By far the greatest strength of artist Kid Cudi is his effortless synthesis of alternative and hip-hop music. His biggest hits, such as “Day ‘n’ Nite,” epitomize his musical style, blending meaningful lyrics with ridiculously catchy beats that simultaneously attract the most urban and suburban of listeners. However, with his second studio album, “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager,” Cudi focuses very intensely on his intended theme with mixed results. Although Cudi presents a strong front with a well-organized, cohesive album, many of the individual songs are stumbling blocks in an otherwise unhindered path to success.
“Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager” sounds as nightmarish as its name: the album is decorated with haunting, high-pitched synth, hypnotic piano riffs and tragic violins. The result is a work that creates an eerie, futuristic feel with every song and possesses a strong sense of structure.
Similar to his first studio album, Cudi organizes “Man on the Moon II” into five acts that effectively represent different divisions of his own psyche and also build a framework that greatly helps construct the tracks. However, the quality of music between and within each act varies greatly throughout the album.
“Act 1: The World I Am Ruling” gives the album a strong start with two songs to its name. The second, “REVOFEV,” is perhaps the best of the album; the track jumps out as a skillful fusion of rock and hip-hop with a non-conformist mood as Cudi asks, “Let’s go, I heard they found a solution/Where will you be for the revolution?”
Cudi also shines when relating his most difficult struggles. “Act 4: The Transformation” dips into his past and his journey to the top, and the act emerges with two of the album’s strongest lyrical accomplishments, “MANIAC” and “Mr. Rager.” In these tracks, Cudi gives listeners a candid look into his troubled life while urging them to “paint a black hole blacker.” Simultaneously, Cudi finally introduces Mr. Rager, who serves as a metaphorical trail of parties and endless substance abuse that Cudi cannot help but follow.
Nevertheless, “Man on the Moon II” has several weaknesses. Throughout the album, Cudi proves to be a more powerful artist alone than in a group – which is no small feat considering the featured artists (Cee Lo Green, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, etc.) he chooses to work with. Without exception, the collaborations are the weakest tracks and do nothing but drag down a work that could have been a masterpiece.
A few entire acts are also unfortunate missteps in the album. “Act 2: A Stronger Trip” adds nothing to the album and is simply a collection of good beats and comparatively meaningless lyrics – although, to be fair, they are particularly good beats, especially that of the piano-driven fifth track, “Marijuana.” “Act 5: You Live & You Learn” reflects Cudi’s complex perception of himself, but is bad in the opposite way – a strange mix of thought-provoking lyrics and horrible-sounding tracks.
The worst mistake, however, is “Act 3: Party On.” The act contains another of the strongest tracks of the album, “Ashin’ Kusher,” an upbeat song that truly reflects a party lifestyle. However, the rest of Act 3 is nothing more than a clump of oddly superficial songs.
While “Man on the Moon II” is an album worth owning, it leaves a few things to be desired. Next time around, by placing more of his focus on individual songs and evoking a mood, Cudi will be able to break out of his small sophomore slump and return to creating the meaningful music he is known for.