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I saw Cudi last weekend and during one of his speeches in between songs he talked about how 'swagga' was dead and how he was expanding outside of hip hop to other genres of music, he mentioned jazz, soul, rnb, etc. Personally I don't think his album shows any of this, it seems just like his older stuff but more dark, simple, and drowned out. Also he doesn't do any of his own production (or pay attention to it) so what could he possibly be talking about. Theres nothing wrong with the beats on his album, they're skillfully done and certainly have a darker more mild feel to them (which matches cudi's vocals) with a few misfit attempts at a hit pop song (ie erase me).
I don't really feel like cudi has advanced techniquely or musically. He can say he's trying to push hip hop forward by leaving hip hop, but its a fucking joke, hip hop originated from city kids finding the breaks on their parents jazz, soul, rnb records. Hip hop itself originates from other genres of music.
Cudi got the spotlight because he was a fresh face to hip hop, with a mellow yet skillful, pothead style. And don't forget the unworldly production on A Kid Named Cudi and MOTM. But now he just sounds the same as he did before, but a little more darker, he mumbles, he sounds like a dude whose been getting way too fucked up lately.
I like the album, but when I look at it, I don't see anything new, improved, or unique, I'm pretty sure it will just get forgotten about /overshadowed by better musicians ie kanye west.
