This was a totally different thing than I have ever heard before. Kid Cudi’s new album “Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’” was something that I had been looking forward to ever since it had been announced months ago. Leading up to its release, I had been wondering what kind of music the new album would include.
Cudi first exploded with his different style of rap with his “Man on The Moon” albums. These albums really are what made Cudi a loveable person and artist because what Cudi would spit was real; it wasn’t just some garbage thrown together. Cudi’s intuitive beats mixed with his skills as a vocalist and rapper.
Cudi’s old style was absolutely adored by fans of many different genres. It was a real big change last year, though, after his last album, “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.” This album was totally different from any of the music we had been used to seeing from Cudi.
It just wasn’t the same. The album was filled with a new type of punk rock feel to it. It was completely different music. Many people, including me, just were not feeling it.
It was after this album that we saw a lot of the Cudi hypebeasts turn their backs on him, and many people just immediately jumped ship and hated on him. It really wasn’t fair, and it kind of exposed some of these “fans” for what they truly were.
After this, it seemed like Cudi had fallen into a slump. His new album was delayed because he checked himself into rehab to deal with depression and suicidal thoughts. It was a scary and sad thing to hear that someone whose music had been so captivating and uplifting was going through all of these tough times, and that this person had made an album through these tough times, so after all of this, I was very excited to see if the music I had fallen in love with would return, and I must say, this album didn’t disappoint.
“Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’” sees a return to the old, predominantly hip-hop based music we had all grown accustomed to, but it still incorporates the new things we had seen in “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.”
From the very beginning of the album, the first track, “Frequency,” immediately sets the tone for the album. It’s slow, smooth and psychedelic feel immediately hits you. This song right away lets you know what the album is going to be like.
With this style of music, there are bound to be tracks from time to time that you really aren’t a fan of. With 19 tracks, and an album almost 90 minutes long, there are definitely a few of these songs that bore you quite a bit. I found myself skipping some of these long, drawn out tracks that were filled with just humming and whispering. I do not mind humming; on some of the tracks it works and adds to the overall talent and diversity Cudi brings to a track. The humming is OK, but in moderation, and slow-paced, long tracks filled with humming sometimes get old rather quickly. A few examples of these are “ILLusions” and “Releaser.”
I am not going to lie, though. The album grew on me rather quickly. The first time I listened to it all the way through, I really at the time liked about half of the tracks on the album. As I listened and relistened to the album, a few of the ones that I disliked first time around surprised me, and I realized that over time, I liked most of the album.
Some of it is just so different from what I am used to enjoying from Cudi that it just took some getting used to, it only adds to Cudi’s ability to completely change and make something totally new, but still be something that you can relate and bump to. There are so many tracks on here that I can listen to on repeat, “Does it, By Design” and “Rose Golden” are tracks that I feel will be remembered for years to come.
This album completely brings back the Cudi music we were all accustomed to. “Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’” is many things. On top of being a fantastic piece of art and music, it’s reassurance. It’s a sign of progress in Cudi as an artist and as a person. It’s a sign of recovery, and as a fan of him and his revolutionary take on hip-hop, it’s a fantastic and great feeling to know he’s back.
Refreshing and brilliant. “Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’” brings back the Cudi that was real, and somebody who is easy to identify with. The hip-hop style along with bits of psychedelic rock make it new and revolutionary. While there are parts where the album gets a little repetitive at times, it is not something that becomes too big of an issue. The album may seem a little weird and different at first, but trust me, give it a chance. It is worth it. Cudi’s resurgence back to the top of rap is real. The fact the man was able to literally, battle some of these demons and his own issues while making an album is incredible, and as a true Cudi fan, to say I am thrilled about what the future holds is an understatement.
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