Observations From Kanye West & Kid Cudi's KIDS SEE GHOSTS

First off, I want to start by saying that I am not here to support Kanye West in any way shape or form outside of music. I am only here for the musical aspect of things, so far it has been Pusha's album, and now, because I find Kid Cudi to be one of the most influential and inspiring artists of the last decade, I have a contract in my brain that says I will absolutely and unequivocally support anything Kid Cudi puts out musically after Man On The Moon I and II. Kanye, if you somehow, find some "by the ways of God, premonition-like" way to read this, seek help. For you and your loved ones. You may think it helps you, but at some point, you will no longer be able to control it.

Anyways, the relationship has been well documented between these 2 G.O.O.D Music artists for about 10 years now, seeing as Cudi was a key inspirational crafting point in the making of Kanye's 2008 4th solo album 808's & Heartbreaks (the album some may some say is Kanye's best... just kidding, it's only me that says that), playing a huge role in most of the album's production, melodies and harmonies as a whole (Cudi has also detailed working with Kanye and Jay Z on The Blueprint 3 in past interviews).  Kanye has always been the best example of "paving your own lane" when it comes to personality (hot take) and creativity as a whole, especially music. Now Cudi on the other hand... how does one describe Kid Cudi's musical ear and sound?  Kid Cudi is like if Pink Floyd and David Bowie somehow mixed together and had a psychedelic baby born on LSD and somehow already possessed the ability to play the piano. Now put these 2 musical entities together... and it creates the stuff of myth. Children are proven to experience more paranormal activity than the average adult, but on Kids See Ghosts... I think Kanye and Cudi made it possible for adults too. Check out my observations from Kids See Ghosts below.


Live Instrumentation That Gives It A Jam Session Feel



As if there was any question to if the project was going to be musical, Kanye brings the beats to Cudi's blues. All throughout the project, melodies on top of melodies are layered intricately and just perfectly enough for each contributor to do their part and not steal too much shine away from their partner... and Lord knows both are capable of doing so. "Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)" intros with some heavy pounding drum kicks that sound like a nightmare reoccurring from 2010-2011; a nightmare brought on from the imaginative portraits that Cudi would paint throughout his writing in the Man On The Moon series.  This song is especially great because it takes you back to a time where old school grunge bands would show footage of themselves during their Behind The Music documentary's just jamming it out in the garage with the band, still figuring out their sound (besides those "ray of sunshine" like background vocals that Ty Dolla $ign provides, which are almost ghostly... ohhhhhh.. I get it!). The introduction guitar along with the progressing drums in the album's final track "Cudi Montage" sound like the perfect blend of a grungy Nirvana-era guitar, then somehow flips into a hardcore hip hop album cut that Jay Z could talk his shit over (remix idea, maybe? Oh dammit... nevermind. Forgot about Kanye and Jay's current status).


Cudi Haunts This Album With His Presence, And It's Absolutely Gorgeous, Terrifying, And Brand New, Yet Somehow A Blast From The Past

(*I do not own these songs, images, or the rights to them*)

Okay seriously crazy theory here... Is this a secret ode to Cudi's Man On The Moon series?  Is this a follow up WITHOUT BEING A FOLLOW UP?!  Haunting is the epitome of Cudi's presence throughout Kids See Ghosts, whether it be giving a beautiful yet somehow paranormal singing voice ("Feel The Love"), some all-seeing, all-knowing, prophetic types of song writing ("4th Dimension", and I mean just LISTEN to that introduction to Cudi's verse... talk about creepy!), some talks of being "Reborn": which, I mean come on, the song title is already saying something in itself; like dying and being "Reborn" as this new creature (and Cudi is clearly Unicorn status, by the way), and playing the guitar to what sounds like courting death (that grungy Nirvana sound)... almost as if he's leading you to a battle you know you can't win, an unsettling oath that is less like death and more like fulfilling prophecy; coming back stronger than ever before and leading your troops to victory in a battle more epic than the final Harry Potter movie ("Cudi Montage"). Seriously though, Cudi; we didn't think you'd take the whole "Reborn" thing as such a method actor!  It's like closing your eyes, hearing a movie and imagining it yourself as the soundtrack to darkness unfolds. Cudi himself adds more than vocals, production, or verses could all do put together, and this is why he's (in my opinion) one of the greatest to ever do it; his ambience creates more of a feeling than pure rapping could ever do; he's not just haunting you with his singing, he's creating a soundtrack to the madness in our minds.                
              


















                  

Kanye Announces He's Producing Nas' Next Album, Dropping In June

About an hour and a half ago, Kanye took to Twitter again to announce some more news about what is sounding to be like an amazing year for him and his G.O.O.D Music crew.

Kanye announced around 7:30 EST all of the album he would be helming this coming June; the previously announced Kids See Ghosts joint album with Kid Cudi, as well as Teyana Taylor and Pusha T's next solo albums, but he then announced the next album that he would be executive producing; the long awaited Nas album. Nas' last album of course was 2012's Life Is Good, which dropped over 6 years ago. Nas has yet to comment on Kanye's claims, so we will see if Kanye's claims hold true. If true, it's looking to be a huge year for G.O.O.D Music.

Who's excited for new Nas?  Fingers crossed for this one!    

So... It's Kind Of Been A CRAZY Week In Hip Hop So Far (News, Thoughts, Speculation, And More)

In case you've some how been living under a rock for the last 3 or 4 days, this week has been absolutely crazy concerning hip hop, and some of the biggest names involved in it today. And because there is so much to tackle in so little time, I'll save y'all the introduction and get right to the good stuff. First thing's first (rest in peace Uncle Phil... just kidding, but we'll get to that guy in a sec)...

Kendrick Lamar Wins Hip Hop's First Ever Pulitzer

                             (Photo credited via The Pulitzer Prizes Twitter [@PulitzerPrizes])

Where's a Ron Burgundy meme when you need one?  Because this is kind of a big fucking deal. This last Monday (April 16th), Kendrick Lamar was announced as the first EVER hip hop act to win the acclaimed and highly coveted Pulitzer Prize Award, which if you don't know, Huffington Post describes/defines as an award "for distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year."  Kendrick is recognized as the first "non-classical or jazz artist" to win the award, but lets not beat around the bush here; Kendrick is the first HIP HOP artist to win the prestigious award EVER. Period. Although some would argue that TPAB is far more deserving of the award (like me) because of it's outstanding concept as an overall body of work and the important reoccurring themes, some (like me as well) are exuberant in the fact that Kendrick Lamar is the first ever hip hop artist to win an award of such importance. When Kendrick wins, hip hop wins.

Kyle Supposedly Dropping "Debut" Album?

                         (The supposed cover for Kyle's debut album, titled Light Of Mine)

In more exciting hip hop news, goofy Ventura, California rapper Kyle announced that his debut album, Light Of Mine, will be dropping on his 25th birthday, May 18th of this year. The first two singles ('To The Moon" and "Playinwitme" featuring the wonderful Kehlani) have been pretty well received from fans so far, but knowing Kyle and his ever-changing style, the first 2 singles give no inclination or evidence as to what the album will sound like as a whole. It's too hard to tell what the album's title could mean, and based on Kyle's ability to out bar your favorite rapper on one song then sing them to sleep on the next, it's too early to tell what kind of sound we'll be receiving from him.

Drake Dropping New Album Scorpion In June

After the release of the Scary Hours EP which included the wildly successful hit "God's Plan", Drake followed it up with an even bigger smash hit anthem for the ladies, "Nice For What", which many have said is Drake's best song in years (it was me... I said it). "God's Plan" spent a staggering record 11 weeks atop Billboard's number 1 spot, but that's not even the craziest part; with the number 1 debut of 'Nice For What" on Billboard, Drake actually became the first hip hop artist in history to REPLACE HIMSELF for the number 1 spot with another song. So leads us into the anticipation for Drake's new album, which in case you missed, is called Scorpion and will be arriving in June, though no official date has been given just yet. Knowing Drake's history of pre-released songs right before albums, "God's Plan", "Diplomatic Immunity", and "Nice For What" will give us absolutely no idea of what the album will sound like as a whole, so what are your expectations for Scorpion?  Do we think Drake keeps with his R&B roots and drops more ballads for the women?  Or do we think Drake attacks again with more aggressive bars aimed at everybody who even mentions his name?  Personally, I believe a name like Scorpion doesn't exactly call for cute filtered Snap Chats and Instagram captions, and am really hoping Drake is coming for people's throats in the rapping aspect again (how amazing would it be to get another "A.M" song added to the list?)  No, scorpion's do not take Snap Chat selfies or Instagram pictures of themselves for likes... They sting. It's in their nature.

J. Cole Drops KOD Out Of Nowhere And It's The Album Old Heads Have Been Waiting For

In case you somehow missed Twitter trending topics and the Internet absolutely blowing up over the last 18 hours or so, J. Cole released his surprise album KOD at midnight last night, and boy does it not disappoint. In case you have yet to listen to it, I won't give too many details away, although I have to say that this extra voice that Cole is adding certainly makes for an interesting concept, and almost makes for "hip hop parody" if you will (no Weird Al, not THAT kind of parody). Be sure to check that out if you haven't already, it's very good, but you guys already know I don't need to vouch for Cole. Also, regular viewers, expect an "Observations" review article coming from me with a week or so!

Kanye Tweets/Album Rumors?

Kanye has also been going H.A.M. on Twitter as of late. Over the last week or so, Kanye has been tweeting inspirational messages to his followers, but the inspirational messages are not what people are choosing to direct their attention at (though the tweets have hundreds of thousands of retweets and likes). The most noticeable tweets are the ones above; not only did Kanye announce that his album would be coming on June 1st, he also announced that a mere week later (June 8th) he would be dropping a collaborative project with Kid Cudi, titled after him and Cudi's supposed collaborative group name, Kids See Ghosts (everybody just STAY CALM!). But that's not even the last of it; Kanye also went on to tweet release dates for G.O.O.D. Music label mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor's albums!  Now it's too early to tell if Kanye is for real or if he's just blowing smoke, so until anything comes out, I wouldn't get your hopes up, 'Ye fans, although the tweeting is a start. If it continues, maybe it starts a huge promo run for G.O.O.D Music?


I shouldn't say that's ALL for this week (because holy overwhelming that's a lot to take in), but it's almost safe to say that this week in hip hop can't get much bigger... knock on wood.