Man On The Moon (Revisited)

I spoke on Twitter earlier today about music artist Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi and pointed out things that i perceived to matter with music pundits. Cudi's second musical offering, Man On The Moon II, was released today with what seems to be minimal hoopla; seems interesting for a widely known artist that commands so much money in concert appearances and is the absolute favorite artist and understudy of arguably the best hip-hop producer/artist actively working. Nonetheless reality prevails.

As a person who ardently seeks music to love and enjoy, I find Kid Cudi a very fascinating artist. I am under the heavy belief that i am witnessing history, I think Cudi is the first of his type. As I told my good friend @Kerrel_ he is a "howler", not a rapper or a singer. I've witnessed him in concert twice and I swear that if you turn your back at times during his show you would think a wolf has been switched into Cudi's place when you were not looking. As i think back to when Cudi was introduced to the world there were a lot of people that were confused by his musical presence, initially he was called a rapper until those in charge of the titles could no longer produce evidence to support that claim. However it was apparent to everyone that he wasn't a singer, or at least not by the definition we have commonly adopted. I will indeed admit, when introduced i didn't know what to call him either (If i was ever asked to call him something, generally I refer to him as an artist). This discovery alone was substantial enough to keep me listening to him in an effort to learn more about him and I'm sure i wasn't the only one.

Another facet of Cudi's commanding music presence is his leadership and pioneering ability. He is the torch bearer for a section of society that never really had a quality representative in the mainstream music world. Matter of fact my friend @Kerrel_ who is from Cleveland told me a story a while back of a house party he and Mescudi attended where there was quite a bit of substance abuse taking place in one of the bathrooms -- and Cudi was firmly planted in the mix. And for the those still wondering, drinking doesn't happen in the bathroom. Cudi was attempting to rap and from the account i received it wasn't really good. This is long before he was thee Kid Cudi. But the point is he represents a large part of a youthful experimental culture that trades Excedrin for Ecstasy. A generation that never really felt the need to deal with their problems without abetment. This is probably the one subculture of America that didn't really have it's own music catalogue. No matter what you are pioneering you have to be a secure and sturdy individual or either simply not care, which i think Cudi is both. Cudi believes he is that "Nice" when it comes to music (See Complex interview). There are few music artist that give the fans an open book to read, for instance Jay-z shows very little of himself through his music, most songs aren't really too personal or relatable (how many of us honestly have Maybachs); Mescudi on the other hand will point out his instabilities with no concern for side effects and i find that to be commendable and I'm sure for him it's empowering.

Kid Cudi gives you quite a bit of feeling through his music, and that is paramount to attract listeners. The sound isn't what entrances you, its the feeling. People like music that feels good, or takes them somewhere they want to go. Music is simply what feelings sound like. If you are indeed adept at putting your feelings into music then you will win every time. I'm under belief that a lot of artist don't do what they feel when the music strikes, they operate only in the confines of what they believe to be acceptable, or what they are supposed to do. Cudi came along at the right time and is afforded the opportunity to be free with his song making and doesn't appear to be impeded by the machine too much. He probably can send a lot of his gratitude to his boss, Kanye West. The point is this, a liberated artist is a heck of an occurrence to witness. It will usually end up in superb material or atrocious material and Cudi is surely standing in the superb line only behind a very few.

For anybody looking to get a one-of-a-kind music experience i recommend Kid Cudi, it is imperative that you show up without reservations. Pop the album in (I or II) and slide your headphones over your ears. You'll find something to latch on to, I guarantee it.

Kanye's Vestige

"Look at cha, Look at cha, Look at cha, And i want to show you how you all look like beautiful stars tonight..."

There are billions of people on this earth and one of the most intriguing and awe inspiring happenings is when people find ways to separate themselves from so many that are just like them.

Here we are, a couple of days after, where the authentic feelings usually reside. Kanye has just debuted his short film "Runaway" and it has once again left him standing alone with no modern day peers in sight. The film was roughly 35Mins long with a delicately delivered storyline sandwiched between music and pretty imagery. A lot of artist leave the listener to fend for themselves when drawing conclusions and painting images in their head about the presented music, but Kanye spoon-fed all of his personal visions, whether fond of them or not. However it gives another avenue for avid fans and pedestrian listeners to latch on to, perhaps someone was not substantially moved by the music but they were inspired by the visuals.

Most hip-hop artist forget that they're making art. For the sake of consistency we'll classify Kanye West as a hip-hop artist (although i have another theory). Obviously most people want to sell music to the largest pocket of consumers they can reach, therefore you have to be very generic in your approach...unless you are THAT good (most aren't). One of the most perplexing phenomenons is that record labels usually sign hip hop acts that aren't 'That' talented. For instance I don't think many people would argue that 50 Cent, Rick Ross, or Gucci Mane are much more talented than many of their peers. Many of the faces in music are just that, faces. There are people who produce the track, craft the most important parts of the song, which would be the hook or bridge (IF the hip hop song even has a bridge now) and do a lot of the creative process for the "faces". It has become more important to find the right resource than to be the resource, which isn't always a bad idea but it shouldn't be the first option. The segment that now separates artist is marketing, therefore the eminent emphasis isn't on the art. Most passive music listeners will listen to whatever comes on the radio and aren't very discriminate in what they listen to. So the extra time/effort goes towards other things. Contrary to popular belief music is a niche culture.

Kanye on the other hand works equally hard at both, if you recall back to College Dropout he talked about how he had marketing schemes for an album that didn't even have a home (label) yet; he was the one who forced Rocafella to put the album out because he filmed the video got it played and was pushing his own art with his own drive. Whether one likes Kanye's presentation or not you have to be grateful that he is trying hard. He didn't wake up one day in Prague with a film crew, costumes, and backdrop and decide to shoot this film. He didn't decide to relay another gangster or street related visual back to us. He attempted to give us his story how he viewed it as he lived it; not give us someone else's story and try to fit it to himself. An "A" for effort should be given above all else. His motivation of changing the music landscape is the catalyst behind this and that has always been apparent. There are artist that often leave me perplexed to wonder what their motivation is in the music race. Kanye is amassing a nice collection of audio and visual memoirs to keep him alive for many years after he has stopped, and for an individual looking to change the ordinary that's not a bad idea.

Give Kanye credit, love him or hate him, he probably won't Runaway again... He'll be here in some form or fashion.