Indicud has many of the same problems as his previous work while simultaneously introducing new ones. Cudi's biggest issue is his continued lyrical problems. He just simply can not produce good lyrics. Although he thankfully for the most part gets away from the stupid weed lyrics that dominated his older material, he fails to bring anything interesting to the table lyrically. His half-assed observations on love and brag raps are just plain weak and self-indulgent. I do commend him for changing it up a bit lyrically on this record, unfortunately he still falls short in that department. Indicud also sees Kid Cudi trying to branch out in a poppier direction by incorporating more singing into his music. Although it's a nice idea, the execution isn't particularly strong. Don't get me wrong, he has a half-decent voice, but it's not nearly strong enough to carry an entire song (tracks like "Immortal" and "Unfuckwittable" were tedious as all hell due to the amount of singing on them.) His last record, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr.Rager made much better use of his singing without overdoing to the point where it just became bland.
Indicud is not without it's strengths though. The production, as always, is top-notch. Cudi's handles all of the production (save for one collaboration with Hit-Boy on the incredibly catchy "Red Eye".) himself and this is definitely where he shines as an artist. He has a flair for making interesting, psychedelic beats that create a really nice atmosphere. Every beat on this album catches your attention and keeps you listening even when the songs fall short. Cudi may not be a gifted lyricist, but he sure as hell is a gifted producer. There is also some points on this record where Cudi's lofty ambitions outside of hip-hop actually work out. The guest spots from indie acts Father John Misty (a.k.a J.Tillman) and Haim on "Young Lady" and the aforementioned "Red Eye" are amongst the brightest moments of the entire album. Their styles are completely opposite from Cudi's, but they somehow mesh incredibly well and make for some unexpected fun moments that standout above the majority of the record. Although these guest spots are great, the best guest spot (and moment) on the record is from hip-hop's current torchbearer Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick never fails to deliver 110% fury on each and every track he appears on. No matter how big or small the verse, he delivers the goods and proves once again why he is amongst hip-hop's elite. Not to be completely outdone by the young gun, hip-hop icon RZA manages to spit a couple of quality verses on "Beez", which is essentially just his song as the grizzled veteran pulls the rhyming weight while Cudi only provides support singing the hook.
Indicud is unfortunately just another run-of-the-mill effort from Kid Cudi. The beats are proficient as always and there's some solid guest spots, but Cudi doesn't do anything thing to fix the lingering lyrical problems that have haunted his music for his entire career. The pop elements and enhanced focus on singing instead of rapping doesn't do him any favors either. I will admit that save for "Girls", "Unfuckwittable" and "Immortal", none of these tracks are god awful, but they sadly only rarely rise above average. Cudi continues to waste his potential and the lack of progress in his music is incredibly frustrating, his easygoing flow and production are far too good to keep consistently churning out such mediocre albums.
2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Solo Dolo, Part II (ft.Kendrick Lamar)
2.Young Lady (ft.Father John Misty)
3.Beez (ft.RZA)
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