Scott Mescudi, also known as “Kid Cudi,” dropped his newest album “Insano” on Jan. 12, which coincidentally coincided with the drop of 21 Savage’s “American Dream” and led to Cudi’s project being overshadowed. Cudi is well known for being a pioneer in the hip-hop genre, but during “Insano,” Cudi explores making songs with mainstream trap-style beats that are highly present in songs like “Mr. Coola,” “Seven,” and “Rager Boyz.” Although not all of “Insano” is remarkable, it certainly has some highlights worth mentioning, such as “Wow” and “Porsche Topless.”
The album is one hour and four minutes long and features artists including A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, DJ Drama, Lil Yachty, Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne, Young Thug and a posthumous feature from XXXTentaicion (X) on the song “X & Cud.” Cudi sampled X’s vocals and the piano from his song “Orlando” but attached beat and rap verses, which added an element of hip hop to the song.
One of the biggest highlights on the album, “Wow,” featuring A$AP Rocky, is full of energy. The chorus is memorable, and the flow of both Cudi and Rocky’s verse rides the melody of the chorus. The lyrics contribute to the hype-rager vibe of the song. Rocky’s delivery has a certain bounce that works well with his energetic performance.
Cudi follows by wasting a Travis Scott and Pharrell Williams feature on “At The Party.” The production feels empty, which makes the song altogether very dull. The lyrics of Cudi’s opening verse are pretty generic; he raps about how he walks into a party feeling confident, ignoring the haters. For a song about a party featuring stars like Travis Scott and Pharrell Williams, this song should have been a high-energy banger, but it’s not.
The worst song on the album, “Most Aint Dennis,” features a repetitive staccato melody and monotone rap, causing the tune to be a flop. The instrumentals are tiring as well. The only part of the song that stands out is the outlandish bar where Cudi sings, “Act like my poo don’t stink.”
Cudi then delivers the much-needed energetic bop, “Mr. Coola.” The instrumentals include a suspenseful piano riff that changes octaves throughout the song.
Then comes the end of the album, which is composed of really great songs such as “Seven,” “Rager Boys” and “Porsche Topless.” All of them are fabulous, but “Porsche Topless” stands out most. The song is driven by a catchy trumpet-sounding riff that is paired well with a trap-style beat. Cudi delivers the lyrics full of energy. In short, the whole song sounds great.
Second to last, with enlightening instrumentals, positive vibes and a sound that is similar to older Cudi, “Blue Sky” should have been the ending of the album. Instead, Cudi picked “Hit The Streets In My Nikes” to end “Insano.” “Hit The Streets In My Nikes” does have a complex beat that could be appreciated, but the melody is much less memorable than “Blue Sky.”
Kid Cudi’s “Insano” is a mixed bag. It has misses like “Most Aint Dennis” and “At The Party,” but provides some great hits like “WOW,” “Mr. Coola,” “Seven,” “Rager Boys,” “Blue Sky” and of course, “Porsche Topless.”
In a Hot Ones interview, Cudi said he wants to consider retiring. He’s 39 years old, so it’s likely that “Insano” will be his final album. While Cudi says he wants to retire, he won’t stop making music. He teased a collaborative album with Jaden Smith on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing his career may not be over yet.
