Kanye West and Kid Cudi - Kids See Ghosts (Album Review)
Monday, 25 June 2018
Written by Jonathan Rimmer
At first glance, 'Kids See Ghosts' doesn't appear to make sense. That's not to suggest Kanye West and his pop-rap protege Kid Cudi, architects of the project, are incapable of successfully collaborating. Rather, the record's triumphant tone and energy simply don't chime with everything we know about the Wyoming sessions in which it was made, where West also recorded his introspective solo album 'ye' and produced several mini-albums for other artists.
It would be crass to link West's bipolar disorder to the quality of his artistic output more generally, but there's something remarkable about the fact 'Kids See Ghosts' manages to be everything 'ye' isn't – focused, experimental, passionate, powerful and filled to the brim with colour and genuine emotion. It's difficult to take West's claims to being a 'God' or a 'genius' seriously when his music has taken a nosedive, but this short project is likely to restore a number of frustrated fans' seemingly misplaced faith and then some.
The seven tracks here, though bitesized, feature psychedelic instrumentation, esoteric samples, existential concepts and larger than life hooks.
Centrepiece Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt 2) embodies this best as West and Cudi celebrate unbridled “freedom” while sweeping organ melodies and rock guitars collide to great effect. As hedonistic rap-rock bangers go, it's far more creditable than Cudi's previous effort with 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven'.
Cudi isn't just confident and revitalised in his own ability – he also invigorates West to push further than he normally would in terms of beats and concepts. This is demonstrated most keenly in the undeniable chemistry between the two emcees. The back-and-forth flows almost evokes Run the Jewels – or any hip-hop duo that benefits from an enthusiastic opposite number – but there's a greater contrast in West and Cudi's styles that make for fascinating listening.
Cudi's lackadaisical flows frequently act as a counterpoint to West's more emphatic delivery, which is only compounded by his combative vocal inflections from the get go. On the opener Feel the Love, he imitates gunfire to complement staccato rhythms, syncopated synths and a biting verse from guest spitter Pusha T. Similarly, Cudi's rumbling delivery on 4th Dimension is the perfect antidote to West's characteristically irreverent (and genuinely hilarious) verse about anal sex.
If that sounds lowbrow, it's worth considering that West's more reflective verses are saved for the far less inspiring 'ye'. And even when he does revert to the role of commentator, as he does on Cudi's Montage, the result is brief and perceptive as he reflects that poverty and deprivation in his city have led to “growing up in [an] environment where doing crime's the requirement”.
It's a fitting closer to a sharp mini-album that hones on feeling of escaping hardship and imagining something better, even if that is expressed more intangibly than on the self-examining 'ye'. West and Cudi have both fought demons and clearly feel a degree of kinship, which is to be admired. From a musical standpoint, maybe a like-minded sparring partner is all that was needed to make the unshackled and rapturous record they've both always had the potential to make.
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