After hinting at it for months, Kid Cudi surprised everyone by releasing his “Satellite Flight” EP at midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 25. This 10-track EP is meant to bridge the gap between last year’s “Indicud” and his upcoming 2015 album, “Man on the Moon III.” At the end of “Indicud,” Kid Cudi left us with “The Flight Of The Moon Man.” He returns to begin his new album with “Destination: Mother Moon.” After the brighter tone of “Indicud,” Cudi takes listeners into a darker space with his new album “KiD CuDi presents SATELLITE FLIGHT: The Journey to Mother Moon.”
This latest stop in the 30-year-old rapper’s genre-bending career continues his theme of space exploration across 10 tracks, four of them instrumental, six with lyrics and one lone, surprise guest spot from crooner Raphael Saadiq. It also continues Cudi’s short history with self-production. After trying his hand at producing on “Indicud” with hit-or-miss results, his skills seem to have improved greatly with time.
“Satellite Flight” sounds more like 2010’s “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager” than anything else Cudi has done before. It has the same tones of desperation that tinged his lyrics then, but now he makes the listener feel that with his production instead. The only song where he reallys raps is “Too Bad I Have to Destroy You Now.” While the title is weak, the song itself is actually quite good. It seems to follow a small storyline that develops near the middle of the album.
With the fifth song, “Balmain Jeans,” he describes a tender, sensual moment with a woman that opens up his soul and leaves a part of him inside her. Lyrics such as “Can I come inside your vortex” and “Help me take off my balmain jeans / I’ll undo yours” make it obvious what is happening. The guest verse by Raphael Saadiq flows in perfectly over guitars played by both Cudi and Saadiq. Saadiq plays his role perfectly, not distracting from the world Cudi has created but instead adding his voice for external perspective.
The aforementioned song, “Too Bad I Have to Destroy You Now,” seems to be about an abortion and the pain Cudi felt having to deal with it. “Internal Bleeding” adds to this with lines such as “I’ll haunt you / Deep in the dark / Behind your eyes” that almost seem to be written from the aborted child’s perspective. This inner storyline encapsulates the darkness of the album and the struggle Cudi is trying to express.
Other songs on the album that make it a worthwhile listen include the instrumental tracks “Destination: Mother Moon” and “Return of the Moon Man (Original Score).” “Destination: Mother Moon” grabs the listener with its eerie, spacey production that will bounce around your skull with its thudding boom. “Return of the Moon Man” begs to be rapped over by Cudi; its epic, orchestral sounds would work perfectly with Cudi’s signature sing-song flow and it is disappointing not to hear that on this track.
Final track “Troubled Boy” is another remarkable piece of work. It again captures Cudi’s desperation and holds a depressive tone. He sings “No one wants a troubled boy / Leave alone the troubled boy” over the calm rhythms of a guitar played by Cudi himself. It is incredibly reminiscent to the final two songs on “Man on the Moon II,” “Trapped In My Mind” and “Maybe.” All three songs tap into the same type of desperation and end with seemingly temporary appeasement. “Troubled Boy” in particular ends with a whisper of good-bye to close out the EP.
Another interesting facet of “Satellite Flight” is Cudi’s use of samples from his past work. Examples that stand out are “Troubled Boy” and “Balmain Jeans.” There are two occurrences on “Troubled Boy”: the immediately recognizable lyric “No one” from track “My World” off his first album and the “Goodbye” from “Teleport 2 Me, Jamie” off his 2012 alt-rock album “WZRD.” The “Okay, okay” line from “Balmain Jeans” is sampled from “No One Believes Me,” which is an excellent track he did in conjunction with the release of the movie “Fright Night” in 2011. This self-sampling could mean a lot of things, perhaps representing faded memories from past experiences or to give the tone of self-reflection. The listener will have to decide what Cudi means.
Cudi has received a lot of criticism the past year or so due to his decision to focus on production and alternative rock instead of hip-hop like his first two albums. This is unfair to Cudi regarding who he is as an artist. Musicians and artists should be constantly evolving and adapting their music or art to their current life. Cudi is trying to define himself and shape his music based on what he thinks matches himself rather than what his fans want. He has taken a page out of his old mentor, Kanye West’s, handbook. Much like West, who has dramatically switched his music up from his original albums to last year’s “Yeezus,” Cudi has changed his style, and it would be surprising to see him return any time soon.
It is also important to remember that “Satellite Flight” is a transition piece to the long-awaited final chapter of the “Man on the Moon” series, not the finished product. It is supposed to feel like the inklings of thought and emotion rather than a standalone piece of work to be judged.
Cudi has released another solid piece to his storyline. “Satellite Flight” shows an improvement in his production and lays out the beginning of his next album. It is definitely worth a listen, if just to capture the emotions Cudi once again puts out in the open. This album is going to be imperative to understanding what Cudi does in the future, and to fully appreciate what is to come, “Satellite Flight” deserves to be heard.
