REVIEW: KID CUDI - FREE

3.5/5

Scott Free

One of the craziest things that came out of the Diddy case, aside from the sheer weight of all the evil wrongdoings, was the testimony that the disgraceful hip-hop mogul planted a bomb in Scott Mescudi, AKA Kid Cudi's car. All because the rapper was seeing Sean Combs ex-girlfriend Cassie. Truly terrible. It's enough to drive a sane man crazy, there the great Scott was, showing up for his day in court to testify against the man he said looked like a "Marvel super villain" after said event. It's safe to say, after this, and the social media firestorm, Cudi could do with a breather. And he finds it 'Free' of all this, on his first album since last year's 'Insano' release. An incredible follow-up (especially with the 'Nitro Mega' version like Lupe Fiasco's 'Samurai DX', also released this New Music Friday, like Ghostface and Jon Batiste) to his 'Entergalactic' soundtrack to the man on the moon's Netflix animated movie.

This Wicked Awesome/Republic pop rock album finds itself on the green of Scott's back nine following his appearance in Adam Sandler's 'Happy Gilmore 2' (doesn't beat his one in the 'Bill & Ted' sequel though, for Keanu's classic line). Finding 'Neverland' and a 'Grave' new single to go along with the latest, 'Mr. Miracle', that should keep you up to speed on just how this Kid made it through all of this. After this epic, eleventh (WHAT?!) album's instrumental intro, 'Echoes Of The Present', Cudi starts off strong with two singles for the boards. All before this album, with no guest features a la J. Cole, gets into Scott Mescudi's 'Opiate' love addiction. "Tenderness entering/Just a kiss, damn it, it's the beginning/To mean something/Caught the flame." From there he goes 'Deep Diving' with Jean, not Jon, Baptiste. Right out the blue sky cloudy doorway of a 'Truman Show', Jim Carrey like leap of faith. And in case he doesn't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night.

All the way down to 'Submarine', Cudi submerges, serving "Way too deep to ever reach the summer breeze/God save me/I'm too deep, a psychedelic dream, I'm too deep" lyrics before the dust of 'Ashes' proceeds the 'Grave'. If you've heard it in a 'Past Life', like Maggie Rogers, then you know you don't even have to say it. Sometimes life is just that hard, but when you leave the past where it belongs, you can begin anew. The poet's prose gets profound from the Sia like jump of, "A chandelier on a thin string, hangin' onto reality/I'm losin' faith more than time bleeds, at least I still got some air to breathe/Grain of sand in the hourglass, havin' fun while I still can/I wanna know what the end say, but I can't rush the story." 'Picnic In Paris' is a perfect getaway, as is the 'Stargazing' that comes before the closing 'Salt Water' for the man who has no more salty tears. "Is this thing real or placebo?/Walk through the clouds out a blue door/Can't lose the dreams that I reach for." It's real Kid. Cudi is free. Like Diddy should never be. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Neverland', 'Truman Show', 'Picnic In Paris'

Spin This: Kid Cudi - 'Entergalactic'