Artist: Kid Cudi

Album: INSANO

Release Date: January 12, 2024.

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Background

Born in Cleveland, Kid Cudi broke onto the scene with his 2009 album, Man On The Moon: The End of Day, and has remained a pivotal voice in hip-hop since. Cudi’s unique vocals and style have long been part of his appeal.

Review

Kid Cudi is healing.

Physically, it’s from the broken foot he suffered after jumping off a stage in April, derailing a planned national tour.

Emotionally, well, it’s still a work in progress for the rap game’s lonely stoner.

The now 40-year-old Cudi is still defined by his Man on the Moon trilogy, with his 2020 release of Part III: The Chosen having marked his best solo album in all likelihood since 2010’s Part II.

There’ve been ups and downs and everything in between since – his forgettable 2015 effort, Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven – remains a head-scratcher, but Cudi’s locked in now.

Pulled in many directions such as fashion, business, acting and having created an animated movie and accompanying album in 2022, Cudi’s latest return to music is a true standout in his entire discography.

INSANO, which released early in January 2024, is not the same late-night-I’m-questioning-existence that fans have gotten used to over the years. Having experimented with a more modern, trap-style production in Part III, Cudi’s sound on INSANO leans into that vibe fully.

With DJ Drama yelling into the mic for full effect at times in the album, Cudi delivers some high-energy bangers in “GET OFF ME” with Travis Scott, “A TALE OF A KNIGHT” and “CUD LIFE.”

Then there’s the electronic-influenced “ELECTROWAVEBABY,” a total vibe with a call-and-response chorus seemingly made for concerts and festivals. A remix of the track featuring Steve Aoki, which released on the deluxe version on the album, amplifies things even further.

Producer BNYX helps bring the song to life, and he lends his support on the drums for tracks like the bass-heavy “MOST AIN’T DENNIS” and the casual, understated hi-hats on “FUNKY WIZARD SMOKE.”

It wouldn’t be a Cudi album after all without burning some weed and vibing, and “WOW” with A$AP Rocky reflects that.

“Yeah, blunt up in the air/ You know I’m livin’, wild, wild, wild/ Wow, wow, wow,” Cudi raps in the chorus, with Rocky’s verse standing as one of the best guest appearances on the album.

Lil Yachty also delivers on “TOO DAMN HIGH,” a fun track which sounds far more generic than any of Cudi’s well-defined style before – but that’s perhaps what he’s going for on the Internet-influenced track.

Longtime producer Dot Da Genius shows up multiple times throughout his album, and his work on “RAGER BOYZ” is a standout. Young Thug’s vocals are a vibe, sprinkled throughout the track, and as Cudi raps, “I’m screamin’, “Motherfuck the law” in the chorus, it’s easy to scream along with him.

There are still elements of classic Cudi and his late night vibes on the album which show up in the three-track run of “TORTURED,” “X & CUD” and “SEVEN.”

On “TORTURED,” the chorus just about speaks for itself: As I sit and burn, one’ to the sky/ And they sayin’ “Careful, boy,” I say “Why?”/ I’ma stay tortured all my life/ Feelin’ like me, I’ll be fightin’ ’til I die (Yeah).”

It’s like, yup, that’s Cudi alright. But plenty of people take solace in his expression of those feelings, and it’s the type of track to come back to on those cold, winter nights.

However, we end the album on a positive and upbeat note once again. “PORSCHE TOPLESS” is a prototypical summer vibe track in which BNYX’s production again shines through.

The final two songs on the album, “BLUE SKY” and “HIT THE STREETZ IN MY NIKES” are a touching and well-constructed finish to INSANO.

“BLUE SKY,” with its chorus of “The sky is blue, oh finally, been dreamin’ of this for a while/ The sun is shining, blinding, swimmin’ in this place of mine/ Help me out, pass that blunt, my guy/ We’re all on a quest to climb, and we’re on our way” brings the mood up.”

The song just screams, “Take a walk! Smile! Look at the grass and trees!”

As Cudi again bounces over the drums on his way out, his verses on “HIT The STREETZ IN MY NIKES” are again outstanding.

“Things I need/ Love and lots of weed,” he raps. Don’t we all, Cudi.

INSANO isn’t a perfect album – tracks like “MR COOLA” and “FRESHIE” are forgettable, and despite all the streams for “AT THE PARTY,” its oddly placed drums present a much different sound than the rest of the work – but it delivers time and time again.

It has a little something for all Cudi fans, and for those who were eager to see him continue to evolve and embrace new aspects of hip-hop, it’s a breakthrough.

Discussion questions

How do you see Cudi’s career progressing from here? Do you prefer he stick to his sound?