Rating - 7.5/10
So its been a while since I've reviewed an album but I felt it fitting to jump it off again given all these fall releases. I'll be honest, when I first heard Cudi's music, I thought Day N Nite was dope but when I listened to his mixtape "A Kid Named Cudi", I slept hella hard. It really just didn't hit me. So naturally when he released his second mixtape "Dat Kid From Cleveland", I passed. Then came MOTM1. I finally saw the true artist that lies in Scott Mescudi. It made me really appreciate the honesty and emotion that exuded from Cudi's music. Thus I was extremely anxious to hear MOTM2: The Legend of Mr. Rager.
UNFORTUNATELY, on MOTM2, its quite evident that Cudi is struggling with his addiction to drugs. Anyone who is a casual listener can tell that Cudi's music is very much stoner music, however, on the first album, there was a clear musical journey that Cudi seemed to take the listener on. With his latest album, it is not as cohesive of a concept album as the last one was. Rather it is a collection of songs, some peering into the darker side of Cudi's life with the addiction to heavy drugs but others just kind of fall flat.
I will say that the album does start off very strong. Cee-Lo makes an appearance on the first track "Scott Mescudi vs. The World" and sounds off quite beautifully. REVOFEV (which stands for Revolution of Evolution) has always been an interesting song to me. Its probably the most eclectic song on the album and I applaud Cudi for taking the chance and doing an excellent job of sticking to his style. The next track, "Don't Play This Song" features Mary J. Blige and basically is telling the listeners whom wish to hear a song by him where he's sober to skip that song. Catchy but nothing terribly meaningful.
From there the album sort of veers with an ode to Cudi's favorite drug of choice, Marijuana. Honestly, I figured a song dedicated to something that Cudi loves so much, it would have been much more amazing, but it really wasn't. I could go on and on about each track but honestly, the album doesn't warrant it. I will say this though, the middle of the album is actually quite good. From Mojo So Dope (where Cudi gets on his shit saying how ill his style is) to Wylin' Cuz I'm Young (where Cudi flaunts his youth and justifies his raging), Cudi reminds me why I like him.
When he focuses, Cudi is on point. But its right towards the end of the album that Cudi loses this focus. I hope for his fans (I included) that he really re-evaluates his substance consumption when it comes time for him to create. Otherwise I feel like he is going to deviate from his musical vision and the resulting music will sound like a drug trip, a random series of events with no sense of direction.
The Thoughtful One has spoken
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