Kid Cudi
SATELLITE FLIGHT: The Journey To Mother Moon (2014)
Island/ Republic/ Universal/ Wicked Awesome
Pop-Rap
If I wanted abstract electronic music I would listen to electronic musicians who actually know how to produce a track. Cudi is not a rapper who can self-produce, the beats on this are absolute shit. For example, he throws some psychedelic-sounding leads in with some strings, maybe a snare or two, and a toned down hit and calls that a beat (see Balmain Jeans)?
This wasn't as bad as Indicud, but what is? Bland really is the best way to describe Kudi. His music does nothing. It doesn't go anywhere, the beats are shit, he has a mediocre flow, and nothing to say. "But damn I’m feeling like Sam except my daddy ain’t stuck up no video game". I'll just let that sink in. Yes, he really used that line in a rap. And the singing? He has no voice to speak of, and yet he has to sing his own hooks. Maybe he should follow Pusha T's example. But when I thought the worst was over, Internal Bleeding hit. He's kind of drunkenly drawling a verse, attempting to sing. I don't know how anyone could call it music, and I really don't know how anyone could actually want to listen to it.
1.5/10
Worst Tracks: Internal Bleeding
Ty Dolla $ign
Beach House (EP) (2014)
Arsenal / Dollasign Records
Pop-Rap
Oh no. Autotune. He doesn't overuse it as much as some artists, but let's get one thing clear. Autotune is obnoxious. It's tolerable when used in hooks on a few songs off the album, but when it permeates the whole album, who actually enjoys that? That's a rhetorical question, please don't respond you future and ty fans.
The production on this EP is acceptable, but nothing special. A few tracks shine production-wise, but the rest aren't special. And production's the best part of this EP. He doesn't know how to rhyme words, so instead he just repeats the same word at the end of the line (see Or Nah). Check out this piece of genius: "That nigga ain’t had much money as I do/ That nigga don’t know your body like I do/ Your friends think I ain’t shit, I don’t like them either/ Them hoes ain’t shit, they can’t keep no man either". Word.
His lyrics and flow are weak. All he can rap about is bitches, money, and weed, and he can't even rap well about any of them. When the best verses on your album are Wiz features you know you're doing something wrong.
All in all, this EP kind of epitomizes all that's wrong with so much of modern mainstream rap. Thank god it was only an EP.
1.0/10
Worst Track: Or Nah
