Album of the Year 2018 #26: KIDS SEE GHOSTS - KIDS SEE GHOSTS - HipHop |
- Album of the Year 2018 #26: KIDS SEE GHOSTS - KIDS SEE GHOSTS
- Daily Discussion Thread 12/26/2018
- Yung Gud implies on Twitter that him and Yung Lean weren't paid off uncleared sample on Dubai Shit
- 21 Savage Says Layzie Bone Diss Record Towards Him and Migos is The Worst Diss Track He Heard
- Future - Low Life (ft. The Weeknd)
- Victoria Monét in a full interview reveals that Travis Scott took files from her and Tommy Brown and gave them away, acting as if they were his own work.
- Noname announces a new song on January 1, 2019
- Kanye West - I Am Not Home (Unreleased Yeezus Track)
- Young Thug Plays New "Barter 7" Songs for Juice WRLD & Kodak Black on IG Live
- Spent about two weeks putting together an oral history and deep dive into "Illmatic" and learned a lot in the process.
- J. Cole - Be Free (The Late Show with David Letterman)
- Method Man Dissin The $HIT Out Of Wendy Williams
- J. Cole - Revenge of the Dreamers
- Made a new sub-reddit for under the radar tracks from the 90's, come on in.
- MACKLEMORE X RYAN LEWIS - OTHERSIDE REMIX feat Fences
- Joey Bada$$ - Amethyst Rockstar (feat. Kirk Knight)
- The Alchemist - Flight Confirmation (ft. ScHoolboy Q & Danny Brown)
- [Fresh Album] Roscoe Dash - 5thy5ive (72 Songs!!!)
- Atmosphere- The Woman With The Tattooed Hands
- Eminem - Neva 2 Far
- Lord Lu C N - A.S.S. ft. Denzel Curry
- 21 Savage - Break Da Law (Official Audio)
- Isaiah Rashad - Part III
- Mac Miller 'Come Back To Earth' Remix Tribute R.I.P Legend
- Chance The Rapper - Family (ft. Vic Mensa and Sulaiman)
- Thouxanban Fauni - Wish the Worst
Album of the Year 2018 #26: KIDS SEE GHOSTS - KIDS SEE GHOSTS Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:25 AM PST Artist: KIDS SEE GHOSTSAlbum: KIDS SEE GHOSTSListen: Background by u/A_Wavvy_Dude Kids See Ghosts is an American hip-duo consisting of two of the most important and influential artists of this generation: Scott Mescudi, also known as Kid Cudi, and Kanye West. You know who they are. Kanye and Cudi's relationship is complicated to say the least, full of meteoric highs and heartbreaking lows, and the lead up to the formation and release of Kids See Ghosts is no different. Kanye and Cudi would first begin working with each other in 2008, thanks to Kid Cudi catching Kanye's attention from the release of his massively successful debut single "Day'n' Nite". Cudi is soon summoned by Ye to help with the recording of his fourth studio album and one of the most important albums of the decade: 808s and Heartbreaks. After the tragic and unnecessary death of his mother due to a freak accident that happened during a surgery he helped pay for, coupled with the breaking off of his engagement mere months after this, 808s finds Kanye at his lowest and most emotionally vulnerable state yet. With Kid Cudi providing songwriting on four tracks and being featured on two, Kanye and Cudi would go on to change the landscape of hip hop with 808s and Heartbreaks, showing not only general audiences but fellow rappers as well that being emotional and "in your feelings" is not only cathartic, but commercially viable as well. The success of 808s and Heartbreaks and the obvious artistic chemistry between Ye and Cudi led to a long collaborative partnership between the two, with Cudi subsequently appearing on every one of Kanye's solo albums released after 808s and Kanye being featured on multiple Kid Cudi tracks, including "Erase Me". In September of 2016, a mere month after the release of Kanye's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo which once again would feature him on the lead single Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1, Kid Cudi would go on a twitter rant calling out Kanye and Drake by saying that they and other artists didn't care about him unless they want something from him. After hearing this while on the Saint Pablo tour in Tampa, Kanye calls out Cudi over the tweets, telling him to "Never mention Ye name" and that he "birthed" Cudi. To fans of either artists, these interactions were heartbreaking as the two were viewed as inseparable ever since their first collaboration. During the weeks leading up to the release of his new album, Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin', it was soon revealed by Kid Cudi on his facebook page that he was checking himself into rehab for depression and suicidal urges, which also explained his erratic behavior on twitter leading up to this moment. After Cudi's eventual release from rehab, him and Kanye would reunite back on stage to perform Father Stretch My Hands together, ending in a tearful embrace. That same night, due to the pressures of tour life and fame in general, not to mention the recent mugging of his wife in Paris heavily weighing on him, Kanye would go on a 20 minute, manic rant about radio lying to us ("Radio fuck you"), Kid Cudi being the greatest, how he was putting his life at risk by ranting, asking Jay Z to not send shooters after him, and many other topics. He would end the show early and cancel the remaining 22 dates of the Saint Pablo tour. The next day Kanye would end up hospitalized after appearing at his physicians house and acting so erratic that his physician thought calling the police was necessary, telling 911 he needed help with a "male with mental illness". This mental illness would later be revealed by Kanye to be bipolar disorder. Almost an entire year would pass by with radio silence from both artists. As the months passed with no word, reports of Kanye recording his new album in the mountains of Wyoming began piling up and with long time collaborator Takashi Murakami -the artist of Graduation's album cover- posting a picture of himself with Cudi and Ye, it was apparent that Yeezy season was steadily approaching, and hopefully with a healthier and happier Ye and Cudi. Even more time would pass after these reports and still with no official word from either artist about their upcoming projects. That is until Kanye made his return to Twitter and announced the upcoming releases of not one, not two, but FIVE projects, with Kanye executive producing all of them. These five albums would all be 7 tracks long and none would have a runtime of over 30 minutes, with most only reaching the 24 minute threshold. These five albums would include Daytona by Pusha T, Kanye's eighth studio album Ye, the highly anticipated collaborative album from Kanye West and Kid Cudi Kids See Ghosts, Teyanna Taylor's sophomore album K.T.S.E., and Nas' first album in six years Nasir. Taking his own lyric of "Soon as they like you make em unlike you" literally, the weeks leading up to the release of Kids See Ghosts would be filled with controversy due to Kanye being 100% back on his bullshit. He would publicly fully endorse President Trump (despite admitting that he knows nothing about politics or Trump's policies), calling him his brother and posting a picture of himself wearing a MAGA hat on twitter, a move that would baffle even the most diehard Ye fans. Literally a week after this, Kanye makes a surprise appearance on TMZ to make his infamous "slavery was a choice comment" causing even more backlash. Not even the Yeezy Defense Force could reasonably defend what Kanye was saying and doing around this time, and many Ye fans were just anxiously waiting for the music to drop. Finally on June 8th, a week after the release of Ye, an album with incredibly introspective and personal lyrics touching on themes of mental health, fatherhood, and fame, Kids See Ghosts' debut album is released. In the huge discography between the two artists, where does KSG rank? Review by u/A_Wavvy_Dude Clocking in at a mere 24 minutes with only 7 tracks, it is baffling how much of a complete and cohesive project Kids See Ghosts sounds like with such little content. Kanye and Cudi bring out the absolute best of each other on this album, and the chemistry between the two is palpable. Kanye (with assistance from Cudi and long time collaborators Dot Da Genius, Mike Dean, and Plain Pat, just to name a few) brought his A game for the production on this album. This album mixes hip hop, jazz, hard rock, and even grunge to create a soundscape that is both very reminiscent of the old "chop up the beat Kanye" from the College Dropout era yet is also very experimental and new at the same time. Ye also doesn't slack in the bars department, giving us some of his most charismatic, quotable, and socially conscious verses since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Regarding the other half of the duo, Cudi's singing and rapping is so incredibly on point and consistent throughout the entire album. No human should be able to sound this on pitch and make it look so easy while simultaneously giving some of his best verses in nearly a decade but Mr. Rager somehow manages to do it all while gifting us with his legendary hums, hums so iconic that Cudi's feature on Travis Scott's Astroworld was almost exclusively just him humming. You only need to look at the eclectic, bizarre, and psychedelic cover art by Takashi Murakami to see the kind of tonal and sonic direction that Kids See Ghosts is going for. This album is an experimental hip hop opus that tackles mental illness and self acceptance in a way no other hip hop album preceding it has done before. Kanye had stated in his almost 2 hour long interview with Charlamagne that he wanted to create music that was therapeutic, and Kids See Ghosts is the absolute definition of this. Kids See Ghosts sees Kanye and Cudi facing and accepting their respective "ghosts" that have been haunting them in the hopes of overcoming their trauma filled pasts. Although their mental illnesses will never fully disappear, they can work towards the goal of not letting their handicaps control them and to continue moving forward as creatives and as people, and I believe the music on this album displays this sentiment beautifully. Also Kanye makes gunshot noises for like 3 minutes. The album begins with the incredibly energetic and anthemic "Feel the Love" featuring Pusha T. The track opens with Kid Cudi shouting out from the highest limit of his upper register "I CAN STILL FEEL THE LOVE" over a very dreary set of synth chords. It sounds like Cudi climbed the highest mountain peak on earth and is shouting down on us with everything he's got this mantra of staying positive and continuing to feel the love despite past mistakes. This chorus and its constant, echoing repetition throughout the track is instantly infectious and immediately catches the listeners ear. Pusha T then casually saunters onto the track and, with his usual Push bravado, delivers a very short but braggadocious verse about how easy winning is for him and enjoying the excesses of fame. Just as we're getting comfortable and settling into the vibe of the song, Kanye, before Push is even done with his verse, almost as if he's chomping at the bit to start going ballistic, jumps in and starts making these insane gunshot sounds in sync with these cracking snares in the background as the instrumental progresses into a marching rhythm of heavy drum beats. It's ridiculous, it's chaotic, and it is hype as hell. After Kanye's outburst of gunshots the instrumental then breaks down into some downtrodden guitar and bass leads, giving the listener a chance to catch their breath until Kanye reappears to angrily demand "WHERE THE CHORUS", a question Cudi happily answers as he breaks back out into the chorus once again. The instrumental then returns to its marching rhythm as Kanye closes the track out by once again making his erratic gunshot sounds. A song that takes this many sudden sonic turns should have ended up being an absolute mess, but somehow it manages to sound sharply focused and meticulously crafted. The second and shortest track on the album, titled "Fire", is a prime example of Kanye's eclectic sample choices and how he can craft a beat out of something no one would have ever expected, sampling the marching, tambourine laden beat from a 1966 novelty song called "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by the artist Napoleon XIV. Laced over this sample is some very ominous flute work and faintly in the background is what sounds like a distorted, untuned guitar riffing away, all while Cudi's foreboding hums hang around the instrumental. This track is essentially an anti-hater anthem, as Kanye starts his verse off by saying "I love all your shit talkin", basically saying that the hate and criticism that he receives just pushes him to become a better artist in the end. To me the most standout thing about Kanye's verse on this track is how absolutely hungry he sounds here. He raps with such an overwhelming amount of authority and confidence that makes you hang off of every word he's saying. After, Ye's verse, Cudi follows soon after and does a fantastic job of keeping the energy going and continues the lyrical theme of ignoring the hate that is surrounding him as he tries to overcome the pain from his past. He then plays the song out with a beautiful and forlorn outro in which he reflects on the "scars he left behind" and turns to religion to help show him guidance, a recurring topic on the album. If I had to choose one, this is probably my least favorite track on the album and that's most likely attributed to the brevity of the track since it feels like not a lot really happens during the track's short runtime. That being said, this is still a pretty fantastic song that just isn't as fantastic as some of the other tracks on here. After this is the appropriately titled third track "4th Dimension", which sounds like exactly that, something that has come from a foreign and unknown plane of existence, and it is arguably the best track on the project. Once again we have Kanye using an off the wall sample choice for the foundation of the track, taking a vocal sample from a 1936 Christmas song titled "What Will Santa Claus Say?" by Louis Prima (credited as a feature on the track) and then just chopping and distorting the absolute shit out of it until we get the Frankenstein beat we see before us that gives the track a very demented and eerie feel to it. Kanye starts the track off with an explicitly raunchy verse about sex in which he relates sex to this new, indescribable dimension and speaks about it as if it's some kind of religious experience ("Now drop to your knees for the offerin"). This verse is absolutely dripping with Kanye's classic charisma and is full of hilarious one liners and witty quotables, especially the last line of his verse where he says if he gets locked up he won't finish the sent... and then the verse just ends. In between Kanye and Cudi's verses there's this really weird witch laughter that plays as the beat cuts off. I've seen a lot of people say that this laughter is awkward and kills the track for them which I think is a somewhat valid complaint but personally I think it adds to the overall eerie and mind bending nature of the track pretty well. Towards the back end of this laughter Kid Cudi hops in to give what is easily my favorite verse on the entire album. Cudi flows on this beat like it's nothing and sounds absolutely menacing while he does it, as if he's just begging you to give him a reason. Cudi continues the theme of being lost and losing everything due to the previous state of his mental health but simultaneously brags about creating the wave other artists are on and taking my bitch like he's Ric Flair. It's incredible. The track ends with a wink from Kanye as a sample of the Shirley Ann Lee song "Someday" plays and says that you only want two and a half minutes for a record, almost the exact runtime of the song. At the halfway point we have the spiritual successor to the track "Ghost Town" off of Kanye's previous album ye with the song titled "Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)" featuring Ty Dolla $ign. For me this is where the whole concept of "therapeutic music" that Kanye was going for really started to materialize itself. Using a roaring guitar sample from the song "Stark" by UK producer Mr. Chop as the main foundation for the instrumental, this track sees Kanye, Cudi, and Ty letting go of all inhibitions and just going absolutely ballistic with their echoing, thunderous proclamations of feeling free being reverberated throughout the entire track. The whole thing sounds like this triumphant victory ballad, as if Kanye and Cudi are celebrating the defeat of their demons and their success in letting go of all earthly ties. The performances on this track are amazing and have such an intense, pulsating energy to them that it's easy to get swept up in the cathartic and rebellious nature of the track, an effect that Kanye seemingly intended with his suggestion of "You should quit your job to this". Ty Dolla $ign's feature is probably my favorite of the three features on the album as he delivers these characteristically buttery smooth vocal melodies but still manages to keep up with Kanye and Cudi's wild tendencies. The combination of the hard rock instrumental and the previously mentioned off the wall vocal performances makes this track feel like more of a psychedelic rock n' roll song ripped straight out of the seventies instead of your average hip hop song. Kanye himself also seems to view this song as a pure rock track, as he and Def Jam Records submitted the track for consideration in the Rock category of the 2019 Grammys, for both 'Best Rock Song' and 'Best Rock Performance'. Being a sequel/spiritual successor to Ghost Town, many of the sentiments on that track are mirrored and expounded upon in this one, with Kanye and Cudi further repeating the notion of not feeling pain anymore and transcending the constant criticism that is laid upon them and defying the boundaries set by society. Acting as a breather after the bombastic display of triumph that was highlighted on the previous track is the incredibly introspective and deeply personal track "Reborn", one of only two tracks on the album to not feature a Kanye production credit. This is my personal favorite off of the project and I've noticed that since the release of Kids See Ghosts this is the one track I've been coming back to the most out of all the others. The production on this track (courtesy of Cudi, benny blanco, E*Vax, Plain Pat, and Dot Da Genius) is fantastic, featuring these very playful piano notes mixed in with a lo-fi chalky beat with the whole thing being tied together by Kid Cudi's melancholic humming guiding us throughout the track. There is something so comforting about Cudi's iconic humming that instantly makes a songs atmosphere significantly more relaxing, almost as if his hums are consoling you, telling you it's okay to feel sad and that things are going to get better even though it may not seem like it. If this is what Cudi's hums represent, then nowhere are they more at home than on this track. Thematically the song is about the concept of starting anew and becoming reinvigorated after going through the process of bettering oneself and continuing to evolve as a person, or becoming "reborn". Cudi's singing takes center stage on this track and showcases the theme beautifully with the hook repeating that he is reborn and will keep moving forward. In his verse he reflects on the issues in his past that have brought him to this point of rebirth he now finds himself at. He muses about being lost and how having this feeling of not knowing where to go further added to his depression, until eventually realizing that happiness is something that has to come from within. As stated in the lyrics, Cudi has come a long way from past issues that have haunted him; from battling substance abuse and trying to keep custody of his child to depression and anxiety taking control of his thoughts and his life. However, now that he has been reborn he has no more stress and there's no stopping him from continuing to be the best version of himself that he can be. Then we have Kanye, also with an exceptionally introspective verse about the feeling of isolation that comes with fame and being torn between two different mental states, one being a state of manic high octane outbursts and the other being a state of low energy depression due to him being bipolar. Kanye being the public figure that he is, his fractured mental state was put on display for all to see and the results of this was the masses calling Kanye crazy, something he now views as a badge of honor. Kanye goes on to challenge anyone who's listening to continue giving him all the criticism he's been getting because no matter what people throw at him, he'll be able to take it, and he is willing to take all of the hate he receives and attempt to keep moving forward. The track ends with the beat switching up as Cudi takes the perspective of where he was before he was reborn: being lost and not knowing which way to go. However, the answer is right there, telling him to keep moving forward. Up next is the point where the "Ghosts" part of Kids See Ghosts shows itself with the haunting title track featuring Yasiin Bey. The production of this track is absolutely hair-raising with a cloudy, speedy chord progression mixed with these very ethereal synth chords and it also has what I wanna say is a xylophone sample as well? Over this ghostly beat Yasiin Bey delivers an incredibly subdued chorus, repeating this sentiment of kids seeing ghosts sometimes. Tremaine Emory (a friend of Kanye's and an affiliate of G.O.O.D. Music) has given some insight on the meaning of this chorus and the album title as a whole, saying "Kids can see what adults no longer allow themselves to see", more or less saying that kids operate at a higher state of creativity and imagination than adults do. Kid Cudi delivers a very lowkey vocal performance with a delayed echoing effect on his vocals that helps add to the overall spooky vibe of the track. He raps about being copied by other artists and once again delves into the status of his mental state, once again bringing up feeling lost and searching for something, although he feels like he's starting to run out of time because he can hear "angels coming". Kanye on the other hand gives a show stopping verse that is the exact opposite of lowkey, coming onto the track with a razor sharp focus rapping about religion, being greater than his competition, striving to be the best at whatever he does, and continuing to push the envelop in every way he knows how. This verse is incredibly dense with classic Yeezy quotables coming at a breakneck speed and it has that characteristic Kanye charm to it that his last album just felt like it was lacking a bit. Yasiin Bey closes the track out with a very meditative bridge where he just starts throwing out these philosophical concepts like "civilization without society" or "stability without stasis." It sounds almost like he has ascended to this plane of higher intelligence and he's attempting to share his knowledge through these brief interpolations. Finally we have the closing track "Cudi Montage" which contains my favorite beat out of the outstanding group of beats on here. With this being the only other song besides Reborn to not contain a Kanye production credit, this track's fantastic instrumental can be attributed to Kid Cudi, Mike Dean, and Dot Da Genius. For me what makes the production on this track so great is the fantastic use of a grimy Kurt Cobain guitar sample that makes up the majority of the instrumental here. It sounds like Cudi has finally perfected the marriage between grunge and hip hop that he was attempting to create on Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven back in 2015. Cudi opens the track with a verse continuing one of the album's themes of looking to God and religion for guidance with him rapping about the world weighing on him and only heaven can help him become stronger. In between Cudi's verse and Kanye's upcoming verse the beat begins to breakdown as the aforementioned guitar sample fades away and these gorgeous synth leads come in for Cudi to start harmonizing over. He shouts out into the cosmos for God to save him and reaffirming that he must stay strong after overcoming his past traumas. After this beautiful choral interlude we are then thrust back into the original beat of the song as Kanye gives one of his most socially conscious verses in years, describing the cycle of violence that comes with having a gang mentality and the far reaching, unforeseen damage it causes. The instrumental once again breaks down with Kanye coming in on the chorus alongside Kid Cudi to give some unexpectedly great singing as he joins Cudi in asking the Lord to help save him, closing out the track and the album with the same brilliant level of quality that we've come to expect from this duo. This is an album that is never one note, always trying something knew and succeeding every time it does. To me, this is album of the year. Favorite Lyrics by u/A_Wavvy_Dude
Talking Points
Thanks for reading this fucking long ass review this shit ended up being way longer than I intended it to be but I'm glad I was able to give this album the spotlight it deserved. Also shoutout to my mom for proofreading this lol. [link] [comments] |
Daily Discussion Thread 12/26/2018 Posted: 26 Dec 2018 10:27 AM PST Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread! This thread is for:
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Yung Gud implies on Twitter that him and Yung Lean weren't paid off uncleared sample on Dubai Shit Posted: 26 Dec 2018 03:12 PM PST https://twitter.com/yg_swe/status/1078041123829018624 EDIT: he's now saying he doesn't put the blame on Travis Scott but on the label [link] [comments] |
21 Savage Says Layzie Bone Diss Record Towards Him and Migos is The Worst Diss Track He Heard Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:07 PM PST |
Future - Low Life (ft. The Weeknd) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:34 AM PST |
Posted: 26 Dec 2018 02:09 PM PST |
Noname announces a new song on January 1, 2019 Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:10 AM PST It was said on her Instagram story just a couple minutes ago: https://www.instagram.com/stories/nonamehiding/ [link] [comments] |
Kanye West - I Am Not Home (Unreleased Yeezus Track) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 04:05 PM PST |
Young Thug Plays New "Barter 7" Songs for Juice WRLD & Kodak Black on IG Live Posted: 26 Dec 2018 04:33 PM PST |
Posted: 26 Dec 2018 01:36 PM PST wasn't sure if i could find the words to properly pay tribute to arguably the greatest rap album of all time, but i did my best to be exhaustive. hope y'all enjoy. [link] [comments] |
J. Cole - Be Free (The Late Show with David Letterman) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:10 PM PST |
Method Man Dissin The $HIT Out Of Wendy Williams Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:28 PM PST |
J. Cole - Revenge of the Dreamers Posted: 26 Dec 2018 10:25 AM PST |
Made a new sub-reddit for under the radar tracks from the 90's, come on in. Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:19 PM PST |
MACKLEMORE X RYAN LEWIS - OTHERSIDE REMIX feat Fences Posted: 26 Dec 2018 12:59 PM PST |
Joey Bada$$ - Amethyst Rockstar (feat. Kirk Knight) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 04:08 PM PST |
The Alchemist - Flight Confirmation (ft. ScHoolboy Q & Danny Brown) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 02:48 PM PST |
[Fresh Album] Roscoe Dash - 5thy5ive (72 Songs!!!) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:26 PM PST Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/5thy5ive/1447431684 Buckle up y'all, the run time of this album is 3hrs 17 mins. [link] [comments] |
Atmosphere- The Woman With The Tattooed Hands Posted: 26 Dec 2018 01:41 PM PST |
Posted: 26 Dec 2018 04:06 PM PST |
Lord Lu C N - A.S.S. ft. Denzel Curry Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:34 PM PST |
21 Savage - Break Da Law (Official Audio) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:56 AM PST |
Posted: 26 Dec 2018 06:06 PM PST |
Mac Miller 'Come Back To Earth' Remix Tribute R.I.P Legend Posted: 26 Dec 2018 05:06 PM PST |
Chance The Rapper - Family (ft. Vic Mensa and Sulaiman) Posted: 26 Dec 2018 07:59 AM PST |
Thouxanban Fauni - Wish the Worst Posted: 26 Dec 2018 09:29 AM PST |
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