KiD CuDi - 'Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager' (Universal/G.O.O.D) Released: 08/11/10

Scott Mescudi is a complex individual. He’s not the average rapper. He’s not even your typical entertainer. Very much like Drake, he’s a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. But unlike his Toronto-based counterpart, KiD CuDi’s thoughts include some demons that make for some pretty insane and off the wall hip-hop. Admitting earlier this year that he was dealing with drug-related issues, that included using cocaine to help him get through interviews with the press due to their intrusive nature, his latest offering, ‘Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager’, is more twisted reality than an episode of Twin Peaks. With an unorthodox flow, off-key rhyme pattern, and the help of Kanye West, CuDi’s debut album, which featured the smash hit ‘Day ‘n’ Nite’, introduced the music buying public to a guy ready to quite literally give himself to music.

This, the second installment of the ‘Man On The Moon’ trilogy, is played out like an actual movie. With tracks split up by acts, a synopsis, and a movie poster-esque list of credits, the album’s promotional team even filmed a visual trailer that panned out like a 1980’s horror flick. The opening act, titled ‘I Am Ruling’, features two songs. The first, ‘Scott Mescudi Vs. The World’ featuring Cee-Lo Green, is a light introduction in to what floats CuDi’s boat in terms of where he wants to be, what he wants to do, and what he has done. Green’s catchy hook enables the listener to really feel like they’re about to take part in a journey with the two entertainers. Whether it’s a fictional one or the start of a real one, it’s an uplifting way to start the album.

Mary J. Blige pop on two tracks, the first, ‘Don’t Play This Song’, being the more intricate. Spitting lines like, “Wanna know what it sounds like when I’m not on drugs?/ Please don’t play this song,” and then telling the world that he doesn’t need people telling him to be careful because it doesn’t help. The song looks at the different ways CuDi’s mind functions. He expresses that he just wants to show the world some new colours and scenes, and how he doesn’t even like to take a (drug) trip unless he’s drunk. Open and incredibly honest, ‘Confessions Of A Rock Star’ might have been a more suitable title.

Featured in act three, titled ‘Party On’, lightening the mood of the album’s darkened path, ‘Erase Me’, featuring Kanye West, is a rock enthused tale of forgetting an ex partner and the contemplation of rekindling a love once lost. While CuDi’s lyrics have a more serious theme, Kanye’s comical take on the situation brings a certain balance to the record, which is probably why it was chosen as the first single in the US. The drums, combined with the heavy guitar riff, leave you feeling like perhaps this was originally written for a band like Jimmy Eat World or Gym Class Heroes. Either way it’s a solid cut with a well structured musical arrangement. Still in the same act, and probably the strongest, the tracks ‘Wild’n Cuz I’m Young’ and ‘The Mood’, with their tightly sampled production and thought provoking lyrics, are yet more great CuDi moments. Think ‘Day ‘n’ Nite’ meets ‘Memories’ (from David Guetta’s ‘One Love’ album).

Not quite hitting its target, the sporadic ‘Ghost’ sounds more like a jumble of instruments with a layer of lyrical self pity to top it off. While the honesty and down trodden side of CuDi works throughout the majority of the album, and in fact makes it the great project that it is, this record just doesn’t do anything to heighten the listener’s enjoyment. However, featured in the same act (‘You Live, You Learn’), ‘All Along’ comes up trumps. A reflective and inspirational moment, lines like, “When the days change, so does my attitude/ I’m messy at home, I eat a lot of junk food,” and, “When the months change, so do my point of views/ I don’t want what I need, what I need hates me,” it’s easy to relate to. We all have bad days, weeks, months, but pulling through it is a beautiful thing.

Like a Tim Burton flick, KiD CuDi’s sophomore effort is dark in nature but beautiful to look at. The battle with his own demons seem real, sincere, and most of the time pure. While some may view his constant drug references as a cry for attention, it’s quite the opposite. The first step to bettering yourself as an individual is to admit the problem, and what’s the best way a musician can do that? By writing about it. While his musical mentor, Kanye West, readies the release of his much anticipated new album, ‘Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager’ is up there as one of the hip-hop albums of the year, alongside Drake’s ‘Thank Me Later’ and Eminem’s ‘Recovery’.