“Speedin Bullet 2 Heaven” Falls Short

Kid Cudi dropped his first mixtape, “A Kid Named Cudi” in 2008 and was almost instantly recognized by Kanye West. West signed him to his label, GOOD Music, which John Legend, Big Sean, Pusha T, and many other are also signed to. From there out, Cudi only rose to higher fame by starting his own label and taking on some acting gigs. Fast forward to 2015, Cudi has released his fifth studio album, “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven”.

“Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven” is much different from any album Cudi has released before. Initially, it was believed his next album would be the third installment of his “Man on the Moon” series; however, Cudi wanted to show his artistic expression in a different way before the release of “Man on the Moon III.” He almost completely stepped away from his hip-hop roots for this album and made a jump towards alternative. Cudi went on twitter and told his large following of 1.31 million followers that “This album is 100% the purest form of my artistic self.” Empty Lighthouse Magazine says the album is “…a mixture of Kurt Cobain’s “Montage of Heck,” a cup full of codeine and dark poetry.”

This latest album was released on December 4^th with disc one featuring 18 songs and disc 2 featuring a variety of unreleased demos, songs, and more. Cudi’s most recent installment features many tracks highlighting the roller coaster that is mental illness, and the rap artist dedicated the album to those suffering from such illnesses. Cudi has opened up in the past about his own mental illnesses, which include depression and suicidal thoughts. The album is dark, much darker than anyone could have imagined. The second track “CONFUSED” may be the most disturbing track on the album. The first verse of the song states “I might go losing it and drive off of a cliff, fall in the void / And if I blow my brains out all over the scene / That’s madness curing sadness / These walls ain’t talking back / Might as well finally paint them black / I’m out of ideas / The ceiling is all I have downward from here, I’m ripping apart.” Another disturbing song is “Judgemental C**t” where he is angrily almost screaming about judgmental critics.

Nearly the entire album mirrors the subject of the aforementioned songs, and there is little change in rhythm or sound. To say the album was a disappointment is an understatement. While Cudi should be able to explore his different artistic outlets, it feels like he gave up on this album. The instruments, all done by Cudi, end up messy while his voice ranges from singing to screaming. The album left a lot of people confused about Cudi’s creative processes. Troy Smith of Cleveland stated “Cudi doesn’t do himself any favors sonically either. Your first instinct might be to compare the live instrumentation and recording style to Jimi Hendrix. But that’s only if you’ve never really listened to Jimi Hendrix. Aside from the catchy melodies of ‘Fairy Tale Remains’ and the sharp guitar sounds of the memorable title track, there isn’t a standout piece of instrumentation to write about.” They gave the overall album a C-. While critics seemed generally displeased with Cudi’s new album, many of his fans are tweeting to him about how impressed they are.

The album itself is available for streaming on Spotify, however the physical album will not be released until December 18^th.