By KEVIN JACOB
Staff Writer
Welcome everyone to another edition of Kickin It. This week I’ve got a few mixtapes and Kid Cudi’s newest album Indicud to review. Let’s get into it.
Big K.R.I.T. King Remembered in Time (mixtape)
It’s been about a year since Krit dropped his debut album Live From the Underground. Since then, we haven’t heard too much from him as he’s been in the lab cooking up his new album and this mixtape. This mixtape is pretty familiar territory for Krit as it has soulful and emotional songs mixed with trunk bangers that Krit mixes together almost seamlessly. Tracks like “Meditate,” “My Trunk,” and “How U Luv That” are my personal favorites so far from this really consistent tape. I don’t know if there’s any track that I truly don’t like, but some do get a little bit repetitive. If you’re a fan of K.R.I.T. then you’re going to appreciate this tape. And if you’re not a K.R.I.T. fan? Then you will be after listening to this one.
Rating: 8.5/10
GrandeMarshall MuggaMan
Last December was the first time I had ever heard of GrandeMarshall. He released a debut project called 800, and with hearing that and his song “Robert Earl” I was instantly hooked on this dude’s music. Now a few months later, he drops a new project called MuggaMan and it’s great. Grande’s a pretty good rapper with a really relaxed flow and his rhymes do well, but his production really carries this project.
The hazy drug and Jazz induced samples are very chilled out and makes MuggaMan a really quality product. My personal favorites include “Anslinger’s Revenge,” “Still,” “Mugga Man,” and “Arena Floors, Stadium Seats.” If you listen to the project from beginning to end it sounds way better than in individual tracks. But Grande’s given me one of the best mixtapes I’ve heard this year so far. Definitely check this out.
Rating: 9/10
Kid Cudi Indicud
Ah Indicud. I was hyped to hear it. And when it leaked early I was even more amped. After the first listen? I hated it. The production caught me off guard. Cudi wasn’t actually on many of the songs and I wasn’t a fan of it. But I listened to it a couple more times, and each time I’ve listened to it it’s grown on me. I can’t lie I’ve been really messing with it lately. It’s different. Definitely not your typical Cudi album.
A lot of songs had me impressed though. “Unf***wittable” has become one of my favorite songs on the project and other songs such as “Brothers,” “Burn Baby Burn,” and “Beez” with a pair of crazy RZA verses really carried the album. There were some songs I wasn’t a huge fan of. I can’t stand “Mad Solar” and I haven’t ever been big on “King Wizard.” The worst song on this whole project has to be “Afterwards” which is literally the biggest waste of nine minutes I’ve ever heard. This song just brought nothing to the album. In the end, although I was a bit hesitant on Indicud, it really is a solid album. Cudi may not be breaking any walls as a rapper, but he sure has as a producer, because this album sounds like nothing that is currently out. This album is nuts.
Rating: 7/10
