The Nevada Sagebrush

Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi, declared in his debut studio LP, “Man on the Moon: The End of the Day,” that he had major issues — depression and excessive nightmares, to name a few.

Night terrors and loneliness are the least of Cudi’s worries in the album’s follow-up, “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.” Cudi takes fans on a painful yet beautiful journey through his current dark reality while trying to battle his demons. With MOMII, Cudi manages to create a unworldly-sounding record infused with multiple musical influences.

Cudi started out in the game as an individual, refusing to stick to typical hip-hop musical styling’s and urging listeners to “embrace the Martian” in his first official mixtape “A Kid Named Cudi” (2008). Thankfully, the pressure of record executives that often forces artists to assimilate a more mainstream sound did not ground the extra-terrestrial back to Earth.

Between the eclectic blend of sounds inspired by 1990s alternative rock, soul, 1960s rock and roll along with the hip-hop, MOMII boasts a unique sound that cannot be categorized in a single genre. Musical features by artists such as Cee-Lo Green, Mary J. Blige and Kanye West further diversifies Cudi’s sound.

The album features extremely dark content about Cudi’s struggles with cocaine addiction, adjusting to fame and his suicidal thoughts. Cudi’s introspective lyrics about his internal struggles may seem too whiny and self-indulgent at face value, but if taken into consideration as a whole, listeners will see that MOMII is his gift to fans in the form of empathy.

Cudi proves that he has more courage than any rapper who boasts about being shot in a track by bravely baring his heart and soul in every song and letting his fans know how he faces the same demons that they do every day.

He touches on this in the song, “These Worries,” by declaring in his signature sing-rap tone, “All alone trying to hide from the shadows/Ain’t no use, it seems everywhere they follow/They know where I be at, in my mind trying to get me.”  Sample sounds of Cudi snorting cocaine add a very atmospheric tone to the song.

While Cudi’s talk of internal struggles is featured in all 17 tracks on the album, his drug usage is also a theme heavily explored in MOMII. The self-proclaimed “lonely stoner” sings about his love for weed in damn-near every song on the album, a few being “Marijuana” “Don’t Play This Song,” and “Ashin’Kusher.”

But rather than simply being a gratuitous song bout the joys of pot, “Marijuana” is both a love letter to weed and an explanation of how Kush quells Cudi’s inner fears. Even when singing about weed, Cudi manages to be insightful.

Between MOMII’s amazing production quality, extra-terrestrial sound, introspective and relatable lyrics, this is an album all music lovers can vibe to — preferably with an herbal refreshment in tow.

Kid Cudi

Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

Release Date: Nov. 9

Genre: Alternative hip-hop

Grade: B+

Enjolie Esteve can be reached at eesteve@nevadasagebrush.com.

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