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Kids See Ghosts
Kids See Ghosts

Kids See Ghosts in Bloomington, MN

Current price: $12.59
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Released a week after
Kanye West
's messy eighth album,
Ye
, the eponymous debut effort from
Kids See Ghosts
--
West
and
Kid Cudi
's rap superduo -- became inseparable from its predecessor's narrative, both warranting that album's merit and improving upon its ideas with superior production, imagination, and listenability.
is another seven-track effort recorded alongside a handful of others during
's so-called Wyoming Sessions. Following the arrivals of
Pusha T
's
Daytona
,
not only emerges atop the Wyoming Sessions ranks, but also as a top release in either artist's respective catalogs. Fully-realized and lushly layered,
KSG
is the culmination of a long and fruitful relationship between
Cudi
, one that peaked on 2008's emo-rap progenitor
808s & Heartbreak
and continued over a decade. No time is wasted here and, even though
satisfies, it leaves listeners craving much more. Continuing where
's insular and complicated mental health therapy session left off,
turns the darkness and confusion around with sharp focus and a dose of optimism. In top form,
handles most of the production -- from the
Gorillaz
-esque stomp of "Fire" to the haunting title track -- while offering choice verses alongside guests
(the
Yeezus
-y "Feel the Love"),
Ty Dolla $ign
("4th Dimension"),
808s
' comrade
Mr. Hudson
("Cudi Montage"), and
Yasiin Bey
(fka
Mos Def
) ("Kids See Ghosts"). Meanwhile,
handles the bulk of the vocal duties and provides a figurative shoulder on which
can lean. This support is vital for
's allure, as the two bounce off each other effortlessly, an alchemy produced by their shared demons and struggles. For once,
sounds like the one who has it together, the apprentice supporting his former mentor. On an album of highlights, "4th Dimension" and "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" are standouts, as exciting and vital as anything
produced in his early-2000s golden years. Sampling
Louis Prima
's swinging holiday track "What Will Santa Claus Say," the former features
's best flow, which, when the hard beat clicks into step with
's verse, is a thrill; while the latter track builds upon the brief glimmer of hope offered on
's "Ghost Town" in a bold and exciting moment of triumph as
proclaims, "Nothing hurts me anymore/Guess what, baby? I am free." That energy is peppered throughout, from the mantras of "Reborn" ("I'm so reborn/I'm moving forward") to the
Kurt Cobain
-sampling "Cudi Montage," where the song's namesake repeats "Stay strong/Lord, shine your light on me/Save me please."
is everything
wasn't, delivering a worthwhile listen in spite of the extended PR disaster that preceded its release. With
as the yang to
's yin, the pair inch closer to finding peace and a light in the darkness. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
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