Album Review - Man on the Moon: The End of Day by Kid Cudi

    "I've got some issues that nobody can see / and all of these emotions are pouring out of me / I'll bring them to the light for you, it's only right / This is the soundtrack 2 my life."
     By this point, I properly understood what Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon: The End of Day was really about. See, at first I thought the album had gotten its name because it's about being on the moon - higher than the sky, king of the world, etc. - and in some ways, it is. Kid Cudi is on the moon in the best and worst of ways. The only problem is, he's the only one up there.
    Not that this is a "lonely at the top" sob album reminiscent of Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak (although there is some of that, too). Cudi has as many presents under the Christmas tree as he does skeletons in his closet, and he does an admirable job of taking the good with the bad - cherishing his family upbringing while at the same time lamenting his insecurities, sometimes in the same song.
    Songs like "My World" and "Solo Dolo" are about the loneliness and personal issues that many people can relate to, while others like "Heart of a Lion" and "Up, Up, And Away" offer a refreshing dose of optimism. The early-leaked "Sky Might Fall" sounds even better than before, and even "Day N Nite" sounds fresh despite being over a year old (although I can't quite figure out why). Having Common provide narration segments is a stroke of genius that made me feel like I was experiencing a story, and I may consider him over Morgan Freeman if I'm ever hiring for a similar job (although I wish the narrations were on separate tracks - sometimes I just want the song!).
    There is one glaring flaw that is worth mentioning, although it should not deter buyers: "Make Her Say" does not fit the theme of the album at all (the fact that it used to be called "Poke Her Face" should tell you all you need to know about the song's contents). It is a decent song in its own right, but it seems that in his attempt to add more power players to his album (the song features Kanye West and Common), Cudi ended up including a track that is out of place.
    At the end of the day, not only is Kid Cudi walking with the heart of a lion, but he succeeds in creating "dat new new" he keeps going on about. He could have used more star power as a newcomer, but this moon shines bright enough on its own.

Lil Wayne's 'Rebirth' Album Might Suck, but People will Buy it Anyway

With Lil Wayne releasing his autotune-heavy rock debut...eventually...there has been a lot of talk about how much it is probably going to suck - which, it probably will. When Kanye West released 808s & Heartbreak last year, the main thing that saved it was the fact that he knew he couldn't sing. He used his strength as a producer to turn the autotune from a would-be crutch into a musical instrument.

From what I've heard, no amount of autotune is going to save this album. Maybe it's because of poor implementation, or maybe it's the signature weeziness of his voice, but it just doesn't sound right when he does it and it's hit-or-miss at best.

With that being said, people are going to buy it anyway. Some people are going to like it, and I may download a few tracks myself. Hell, this guy could rap the phone book and people would buy it.

Look up in Da Stars (or lack thereof)

Kid Cudi is set to release his debut studio album, The Man on the Moon: The End of Day on September 15th, and the track list that has been revealed so far looks (and in some cases sounds) promising. In the tracks that have been either released or leaked, Cudi demonstrates a sing-songy flow over unique beats to provide a breath of fresh air.

The only thing that's really missing is a slew of featured guests. You can say all you want about how too many stars will outshine the newcomer, but the fact is that having too few will also plunge him into darkness. So far, only a few featured artists are revealed to be on the album - Kanye West, Common, Snoop Dogg, MGMT, and Clipse. The former two are featured together on one track, while the latter three are spread thin with one song apiece. The only other guest is Ratatat (eh...who?).

The question remains whether this will be enough to broaden Cudi's audience when his album drops in September, because the popularity he gained off his two mixtapes and the strong following he has in the U.K. might not be enough on it's own. The reason for this is because Jay-Z is releasing his long-hyped The Blueprint 3 at around the same time.

As any market analyst can tell you, the first week of sales for anything is very important, because the initial popularity will propel it in sales even further. While it's quite possible that some people will buy both, the chances are good that most seeing one next to the other will reach for the Jay-Z album and ignore the weakly supported new guy. On the other hand, if Jay was featured on Cudi's album as well, then that might compel those people to get both.

What do you guys think? How do you think this David vs. Goliath scenario will play out, and who else would you feature on Cudi's album?