Hip-Hop Album Review: Kid Cudi "Man on the Moon: The End of Day"

by: Jordan Muse

Kid Cudi’s debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day was much awaited by me after the two massively entertaining singles of “Day’n’Nite” and “Make Her Say,” the latter beautifully sampling a live rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”

The wait almost seemed not worth it after the opener, “In My Dreams,” played, but persevering through it got me to a highlight of the album: “Soundtrack 2 My Life.” This track hits hard, with intense flow, swirling synthesizers, and deep meaning that continues throughout the rest of the album. “Simple As…” is pretty crazy; a fun listen though not a very meaningful track in comparison to the many stronger ones. “Solo Dolo” has this mighty funky, yet subtle, island feel to it, but sadly the lyrics seem to fall into the sea. “Heart of a Lion” starts with Cudi spitting pretty rapidly, then swiftly transfers to anthem territory; it’s a solid track. “My World” has a mild Oriental feel to it, particularly in the intro, which is nice, but the flows a little too tame, and the chorus is just agitating. “Sky Might Fall” is tragically wonderfully; it almost makes you feel bad enjoying such a depressing song, but I guess Cudi’s optimism makes it alright. “Enter Galactic” is a love story about tripping out, with an impressively catchy hook and danceable beat; the song’s just fantastic.

“Alive” is one of two tracks featuring Ratatat, certainly making it one of the highest points. It sounds like a blend of Daft Punk’s funkiness with Ratatat’s trademark swirls turned into a trance-inducing mantra. “CuDi Zone” is rushed and happy, yet the lyrics are conversely stark and dark. “Pursuit of Happiness” is phenomenal. It features MGMT and Ratatat wonderfully aiding Cudi’s accounts of his night terrors and his methods of coping with angelic vocals and beats. “Hyyer” is easily the weakest track, despite evoking Chicago House music. Lastly, “Up, Up, and Away,” is a joyful anthem that serves as a great track to close the album on.

Overall, the album is pretty stellar. I thoroughly enjoy it, playing it on repeat through all this stormy weather. However, non hip-hop fans may want to shy away from the album as a whole and just stick to the Ratatat tracks, and maybe “Enter Galactic.” That said, I still recommend it to anyone interested in spacey hip-hop. 8 out of 10.

Download: “Pursuit of Happiness,” “Enter Galactic,” “Soundtrack 2 My Life”