Kid Cudi combines emo and rap surprisingly well

Kid Cudi

Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Rating: B+

Raps/Whines like: Kanye West, Common… Kid Cudi

Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Rating: B+

Raps/Whines like: Kanye West, Common

Man on the Moon: The End of Day is a concept album, and it doesn’t let the listener forget that. Kid Cudi claims he has “some issues no one else can see” on the bass-tastic “Soundtrack to My Life,” but since it’s right after Common’s dramatic Morgan Freeman-esque narration on the first track, “In My Dreams,” it’s just silly.

What’s off-putting about Cudi’s emo-rap album is the lyrical urgency he employs to explain how much worse his life is than anyone else’s. Ultimately, he compensates for that with some truly great beats. The summer hit “Day ’N’ Nite” still has the appeal it had all summer with its minimalist melody and hypnotic delivery.

Those questioning Cudi’s actual rapping skills are justified, and this album doesn’t do much to defend his emcee abilities. It’s almost as if he’s aware of this as he shifts between crooning and rapping so much that the listener gives up on trying to decipher his intentions. It works the best on “Sky Might Fall” and “Make Her Say,” the unfortunate yet hilariously clever play on Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”

This is a strong debut from an eccentric rap/wannabe emo singer, as Cudi is able to flesh out his genre-defying fantasies with other musicians just as strange as he is, including electronic-rock kings Ratatat and MGMT. It’s a match made in heaven.