Whenever a big time band or artist releases long-awaited new material to the public, fans flock to the stores (or nowadays their computers) and wait until the very instant it becomes available.
This trend allows artists to be much more experimental with their new music, knowing that their fans will buy without hesitation because of their strong fan base.
Sometimes this tactic starts a great new era in their music, but other times it leaves dedicated fans feeling robbed of $10 and wondering what they have to show for it. Unfortunately, I am a fan that recently became a victim of this robbery and it came from the most unlikely source.

Cleveland native Scott Mescudi, also known as hip-hop sensation Kid Cudi, recently joined forces with beat maker Oladipo Omishore, or Dot da Genius. They form the super group WZRD.
These two had collaborated once before on Cudi’s first successful single “Day ‘N Nite” and decided to pair up for a full-length album. It would seem as if the duo could do no wrong after the monstrous success that came from their first creation, but the self-titled album takes an entirely different direction from Kid Cudi’s style.

The opening piece, “The Arrival”, contains only synthesized samples that set a very dark and eerie tone for what is about to come. Just when you think Cudi is going to open the album with an impressive verse over an ingenious beat by Dot da Genius, you get hard rock guitar riffs, sampled drum tracks, and worst of all, Cudi’s singing voice. It does not stop at the opening track, either. “Love Hard” and “Live and Learn” also showcase their transition from heavy bass and funk beats to mainstream guitar licks and questionable vocals. WZRD also explores the softer side of rock as well, with their acoustic track “Efflictim” and a cover of Nirvana’s song “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”.

Fortunately for Cudi fans, the whole album is not lost to the experimenting minds of the duo. Dot da Genius does have some quality hip-hop beats that Kid Cudi flows with well in the tracks “The Dream Time Machine” and “Upper Room”. While they do not fully resemble classic Cudi, they are fairly similar to some of the works on his most recent solo album, “Man On the Moon II”.

I understand that artists tend to change their styles during their careers and like to experiment in different fields of music. As a fan, I am happy Mescudi is able to express how much he enjoys his newfound life of sobriety, which he does in the song “High Off Life”.
With that being said, I would have never expected this from two people who have as much talent and creativity as they do. Without the fame and popularity of Kid Cudi, I doubt that this album would have gotten the attention it did.