Kid Cudi

Having staked out lonely-stoner territory in his smash "Day 'n' Nite" and on Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak, this Ohio alt-rhymer carries emo-rap to heretofore unimagined introspective extremes on his debut. He samples Lady Gaga, channels P.M. Dawn, references Jamie Foxx, Wyclef and Jay-Z, and accepts help from Kanye, Common and NYC indie synth duos MGMT and Ratatat. But mainly he escapes earthly problems -- girls, first and foremost -- by floating "up, up and away" to the moon on a pot-haze balloon of minor-key electronics. And he prays the sky doesn't fall for his trouble.

Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak seemed like a wacky one-off, but with the debut by Kanye
protégé Kid Cudi, a genre is taking shape. "I've got some issues that nobody can see/And all
of these emotions are pouring out of me," Cudi moans. The beats, supplied by indie faves
Ratatat and MGMT, among others, range from tinkling Eighties synth pop ("Enter Galactic") to
spooky minimalist hip-hop (the hit "Day 'N' Nite"). The music is engrossing and Cu... More >