is gonna get any better after 3 spins, too. no lasting value at all.
-g
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i love cudi, but this album blows. good review.
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I dig this album, but I like this review.
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@sherriff – gracias!
@latebloomer – trooper!
-g
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my bad it must have been somebody else that said that i dont remember. but seriously that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. u would listen to stupid lyrics because it has a good beat? ( i guess thats y u listen to kanye or any other rap). To be a lyrical genius u have to actually be smart, otherwise u would just accidentally make a good song. So if he were smart he would not be doing all kinds of stupid shit like smashing a chicks door down. @ the other ppl, just because he gave an f doesn’t mean hes not a cudi fan or doesnt understand his struggle. an album review is not a review of the guys struggle, this album sucks and that is wat he was reviewing.
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honostly all of yall are dumb fuks if you dont like the cd that tells me that you didnt need to be listenin to him in the first place hes not your drake,wiz,etc hes diffrent hes going to tell you how it is and how hes living..just look what he wrote on the vinyl album “one giant leep for all weirdkind” that tells it all homie its not for everyone so get the fuk off his nuts your nowhere near the same as that kid.. there is like 2 songs i dont like on the album the other 15 i jam all day everyday.. and all yall fuking talking shit can you write a album?? i love this shit call it what you want definetly gets play in my car,xbox,and computer… GONE PUSSIES!!!
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have fun enjoying the album. in the meantime, i’ll sleep sound at night knowing that i know how to form a coherent sentence and know how to argue rationally on the internet.
-g
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Superb review. I was totally let down after listening to this album. I dont know if it was the fact that most of the decent songs on the album have been out for such a long time or what but the album was a slap in the face. I told myself i wouldn’t download the album online and actually purchase it to support his music and what hes doing but after listening to all 17 tracks i realized i made the wrong decision. There is a ton of porblems with this album, nothing from the album left me saying wow, the lyrics are boring, there is no depth. Honestly I don’t know what happened to Cudi’s music since MOTM 1 and the other shit he was doing at the time. The witty hooks and lyrical flow that attracted me to cudi isn’t there in this album. Tracks that he was doing after MOTM 1 like That Tree, I Do My Thing, All Talk really brought my hopes up for this album but Cudi strayed from that. I was never sold on Cudi because of his drug use i don’t find that to be a defining characteristic of his music although it is a big part of his life. Songs like Heart of a Lion, Cudi Zon, Embrace the martian, etc from his earlier days were lyrically deep and i actually could remember the shit he was talking about. But now i feel like hes trying to focus too much on the drugs, the fact that he made it and all the haters out there (like it matters). Unlike Cudi, Wiz Khalifa who pretty much solely raps about weed really made it work for him because that’s how Wiz Khalifa portrays himself.Cudi is no Wiz Khalifa he is more complex than that and i hoped that the complexities of his personality would be manifested in this album. All i found is how bored of rap Cudi is and he isn’t even denying that fact. Anyone who is bored in a Genre of music cant be expected to deliver a knockout album and Cudi really showed us all that through this album. I do wish him luck being a Cudder but it is hard to be positive about his future. We all saw how much of a fail lil wayne’s rock album was and i cant see cudi doing well either.
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I don’t know if weworemasks still reads this but
I have a weird stance on this album
I basically completely agree with the review but at the same time I think this album still has a chance
I always looked at Cudi’s stuff or try to any musician as a movie or a journey
And I think how good it is as a complete album is how good you feel after you listened to the journey, mentally and if you feel energized to be a better person or whatever
A Kid Named Cudi and MOTM I accomplished that by far for me
Now since I look at albums as movies especially ones like this where the album is more together than alot of albums put out today is just a collection of songs
He does acts and everything
MOTM I feels like the ultimate movie, ups and downs mood swings and inspirational and everything
By the time you get to Pursuit of Happiness
It seems like you found that pursuit of happiness
Now for MOTM 2 I feel like this, this is darker and less connected and without the great Cudi vibes and hooks like the first
You know how the first Star wars stands by itself and was great and then when they made the next movies they connected those to the original? I think this is sort of like this
MOTM 1 is the original and so far the kind of Cudi I more want to hear but MOTM 2 is the sequel and it’s a part of the apparent journey of the trilogy or however far he’s going
I think I’m going listen in more and respect the darker, sadder, maybe less eventful sequel
I’m actuallly happy that the sequel is different, it makes you appreciate the first and respect this one as a different and next step in the “journey”
I hope he goes back to his dreams though lol
Also I agree with the above poster
I wish he’d make more I Do My Thing, All Talk, Higher Up, Do it Alone type stuff
I think the guy that made those tracks would make a great commercial but true to oneself type of classic
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@taylor gang – pretty much agree with everything you said.
@that dude – you bring up a really good point. i would definitely be curious about a third part of MoTM and definitely wouldn’t be so quick to write it off considering.
-g
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Yeah I think it will be interesting
But also at the same time one side of me would rather hear all 3 MOTMs to sound like the first one
But I guess that’s the selfish side of me being a fan
I’m trying to respect the sequel for what it is
But as of right now it doesn’t have that same ‘no skip’ quality I had with The first
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I couldn’t agree with this review more. this album was the most boring, overhyped piece of trash i have ever heard in my entire life. these songs literally have no substance and if any of you people actually listened to the songs you would realize that. Cudi as an artist is fantastic, but it’s not impressive to hear someone repeat the same phrase over and over again (listen, this album has ABSOLUTELY NO variation whatsoever) about being high over an extremely boring and unimpressive beat. all of you people that are saying he is a genius, don’t kid yourselves (no pun intended) you are only saying this album is great because you want to make yourself sound like you’re some sort of stoner/ hard drug addict when in reality, you’ve probably smoked a few times just like any other person and want to feel like you’re part of this culture.
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this album was dope man… music isnt always JUST about lyrics
i like to focus on the emotions and the feel of it..
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i just thought it was really disjointed. my favorite cudi album/release was man on the moon 1, which was definitely along the same lines, just a little more concentrated. motm2 was all over the place.
-g
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