Kanye West & Kid Cudi – KIDS SEE GHOSTS

Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s new collaboration KIDS SEE GHOSTS is the most intricate and incredible album so far out of Kanye West’s Good Music summer releases, and the chemistry and similarities between the two artists seem to bring out the best in each other. Out of all the artists that Kanye has produced albums for this summer Kid Cudi feels the most similar in music styles and in life experiences.

On their self-titled collaboration KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Kanye brings detailed, eclectic production and samples, and provides good singing and rapping with his verses. Kid Cudi brings great vocals, harmonies, humming, and rapping. All the good stuff Cudi is known for but with quality and emotion. Kanye’s production is still very sample-based but produces KIDS SEE GHOSTS with collaboration in mind by incorporating more psychedelic Rock and Roll samples to play into Kid Cudi’s sound.

The first song “Feel The Love” starts with no drums and a very catchy and echoey hook by Kid Cudi repeating over and over to this spacey piano loop “I can still feel the love!” which sets the anticipation high like something’s about to happen. Next, we get a good unaccredited verse by Pusha T, but then all the sudden Kanye comes in with these burst-fire-like screaming personifications of a gun, and every time he makes these noises firecracker-like drums go off. Honestly, when I first heard this I was like what the hell am I listening to? But the more and more I listened to it I began to enjoy the energy and creativity of it. After Kanye’s personifications, we get a heavenly beat switch and some pitched vocals to end the song.

The second song “Fire” starts with a crazy sample by Napoleon XIV’s “They’re Coming To Take Me Away,” which keeps the madness going with its marching-like tambourine and drum sample. Kanye starts things off with some shit-talking then a gives us a good first verse as Cudi harmonizes and hums in the background. After a medieval-flute-like loop comes in for the hook, Cudi raps on the second verse and brings in another layer of great vocals as well. “Fire” does end after just two verses but the way Kanye threw in the guitar sample at the end for the beat switch shows the creativity and diversity of the sound on KIDS SEE GHOSTS.

The third song “4th Dimension” is probably my favorite on the album. “4th Dimension” features deceased singer Louis Prima who is posthumously sampled from his Christmas song “What will Santa Claus Say.” “4th Dimension” starts by playing the original un-tampered sample which gives a nostalgic feeling to the song, then suddenly the sample becomes distorted and some heavy bass and breakbeats drop in. Kanye has some great lyrics as he references Master P’s “Make Em Say Uhh” and tells a hilarious story about a sexual encounter: “ She said I am in the wrong hole, I said I am lost.”

The song “Freeee (Ghost Town pt.2)” is a sequel to the original “Ghost Town” off of Kanye’s album ye from just a couple of weeks ago, but is so much better! Starting off with a spoken-word sample of Marcus Garvey’s “Speech on Trial and Persecution” that talk about knowledge and how knowledge of self is freedom. “Freeee (Ghost Town pt.2)” mirrors this theme with an airy sample of “Stark” by Mr. Chop that dominates the sound, and some heavenly vocal layers provided by Cudi, Kanye, and unaccredited Ty Dollar Sign.

The almost five minute and a half song “Reborn” is absolutely beautiful. “Reborn” has this emotional hook performed by Cudi where you can literally hear the pain in his voice as he sings meditatively over and over: “I am moving forward. Keep moving forward.” Cudi’s lyrics and storytelling about his past and mental health give the song a very intimate feeling, and Kanye also has a great verse addressing his issues with mental health were he actually goes in depth.

The title track “Kids See Ghosts” featuring Yasiin Bey is good, but definitely my least favorite on the album. “Kids See Ghosts” has a more mellow vibe and a kind of 80s-Pop feel to it. Yasiin Bey sings this whispering hook and Kanye has one of his weaker verses on the album though it is still pretty good.

The final song “Cudi Montage” is another really meditative song with an interesting sample and sound. “Cudi Montage” starts off with a dark acoustic guitar riff sample from Kurt Kobain that Cudi flows over, but once the guitar riff stops the song gets brighter with these gorgeous vocals by Kanye and Cudi that shine in: “Lord shine your light on me save me please!” Kanye takes the second verse and has some of the best wordplays and introspective street lyrics I have heard from Kanye in a long time: “Everybody wants world peace, till your niece get shot in the dome piece. Now you go and buy your own piece, thinking it will help you find your own peace.”

With Kid Cudi and Kanye West’s chemistry and the intricate details involved in the sound and writing of KIDS SEE GHOSTS makes it one of the best albums out of 2018 so far. Sonically Kanye did what he did for his other artists on the GOOD Music summer releases he came in with their sound in mind, but this time it seemed just so much more detailed and fit so well with Kid Cudi. KIDS SEE GHOSTS brings great singing, great lyrics, and brings you into the mind-state and feelings of Kanye West and Kid Cudi. It gives you feelings of pain and beauty, being trapped and being free, and sonically sounds magnificent.

9 out of 10!