Cudi Montage

"Cudi Montage"
Song by Kids See Ghosts
from the album Kids See Ghosts
ReleasedJune 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)
Recorded2018
StudioKanye West's ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Genre
Length3:17
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Audio sample

"Cudi Montage" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, released as the seventh track off their eponymous debut album Kids See Ghosts (2018). The song is also notable for its sample of "Burn the Rain" by Kurt Cobain.[2][3]

Composition and lyrics

"Cudi Montage" is an electro-gospel song.[4] It prominently samples the guitar riff from Kurt Cobain's home recording from the early 1990's titled "Burn the Rain", which was officially released in 2015 as part of the compilation record Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings.[2][5][6] Michelle Kim of Pitchfork described the use of this sample in an album which largely deals with overcoming depression as "pointed," considering that Cobain died from suicide, adding that "it's also an especially fitting pairing for Kid Cudi, who [...] has embraced his inner angsty rock star since long before such influences were de rigueur in rap."[4] First drums, then synths are added as the guitar gradually fades, thus "[softening] the song."[7][8][9]

Lyrically, the track has been described as a pledge to avoid repeating past mistakes, with the two artists looking towards faith to bear life's struggles.[10][6] While Cudi explores "God's power to heal through love," Kanye West raps about cycles of violence in black communities and the pain of loss as he "[realizes] the effects of police brutality, incarceration, and mass shootings on the black community," concluding with a reference to Alice Johnson, and African-American woman jailed for life over a non-violent drug offence and whose sentence was commuted after twenty one years by US president Donald Trump at the suggestion of West's wife Kim Kardashian.[11][12][6][13] The song draws to a close as West sings "Lord shine your light on me" to British recording artist Mr Hudson's reverberating response of "stay strong" while Cudi hums.[14][4][7]

Release

"Cudi Montage" was released on June 8, 2018 on Kids See Ghosts.[1] On the day of the album's release, multiple tracks were mislabeled on streaming services, including "Cudi Montage", which was mislabeled as the fifth track on the album, "Reborn".[15][16]

Critical reception

Israel Daramola of Spin considered the song one of the features of Kids See Ghosts that "makes the album work as brilliantly as it does," highlighting the "quavering vulnerability" of the duo's vocal performances.[17] Eoin Donnelly, writing for The Line of Best Fit, deemed West's performance on the track "one of his best verses in years," feeling that it was "a glimpse of something resembling the 'old Kanye', one that uses the power of his voice for the good of his community."[18] Pitchfork editor Jayson Greene wrote that the song "relocates a precious, nearly vanished quantity of Kanye’s music—empathy."[19] NME's Jordan Bassett praised the "call-and-response between the lyrics "Lord shine your light on me" and backing vocals that implore, "Stay strong"" on the track as one of the highlights of the album.[14]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[1]

  • Producers – Kid Cudi, Dot Da Genius, Mike Dean
  • Additional and co-producer – Mike Dean
  • Composers and lyricists – Kanye West, Kurt Cobain, Scott Mescudi, Mike Dean, Mr. Hudson
  • Engineers – Mike Dean, Zack Djurich, Noah Goldstein, Mike Malchicoff, William J. Sullivan
  • Mixers – Mike Dean, Jess Jackson
  • Assistant mixer and assistant recording engineer – Sean Solymar

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[20] 89
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[21] 61
Ireland (IRMA)[22] 67
UK Streaming (Official Charts Company)[23] 85
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 69
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25] 34

References

  1. ^ a b c "KIDS SEE GHOSTS / KIDS SEE GHOSTS". Tidal. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Darville, Jordan (June 8, 2018). "Kanye West and Kid Cudi sampled Kurt Cobain on Kids See Ghosts". The Fader. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "Kids See Ghosts's 'Cudi Montage' sample of Kurt Cobain's 'Burn the Rain'". WhoSampled. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Kim, Michelle (June 8, 2018). "5 Takeaways from Kanye West and Kid Cudi's New Album, Kids See Ghosts". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. ^ Watson, Elijah C. (June 8, 2018). "Kid Cudi's "Cudi Montage" From 'Kids See Ghosts' Is Rap's Most Touching Tribute To Kurt Cobain". Okayplayer. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Khal (June 8, 2018). "4 Things About 'Kids See Ghosts' You Might Have Missed". Complex. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Garner, Marty Sartini (June 11, 2018). "Kid Cudi lifts Kanye up on Kids See Ghosts". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  8. ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan (June 8, 2018). "A Brief Guide to the 'Kids See Ghosts' Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  9. ^ Hamilton, Jack (June 11, 2018). "On Kanye West's New Album, the GOOD Music Rapper Focuses Simply on Good Music". Slate. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  10. ^ Jenkins, Craig (June 8, 2018). "Kids See Ghosts Is the Win Kanye and Kid Cudi Badly Needed". Vulture. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  11. ^ Diep, Eric (August 6, 2018). "Kanye West & Kid Cudi Bring Out the Best In Each Other on 'Kids See Ghosts' Album". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Van Nguyen, Dean (June 9, 2018). "Kanye West & Kid Cudi: Kids See Ghosts review – a psychedelic return to godlike power". The Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  13. ^ Wilson, Matthew (August 6, 2018). "The top 10 pop culture references in Kanye West and Kid Cudi's new album, 'Kids See Ghosts'". USA Today. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Bassett, Jordan (June 11, 2018). "Kids See Ghosts (Kanye West and Kid Cudi) – 'Kids See Ghosts' review". NME. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  15. ^ Klinkenberg, Brendan (June 8, 2018). "A Brief Guide to the 'Kids See Ghosts' Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  16. ^ Cush, Andy (June 8, 2018). "The Kids See Ghosts Track Lists and Credits Are Full of Errors". Spin. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  17. ^ Daramola, Israel (June 14, 2018). "Kanye West Finds the Perfect Use of Kid Cudi on Kids See Ghosts". Spin. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  18. ^ Donnelly, Eoin (June 11, 2018). "Kanye West follows the divisive ye with Kids See Ghosts, a glorious collaboration with Kid Cudi". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  19. ^ Bassett, Jordan (June 11, 2018). "Kanye West / Kid Cudi: Kids See Ghosts Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  20. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Kids See Ghosts – Cudi Montage". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  21. ^ "Canadian Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  22. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Kids See Ghosts". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  23. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  25. ^ "Top Hip-Hop Songs / R&B Songs Chart – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2018.

External links


This page was last updated at 2019-11-10 06:57 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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