Music Theory: Kid Cudi

-Kid Cudi's long-awaited album Man on the Moon: The End of Day dropped today, and after a few listens I must say I am quite impressed. I've slowly become a fan of Cudi's introspective lyrics and wholly unique approach to hip hop, but some people are apparently hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. The Washington Post sees Cudi as a mediocre Kanye clone: "Signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint, Ohio rapper Kid Cudi has ripped off his label owner's formula."
-Of course, had they done their research, they would know that Cudi is quite the opposite. Most know that Kanye actually hired Kid Cudi to help write four songs on his 808s and Heartbreak album (including my two favorites, "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Paranoid"), and many speculate that Cudi's mixtape actually inspired Kanye to do the album in the first place. BET's Rising Icon special (above) features some solid performances as well as some insight into Cudi's much-publicized issues, and is a must-watch for anyone who is not yet familiar with his work. more

Professors: KAWS x Kanye

-There has been a ton of discussion and dissent ever since the first track, "Love Lockdown", from Kanye's impromptu diversion 808s and Heartbreak leaked over a month ago. We've resisted commenting on the album yet because we still aren't quite sure how we feel about it. On one hand I respect the man for going Sarah Palin on the industry and doing his own thing, especially since he promised to still put out a radio friendly album in June. On the other hand, most of the tracks sound pretty similar and the fact that this album was made in a hurry is definitely evident. "Heartless" and "Coldest Winter" are solid tracks though, and "Welcome to Heartbreak" is straight-up amazing.
-Adding to the hype around this album, urban-art goldenboy KAWS has lent has employed his signiture style to create this limited edition album art for the disc. Even if you don't love this album, at least you'll have some fresh KAWS art popping up on your iPod every once in awhile.
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