It’s only a couple weeks into 2024 and we already have been gifted with a new album from Kid Cudi, the genius behind “Man On The Moon: The End Of Day,” which is indisputably one of the best rap albums of the mid-2000s.
“INSANO” is his latest effort. It goes in a very different direction from past works, but not in a bad way at all.
Influences
There were a few songs on my first listen I didn’t care for that much, but then the album clicked. Cudi isn’t trying to mimic what made him famous in the first place, he is making the kind of music he wants to make.
“INSANO” adopts a more popular rap sound, trading the Ratatat features for Travis Scott and XXXTentacion. The songs that took a few listens were the first two. Then, the Travis Scott feature showed up and I was invested.
Kid Cudi takes notes from Tyler, the Creator on a few songs as well, using the same “narrator” guy that Tyler uses on “Call Me If You Get Lost,” DJ Drama. Immediately you can tell the album is going to be different from his other stuff. He is more forward about his influences on this album.
Mental
There are a lot of similarities between “INSANO” and his other works. Most notably, the themes of the album and the amount of sad songs, including the song “X & CUD.”
Kid Cudi has always been open about his mental health struggles, even when most people didn’t know what that meant. It is both sad to see him still struggle, but also good that he has a platform that helps him to cope and heal. He loves making music. As long as he creates, there will be people to listen to it.
The album isn’t all sad songs, however. Compared to his discography, it is much lighter. Most of the songs are upbeat and in your face, with a couple of sad ballads sprinkled around. This shift is solid, sometimes it is nice to hear someone rap about the good things in their life, a la Ice Cube’s “It was a Good Day.” It’s nice to have a 2000s rapper, that you don’t feel bad about listening to (*cough cough* Kanye), and drop a new album that is actually good.
As for the album itself, it was much better than initially anticipated. If you are someone who likes modern hip-hop/trap, definitely give this one a shot. The stand out tracks include “GET OFF ME,” “HIT THE STREETZ IN MY NIKES” and “AT THE PARTY.”
This Kid Cudi album, if anything, just makes you want to listen to “Man On The Moon.” If you haven’t, do it because that album goes insano.
