Hailing from Shaker Heights, local rapper Kid Cudi has finally released his highly anticipated debut album,  Man on the Moon: The End of Day, but does the album do the hype justice? 

Man on the Moon is an extremely unique rap album and really creates a new path in the genre of alternative hip –hop. The style and subject matter Cudi uses is both distinctive and refreshing.  Although it seems way out of left field, Man on the Moon is one of the few albums that can be enjoyed by fans of all genres, ranging from hardcore hip-hop to pop. Fronting itself as a “concept album,” Man on the Moon tries to tell the story of the dreams in Kid Cudi’s mind. Although this can be seen in the album, there isn’t terrible distinction to really create any sort of narrative. Nevertheless, the album’s eclectic pace is what really makes this album good. Songs like “Up Up & Away,” “Solo Dolo,” and “Sky Might Fall” give the listener a very strange and outer space theme that most will enjoy. The space theme really permeates the whole album, and unfortunately this is one of the album’s most major flaws. There is not that much variety on the album. In fact the only song that really sticks out is the single, “Make Her Say.” There are a few fast songs like “Soundtrack 2 My Life” and “Cudi Zone,” but they song very similar to the other tracks on the album. Although the lack of variety is an understandable flaw, it is not as prevalent as you might think because almost every song on the album is worth listening to.  Many of the songs will even hypnotize you with their stellar smooth beats, or Cudi’s pseudo rapping style.  Overall, despite its lack of variety, Man on the Moon: The End of Day is a phenomenal album and definitely an album that you should pick up.

Edsman Rating: 8.5/10