“Flight at First Sight/Advanced” is an absolute bright spot on an otherwise monotone and largely morose trip. He and Travis Scott build momentum with “Baptized in Fire” - a fully formed note on the difficulties of sobriety that goes hard in the paint despite the fact that it plays like an open plea to his frequent collaborator and best frenemy, Kanye West.
“ILLusions” is an hallucinogen-fueled chaser aimed at lingering demons that seeks a higher frequency but lands at a noticeably lower vibration before Cudi teams with Willow Smith to achieve the transcendence he missed on the preceding track with “Rose Golden”. “All In” finds Cudi taking a deep dive into the land of introspection to reckon with commitment, among other things. The track takes flight at the hook, when the bass drops and suddenly all feels right with the world. Andre 3000, though noticeably subdued in comparison to the monstrous features he’s been doling out in recent years, is a highlight on “By Design” - a day party two-stepper built upon a slight Latin ritmo that plays dangerously close to the realm of the pre-programmed keyboard demo at certain points. The minimalist Gregorian chant on “Releaser” is an admirable but much less effective choice. Kid Cudi starts strong with the hypnotizing thump and brutal honesty of lead single “Frequency”. Mike Will Made It, Dot Da Genius, and Pharrell Williams should also be recognized for their contributions to the pot, which includes Cudi taking his own turn behind the boards. Cudi mainstays Plain Pat and Mike Dean deserve much of the credit for the wins that are to be had here. With nearly everything but Cudi’s ego eroding around him at points on Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, the project’s apparent saving grace is production just ambitious and engaging enough to gird the unnecessarily lengthy album against a total wipeout during his meandering thoughts, empty statements, self-indulgent hums, moans, and other vocal exercises that should never be accepted as substitutes for substantive lyricism or actual lyrics at all. What has been a more unfortunate constant, however, is his propensity to fall short in the quest to deliver a complete body of work. Likely because the possibility of his music has always been as exciting as his endearing “rager next door” affect. Understanding that Cudi was prone to experimentation as a dedicated tinkerer and envelope pusher, fans have repeatedly made plenty of room for his futurist leanings, art school idiosyncrasies, and moody Rust Belt rock star gripes to exist in rap. Cudi’s charm has carried him quite far, but his music has fallen victim to the kind of gradual decline that rap doesn’t typically tolerate for long without some young-gun aspirant stepping to the plate to fire shots at a former hero. These traits solidified him as an artist with a sizable reach across pop, rap, and presumably rock, though fans angered by his adventures in alt-rock might beg to differ with the latter. His emotional availability and aptitude for innovation have been as much an asset as his eclectic palette. Kid Cudi has always been a source of intrigue as one of rap’s self-proclaimed outliers.
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