The days of young, rebellious Cudi are likely behind him.
The Cleveland artist recently released his sixth studio album, Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven. Though Cudi switched to a punk-rock, Nirvana-esque style, his latest album seems to reflect a call for help more than any poignant societal critique.
While his work as a rapper has clearly helped him develop his writing, the eccentricity of his rapping voice doesn’t fare well over grungy instrumentals; his singing voice isn’t incredible, and his louder yelling moments just sound misplaced.
Despite his inkling for darkness on this album, Cudi still manages to provide glimmers of hope on some tracks, like “Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven,” where he mixes singing and groaning to declare, “or when I crash, when I crash / or if I land, no matter the case / I’m all smiles, I’m all smiles, I’m all smiles / give a fuck what they say.”
But pertaining to the dominant forlorn themes of the album, many tracks also come off as hopeless, such as on “The Nothing,” where Cudi describes the feeling of addiction as “eerie, eerie darkness nearing / no one hears you suffer.”
Some songs are honest and almost confessional, like “Handle With Care,” and some are clearly reminiscent of throwing up one’s hands to exclaim, “fuck everything,” such as “Judgmental C**t.”
But regardless of the songs’ subthemes, they all remain below melancholy’s waterline.
Cudi is clearly in a darker place on this album, and the fact that he’s switched to an alternative grunge rock style is somewhat indicative of this. But the signs pointing to Cudi’s turn toward melancholy go beyond just his new choice of musical style. For example, Beavis and Butthead skits performed by creator Mike Judge riddle the album, showing the two fictional characters comparing Cudi to the late Kurt Cobain.
One of the overarching problems with the album is it’s hard to tell if it serves as Cudi’s appeal for a shoulder to lean on or a farewell to his fans.
Musically, the album is terribly produced and lacks any real value. Nearly every song begins with some sort of guitar riff and drum combination that continues on repeat until the track’s end.
As for his voice, Cudi could be described as whispering, singing, moaning and screaming on several songs, unlike the smooth, flowing sound he gave off in his earlier rap tracks. And contrary to his earlier attempts at rock on WZRD and Satellite Flight, Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven just sounds lazy and done in haste.
There are a couple exceptions, notably “The Nothing” and “Handle With Care.” But these are certainly not the rule.
To say Kid Cudi ultimately failed on his journey into the darker grunge world would be a lie. It was a miscalculated journey, but Cudi’s brief bursts of strong musicality scattered throughout the album show that with some work, the young ex-rapper could one day have a serious future in grunge rock.
Until that day, he should focus on improving his personal life. Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven is an honest piece by an aspiring rock artist, but depressing themes cannot mask a lack of experience in the genre.
