Kid Cudi - “Entergalactic” Album Review

Story posted October 4, 2022 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Jayson O’Connell

In the 21st century, it is very hard for artists to keep a big fan base over the span of a decade, especially as a rapper.

Cleveland rapper Kid Cudi has been one of the few hip hop artists who has been able to succeed in this task. Ever since “Man On The Moon” was released in 2009, Kid Cudi has had one of the most loyal fanbases that has only grown since then.

Kid Cudi is giving his fans more content with the release of his new animated film “Entergalactic” and an album with the same title to accompany the movie.
Kid Cudi last released new music in 2020 when he dropped “Man On The Moon III”.

Unlike the first two projects in the trilogy, this album was more commercially minded and consisted of songs that had more replay value.

But on his new album, Kid Cudi wanted to compliment the movie. The film is about two neighbors who form a relationship over time and fall in love. Because of this the album “Entergalactic” is filled with love songs. Kid Cudi has experience with writing romantic songs, but not a whole album with this theme.

Despite this, “Entergalactic” is a very consistent love album that proves once again that Kid Cudi can work well in many different subgenres of rap.

After a cosmic intro, the album starts out with Kid Cudi singing about how he has found peace and has learned to love himself after a breakup. On “New Mode,” Kid Cudi continues to go with that “Man On The Moon III” sound but delivers a more laid back verse.

This is followed by “Do What I Want,” which is another galactic trap song that gets overshadowed by the rest of the songs on this project. Nothing about this track really stands out, especially when the first verse of the song is very underproduced.

The track “Angel” is a break from the trap beats, and it provides a very peaceful moment on the album. This is the first of many love songs on the album and Kid Cudi gets to a great start as he sings about how he’s met the girl of his dreams.

“Ignite The Love” is a very upbeat moment where Kid Cudi sings about how his life is a love story with his significant other. A guitar riff is integrated into the beat, which is something that Kid Cudi has rarely done in recent albums. Many artists have tried to master this type of beat, but Kid Cudi was able to do it with ease.

The production on the following song “In Love” isn’t as impressive though. The beat doesn’t mesh well with Kid Cudi’s singing, and he is often drowned out by a raspy clap throughout the song.
Ty Dolla $ign is the first feature on the project on the song “Willing To Trust.” Both artists' vocals match each other very well as they sing about building trust in a new relationship after a breakup.

The next song sticks out in the track list but not in a good way. On “Can’t Believe It,” Kid Cudi and 2 Chainz both deliver very mediocre verses that don’t pertain to the album's theme of love.

“Livin’ My Truth” also strays away from the albums main theme but unlike the previous song, it’s more than just a trap song as Kid Cudi sings about being yourself and ignoring judgment from others. The beat, which contains a sample from Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful,” is a bit faint but this allows Kid Cudi to show off his unique voice.

The quick synth notes on “Can’t Shake Her” continues Kid Cudi’s futuristic production on the album. This song adds another upbeat moment to the project as Kid Cudi sings about how he can’t get a girl off his mind.

“She’s Lookin’ For Me” is about how two people create a romantic relationship through their experiences together in night life.

On “My Drug,” Kid Cudi sings about how his significant other’s love is like a drug to him.
Both songs are very well produced and keep up the streak of astral beats.

Don Toliver is featured on the song “Somewhere to Fly” and he shows that he has great chemistry with Kid Cudi. Both artists contribute to the chorus where their lyrics bounce off each other and each deliver a lyrically sound verse.

The album ends with the song “Burrow” and is named after Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow and Kid Cudi are both from Ohio and the Heisman winning quarterback said that Kid Cudi’s music had a big impact on him as he was growing up.

This track is unfortunately a poor conclusion to the album. Steve Aoki helped produce the song and because of this, it takes on a dubstep feel. Similar to “Can’t Believe It,” Kid Cudi and Don Toliver’s lyrics stray away from the album’s theme.

Kid Cudi’s first attempt at a love album went well. There’s not a song on this album that really stands out from the rest but there also isn’t a song that is completely unlistenable.

There’s not a song like “Pursuit of Happiness” or “Sad People” that will be remembered as an all-time great song from the Cleveland rapper, but the track list is very consistent and the songs for the most part remain at a high quality throughout the album.

Kid Cudi has said that this might be his last album and that he might focus on making more movies and TV series. If that is the case, “Entergalactic” was a great way for him to cap off an impressive music career.

Rating: 7/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “Ignite The Love” and “Somewhere to Fly”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “In Love” and “Can’t Believe It”

 

Jayson O’Connell is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jbo5216@psu.edu.