Kid Cudi was one of the first rappers that I ever really dedicated a lot of listening to. His laid back style, deep and low beats, combined with his down-to-earth lyrics truly made him standout in the crowd. His first two albums, Man on the Moon and Man on the Moon II are still two of my favorite albums of all time. But then he fell off the face of the Earth for a few years, ditching his iconic style for a new experimental sound. Personally, his last two albums were so forgettable that I don’t even know the names of the records. And I had all but given up of Mr. Rager until the release of his latest endeavor, Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’.
Fans of Cudi’s original music have been, for the most part, disappointed by his work that followed MOTM II and have been patiently awaiting his sequel to the sequel. But we have been given a somewhat similar record, one that reflects the ongoing battle Cudi has been facing with the pressures of fame, and ultimately his depression over the last few years.
From the opening sounds of “Frequency” it is easy to tell that this album was intended to provide a more atmospheric sound-stage than anything, offering Cudi’s iconic auto-tuned vocal throws and dark beats. It starts the record on a high note, exploring the classic theme that Cudi is his own person, and you need to get on his “frequency” to understand him. It's a very chill song that leads perfectly into the next track “Swim In The Light” - which is arguably one of the best songs on the album. It sounds the most like old Cudi, exploring depression and fighting your demons. It kind of contradicts the album’s title of Demon Slayin' when singing, “You can try and numb the pain but it will never go away”. Nevertheless, this is one of his best tracks in a long time.
“All In” is a thumping track, singing, “I’m all in, whatever happens, happens”. It's a very self-reflective track having Mr. Solo Dolo looking back on himself from afar. It may not sound like that on the surface, but it's a very personal moment on the album. “Rose Golden” reflects on his dark childhood and plays on his idea of being “the chosen”. Not in a pretentious way, but in the way that he is entirely misunderstood and is still trying to find himself. Again, he offers a very introspective look into his personal life by tapping into his old sound.
“Dance 4 Eternity” is perhaps one of Cudi’s most experimental tracks on the album, but it's a beautifully relaxed love song, singing, “It's so hard to trust anyone, so this is awesome, you got me smiling, yeah you’re a lot of fun, so this is awesome”. It's one of the few optimistic moments on a very dark album, but perhaps it's a reflection of the Slayin’ of his demons. “Wounds” discusses the weak moments in everyone’s life, preaching to “dig deep” and not to “go to extremes”. On an album such as this, and given his discography, is it a little cliche? Of course. But it is entirely necessary.
As the album comes to an end we have “Cosmic Warrior” which plays on Cudder’s world view of his life being highly prophesied, being “surrounded by infinite light”. It's very trippy and a little bit of a reach, but it's not the most difficult song to listen to. “The Commander” sounds straight off of MOTM II and it works very well. There is even an acoustic guitar in the background that actually adds to the track, which isn’t something that I thought I’d be saying on a Cudi album. Finally we have “Surfin’”, which is just a fun song to listen to. The beat is catchy, full of drums and horns and Pharrell’s straining vocals. It feels like something Cudi would’ve made years ago, but I am glad he put it on this album. It fits the narrative and only adds to the experience.
If you are looking for MOTM III you will be disappointed once again. This isn’t Cudi’s best work, in fact I don’t even know if he will ever get back to what made him so iconic just a few years ago. It's sad to think about, but what we must do is simply analyze and live with whatever music he gives to us. Slayin’ feels like a mash-up of some Indicud sounds combined with his new experimental sound. The majority of the album works, but the handful of weak tracks are just really annoying. Which is exactly why this will never reach the status of his classic music.
This album is good, not great - which isn’t something I could have said about his previous two art-house albums. It has its shining moments, but it also has its lows. I wouldn’t classify this as forgettable, so much as an optimistic step in the right direction. The album feels misguided as a whole, but shows potential in Cudi’s return.
So while the world waits for MOTM III we can at least be supportive of Cudder’s health and recovery, as well as hold out hope for the future of Mr. Rager’s music as he floats along the atmosphere trying to make his way back down to Earth.
