Kid Cudi's Sophmore Album

This past week, Kid Cudi's cover art for his second album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, was finally released. It displays Cudi sitting down, holding a empty glass bottle, with a magnificent painting of some starry galaxy just behind him. Or perhaps it is suppose to be actually some sort of window (being the self-proclaimed "moon man"). Regardless, the picture has a very dark, negative tone with Cudi, face being half-blacken by darkness, sulking or starring off into the ground. The art also appears with fake, yet purposeful tears and rips all across it. It is very thought-provoking, as to what this cover could really stand for. What exactly is he so solemn about? What exactly was in that glass before he emptied it? And who exactly was Mr. Rager? Being an avid Cudi fan, I was very interested by his latest artist work.

I did a little digging and read a few recent articles discussing Cudi and his latest album. In a recent video interview with Complex magazine, Cudi says that this album came straight from the heart, just in much different place than the first album; Mr. Rager is, in fact, Cudi. He was in a darker time, a much "darker mindstate", therefore this album has a much darker feel. Personally, this is the exact reason I am such a huge Cudi follower; what he says is REAL. He is NOT just another wannabe rapper. To me, he is as poetic as you can get, while maintaining both a large hip-hop, underground following and being a major "mainstream" artist at the same time.

But back to the cover art...I'm going to take a small guess at what exactly it all means. Cudi is known for believing that his artistic, verbal abilities can often act as a "curse" (he even said he was going to retire after his 1st album), and often wishes he was just more of a regular joe. He went through a pretty crazy phase, involving daily use of cocaine and his widely publicized arrest for "liquid cocaine", that I believe was his lowest point (perhaps that is what is missing from his empty glass). Cudi's "Mr. Rager" persona seems as though it could have occured during this time. Yet I believe as time went on and his fan-base continued to grow, he began to realize how lucky he is to be so naturally talented. Now he has a much greater appreciation for himself, his music, and his fans. He also became a father within the past year, which of course helps him to put it all into a much clearer, less drug-induced perception. And although Cudi professes in the Complex interview that the party/psychedelic-feeling is still very much alive in this album just like in the first, I now believe the sophomore album's true feelings come from his "Mr. Rager" period. With his growth and maturation, he is now able to clearly express those deep emotions and the result...an album that I just cannot wait for. November 9th just cannot get any closer.

For more info on the Complex interview, check out:
http://www.complexvideo.com/Celebrities/Kid-Cudi-The-2010-Complex-Cover-Shoot