The album INSANO, by famous rapper Kid Cudi, was released on Jan. 12. After two years since his previous album release of Entergalactic, fans of the artist were excited for something new amidst a flurry of many so-so albums in 2023. Instead, what they got was a 21-track, very strange deviation away from Cudi’s original music style and towards something new and different.
Starting off with most songs in the album, it is clear to see Cudi’s move away from his style of 10-15 years ago. Take the artist’s 2009 Man on the Moon: The End of Day album, which many see as his first great release. The LP’s uniqueness comes in the form of its songs; they are made in a very hip-hop-oriented style, and yet they have many hints of electronic beats as well as creatively written lyrics.
Throughout Cudi’s career, this has kind of been his stylistic pitch; he is perhaps one of the leading music artists in pioneering the integration between hip-hop/rap, synthpop/electronica, and indie rock into a very unique blend of music. Just look back on a song such as “Mr. Rager” or “Sky Might Fall,” both some of my favorites from Cudi, and you’ll see just what I mean.
In his most recent song collection, however, much of this has been thrown out the window. INSANO, in my opinion, incites a much darker tone in a much more basic fashion. Most of the album is filled with straightforward rap without much creativity. Take “MOST AIN’T DENNIS,” a rather simple song about not paying attention to hate and being successful. No depth, no creativity, no interesting lyrics or electronic melody.
Really, the only point of interest throughout the album, except for a couple of more Cudi-like songs (e.g. “BLUE SKY”), is the theme of some of its lyrics. As seen through songs such as “TORTURED” or “X & CUD,” which features the infamously calamitous and dispiriting artist XXXTentacion, Cudi is likely going through something of a rough patch.
The lyrics in these tracks talk largely about the rapper’s enemies, the demons torturing him in and out of his mind, and the toll it takes on him as a person. This is a different theme that Cudi definitely dives into more in this album than perhaps any other, and it is certainly noteworthy.
Overall, I think that the album is mostly not great. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not terrible, it’s just that it turns away from what arguably made Cudi as famous as he is today, and takes his career into a much more unfavorable direction. Then again, though, in an era when many new music albums are simply not that great, Cudi falling into the same trap may not be too huge of a surprise.
