In the red corner, we have the Cleveland native extraterrestrial rapper, Kid Cudi.
I chose to kick this series off with two young men that came from the shadows to the forefront with their brand of life. Yes, life. Both of these guys drop introspective lyrics on their mixtapes. Even with the introspective lyrics, they are able to maintain my interest and make me appreciate their musical compositions.
Charles Hamilton:
What can I say about Charles. His mixtape hit the ground with a sonic boom. At first listen, I wasn't sure what to think of the tape. From the opening, I wanted Charles Hamilton to win in this world of popcorn rap. As I listened, he brought the cockiness of a rock star and the heart of a soul singer. His potential to mature into a wonderful and memorable rapper is evident. His fluidity over production is like the smoothness of a young Billy Dee Williams in a lizard lounge. Even with limited subject matter, Charles exposes many dimensions of himself. The compositions of the songs come together in a well-crafted concerto. They do not beat me over the head with repetitive production nor do they drag my mind into no man's land of pseudo-originality. This boy flips flows like flapjacks without missing a beat. Then, there are the freestyles. Wow! He is an actual freestyler. You won't hear his freestyles on his album and you won't hear his freestyles on other radio shows or TV shows. I don't have a problem with dropping a couple of nice written bars into your freestyle, but too many rappers are dropping entire songs into their freestyle sessions. Come on, Hip-Hop heads complain about that bullsh!t.
Download Outside Looking
Kid Cudi:
This kid came out of no where on me. I have yet to let go of his mixtape. I felt Kid Cudi when my eardrum was pierced by Embrace The Martian. At that moment, I wanted to embrace Kid Cudi into the monochromatic world of rap. His colorful delivery and word usage channels a new light through his mental prism. Kid Cudi inspired me to term these "hipster" rappers into a more accurate category. I call these guys "AnMonye" or "ComDrYe" rappers. You know rappers composed of the Andre 3000, Common, and Kanye mixture. Kid Cudi moves over a beat like Jim Carey as the Mask in the bar scene macking on Cameron Diaz. (Check the reference). He openly expresses his differences in comparison to other rappers. He doesn't acknowledge that they are average; he just iterates his difference is what makes him better than those other guys. They can be great, but they don't stand out. I agree Kid Cudi is not only different with lots of talent, but his difference is so well executed that it heightens his rankings in my book.
Download A Kid Named Cudi
Prescription for Greatness:
I want to see these guys bring their worlds together for a mixtape. Apart they are good, together they could be dynamic. In a world of over saturated features and horribly collaborated mixtapes (Juelz Santana and Lil Wayne! Does anyone want to defend this album?), these two guys could bring back The Purple Tape phenomenon?.
Verdict:
I actually cannot decide between these two lyricists. Both are skillful with wit, artful with storytelling, and cockier than Ringo Star combined with Jimi Hendrix. Cudi and Charles will become members of the Extraordinary League of Rappers as long as they continue to make meaningful bars, verses, and songs.
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