Scott Mescudi released his newest album last week and it was… different. To begin
with, the eponymous album was released under the name WZRD – the band formed
by Mescudi and longtime friend and producer Dot Da Genius – instead of Kid Cudi.
The album marked Cudi’s foray into rock music and deviation from the formula
responsible for his successful success. Basically, it was like Lil Wayne’s “Rebirth,”
except less cringe-worthy.
The reception was not exactly welcoming. Many fans wanted the “old Kid Cudi” back. Among the most irksome tweets I saw was “Bout to listen to old Kid Cudi when he was actually real” from someone using the handle @_dramaboi (apparently he wasn’t the first dramatic fan of poor spelling to join Twitter.)
Beside being one of the most hipster-y statements of all time (behind only “I liked him before he was cool,”), it’s also complete bullshit. Not liking an album is fair, but criticizing an artist for changing is against the very essence of music. Different is good. Different is interesting. It would be boring if every musician stuck to a calculated formula album after album without progressing in any way, shape or form.
The difference between bona fide superstar and has-been is evolution. Staying power can only come by recognizing that music is a living thing and is constantly changing. The tree in your front yard looks different than 10 years ago and so does hip-hop. There’s a reason why Jay-Z has consistently been one of the biggest stars in music and 50 cent has faded to obscurity. 50 Cent never left 2003.
If Jay-Z has aged like fine wine, 50 Cent has aged like milk. When he debuted, gangster rappers in baggy clothing dominated hip-hop. Fiddy not only fit in that world nine years ago, he defined it. But now, things are completely different and 50 hasn’t adapted. He’s sour, as shown by his constant feuding with other artists, and unpleasant. Just listen to his latest work.
Meanwhile, Jay-Z, rather than expiring, has been invigorated by the new wave of artists.
“As hip-hop changes, the subject matter has to as well,” Jay-Z said in an interview with Billboard.
Jay-Z might have built his career rapping about selling drugs in the Marcy projects but at a certain point it gets old. Recognizing that is what helped him to release his 11th No. 1 album, “Watch the Throne,” last year.
Although Kid Cudi isn’t on the same scale as Jay-Z (to be fair, few are), evolution is just as important for him. Being different defines Cudi. His debut mixtape was as odd as it was brilliant. He sang, used instrumentals from Paul Simon and Ratatat, and shared his emotions. Here was a young rapper, who lost his father as a child, with his insecurities on the table while other rappers were boasting about money and women.
Kanye West is often given credit for starting the emotional wave of hip-hop, but what few people know is that Kid Cudi is actually the catalyst behind it. Kanye recruited the up-and-coming rapper to work with him and the product was “808s and Heartbreak,” in which Cudi appeared on two songs and co-wrote “Heartless.”
Philosophies of music aside, Cudi should do what makes him happy. Because we buy music, many fans have a misguided sense of ownership. We don’t own his music, and we don’t own Kid Cudi — he’s sharing with us. So if he wants to draw upon his love for rock, play the guitar and say, “Fuck you” to any naysayers, he should.
After the release of his “Fuck you,” Kid Cudi tweeted, “The more people tell me to rap again, the more I don’t want to. I don’t work for u, and im not ur puppet. I do what moves my soul. Thx.”
No, Kid Cudi. Thank you. We need more artists like you.