Navindra Persuad
Kid Cudi pulled a Beyoncé when he released his fifth major album “Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon,” at midnight on iTunes last Tuesday to millions of unprepared fans. The album came with just a few tweets to his fans before the actual drop, then, at 12am fans were able to click to purchase.
What may have been a pleasant surprise for fans may also serve as a disappointment to all. Kid Cudi was founded on hip-hop music; it is what started his career. “Day n’ Night” put him on the map and people loved the loner stoner-rap vibe that was produced. “Satellite Flight,” is an album clearly created by a very experimental artist.
The 10-track album features four instrumentals, “Destination: Mother Moon,” “Copernicus Landing,” “In My Dreams 2015,” and “Return of the Moon Man (Original Score).” All of the instrumentals are heavily influenced by his obsession with space and the Moon which relate back to his first two albums. Cudi has utilized such instrumentals on previous works, but never before to this extent.
Cudi’s production skills have remained a standout talent, of his many skills as an artist. So, production-speaking, the album is far from poor. That being said, this album is reminiscent of the WZRD album Cudi dropped in 2012, which featured an experimental rock-type sound that does not completely fit his identity.
“Satellite Flight,” happens to be a fairly decent song with the space theme continuing; the sound is well, a bit out of the worldly. The album also features a stand-out track titled “Balmain Jeans,” featuring Raphael Saadiq, and is reminiscent of similar tracks on his previous albums, featuring synth-heavy production. This song is very much sexually driven as it depicts Cudi coaxing a woman and carrying out sexual acts. Other than Saaqid the album contains no other artist features just Kid Cudi and his mad experiment.
“Balmain Jeans” is the closest this album gets to containing a hint of hip-hop, with that said, there are no instances of Cudi rapping at all. In a Complex Magazine online music interview, on Feb. 27th, Cudi explained this by saying, “I have a bunch of powers, but unfortunately I cannot write raps unless I’m ultimately fueled to write a rap, and it happens every so often. When it does happen it happens in the way of a “Too Bad I Have to Destroy You Now.” Where I’ve been waiting to unleash and I finally have and even though you haven’t heard many raps from me, it’s just enough to have you satisfied. Also, I aim for timeless. That’s always a goal.”
Not sure this will be one of the timeless albums. There is no issue against the genre that he is trying to experiment with, however, the experimentation will not retain his typical fan base. It is unfortunate, but Cudi seems to be completely unbothered by his recent musical endeavors, which have occurred over the past couple of years, in his Complex interview.
“I don’t pay that any mind. I’m flattered that people want to hear the raps and that’s cool,” said Cudi, “But, I feel like my first couple of albums, well, my first album and my mixtape were more rap-driven. But also I need kids to be aware that I’m not going to rap if I’m not inspired, unfortunately, that’s my weakness.”
Cudi has had his struggles with cocaine and alcohol but has told Complex that he is sober now. It is good to see that he is moving in the right direction in terms of sobriety, but for his original fans, the ones who helped build his fame that may be taking a turn. The overall sound is a ‘rock’ album with a science fiction theme. If you happen to be a fan of Cudi’s album WZRD, and his new experimental sound – then you will love this album. For those who are expecting a hip-hop vibe, or even something closer to his previous album, Indicud the predecessor to this album, you may be in for a disappointment.