I would like to nominate KiD CuDi for artist of the year.
If it weren’t for nostalgic, nunchuk-wielding Wu-Tang fans and both DJ Hero spokesman, Cleveland’s rap slacker probably would’ve had the album of the year in his highly-debated and critically-acclaimed Man On The Moon: The End Of Day. Aside from featuring just as many Top 10 Billboard singles as any highly-touted release from those aforementioned and already accomplished artists, MOTM produced three videos (“Pursuit Of Happiness,” “Make Her Say,” “Day N Nite“) that respectively stood-out from just about every other low-budget, blue-screened blunder that made the rounds on MTV Jams over the past 12 months.
Throw in 1…2…3 Grammy nods and a few prime spots alongside Jay-Z/Kanye/Shakira/Robin Thicke & Mike Posner, and CuDi’s left looking like a Heisman hopeful. Leave the ROY and scoring title to Drake, Cudder’s gunning for the MVP, because truthfully – in 2009 – he was G.O.O.D. Music’s most valuable player.
AS A ROOKIE.
And that’s the key point. ThE KiD dropped ONE official mixtape before MOTM and he’s already an upper-echelon artist, or at least perusing with them. Most will say Drake took it a step further, attaining greater success more quickly, but even CuDi’s fellow party-host had been rapping since 2005 and dropped seven mixtapes since. When Jimmy Brooks was cruising in his wheelchair, crafting raps and collecting Disney loot, CuDi was living on a friends’ couch. When it comes to the the music, notoriety isn’t necessarily derived from bank statements, but it sure helps jump-start a career, if you know what I’m sizzlin’.
Without a doubt, some will disagree with this endorsement for Scotty as artist of the year – citing anything from lyrical content to clothing as their reasoning – which is fine. Everyone has a voice. But, to those people I ask this; within recent memory, who else has been this unique and consistent at such an early stage in their career? He’s already proven to have the passing grade.
Careful, you may end up making some bold comparisons.
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/global/images/default-avatar.jpg){kind=avatar}
![[image]](http://cdn.tss.uproxx.com/TSS/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2012/02/2-Chainz-MTV-interview-150x83.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.tss.uproxx.com/TSS/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2012/02/raekwon-just-a-toast-music-video-main-150x71.jpg)
who else has been this unique and consistent at such an early stage in their career?
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Good point. Cudi has been consistently sucking it up..in his own special
I’d agree… the only other person you could say is Jay but I’d give Cudder the edge just for the fact that he is something new the hip-hop (or black music, in fact) has experienced… No other album sounds like MOTM…. NONE!
ThE KiD dropped ONE official mixtape before MOTM and he’s already an upper-echelon artist, or at least perusing with them.
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Nah son. Nah. He’s not even close to the top dogs.
Beware, you’re my guy, but I can’t co-sign this cat as artist of the year. That album just didn’t move me.
While I’ve never been one for some of his antics, I think some are in denial re: his music.
No other album sounds like MOTM…. NONE!
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But does that necessarily mean it’s a good Hip-Hop album?
No other album sounds like MOTM…. NONE!
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thankfully….
But does that necessarily mean it’s a good Hip-Hop album?
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With this shit that sound all the same they play on the radio, you need something refreshing. What song sounded like Day-N-Nite? None. What song sounded like *insert random Gucci Mane song title*? Quite alot.
Gibbs…
Wiz Khalifa=2009 Rookie Artist of Year
You’re lying to yourself if you think otherwise
Taylor Gang or die
Agreed Cudi for MVP!
Leave the ROY and scoring title to Drake, Cudder’s gunning for the MVP, because truthfully – in 2009 – he was G.O.O.D. Music’s most valuable player.
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Damn, Beware. That was one hell of a sentence. Can’t argue with you though/
The Crew will be the first to tell you that I haaaated MOTM when it first dropped..but it’s grown on me. It’s definitely one of those albums that takes a lot of listens to really sink in (kind of like 808′s). But I’ve prolly listened to it more than any album of 09. not that I think it’s the best album of the year…but it’s definitely stayed in rotation since it dropped.
Im not sure i agree, I loved man on the moon, but was he artist of the year? However, I do believe the album had a greater impact on hip hop than any other album produced this year. It has resulted in a new blend of genres, a step forward towards a new form of hip hop (beyond the shittiness that is autotune thank god) and you can see others are following. and coupled with several HUGE hits… I guess I just convinced myself that he does deserve it haha
millions of fans out there listening and singing along to Drake singing the hook to “Money To Blow” will definitely disagree with this, but I certainly don’t. the public is too adapted to that mediocre radio hip hop club beat with lyrics about how this person is gonna get this much stacks or this much girls, so that why cudi isn’t mvp. in a world of art and things that go into the abstract, cudi would winm, but we don’t live in that world. im not hatin’ on Drake. i believe he’s a bit too overhyped but he’s definitely an above average rapper. i still think cudi is better but drake would beat cudi for mvp of 09. cudi is gonna be the underdog of hip hop music for a very long time, unless he changes the game or the game changes him.
PS. LUPE KILLS ALL! lasers, son!
^def
Album didn’t move me either. Don’t get me wrong, for a debut it was pretty solid and Day N Night was the stoner anthem of the year.
But I hardly ever go back to it. It doesn’t help that I’ve always found him mildly corny. Add too much whining and a simple rap style and there you go.
I concede that he hasn’t been at this rap shit very long and look forward to his (hopeful) growth, but the people hailing this album as a masterpiece lost me.
To each their own tho. I can’t really argue with those putting him at the top of the 2009 crop, dude has had a hell of a year.
a step forward towards a new form of hip hop (beyond the shittiness that is autotune thank god) and you can see others are following. and coupled with several HUGE hits…
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A new form of Hip-Hop?
Me thinks you’re giving Cudi way too much credit.
And what are these HUGE hits you speak of?
Day & Nite came way before the album and I really didn’t think Poker Face made that much noise but I could be wrong.
@ Amp…
Yup, you are. lol
Regardless of plays, i’d say it was probably the most visually appealing video of the year.
the album was nice. is kid cudi…a dope rapper? not really. a dope artist? yes. artist of the year? not really. arguably new artist of the year? besides drake, yes.
some more crackbaby tall
Haha…no.
Another new fresh one.
Crooked I – On To The Next Shit
http://usershare.net/u33o51ow7yhj
bonus….
Young Buck – Court Date [VeryHot]
http://usershare.net/yn57sg8tyocx
ooops! 2more..
Joe Budden – Money On Me (prod. J. Cardim)
http://usershare.net/2DopeBoyz/32ybuvodl91y
Jojo Pellegrino feat. Sean Price & Inspectah Deck – Triple Homicide (prod. by Frank Dukes)
http://usershare.net/1c7ew5xdrnhy
my bad
it was my comfort album of the year that i could listen to at anytime; cuban linx 2 was fucking sweet but forgive me stans when i say that i’m not always in the mood for wu-tang
to me hes more of a gimmick and something for posers to look up too. hes part of this new whiny music done by young black men. as i get older of course im more about lyrics real life and not teen life. im too old for his shit just like most people over 18. but thats one thought
I can’t co-sign this only because of the fact that his featured appearances are >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> than his album ever will be. It still hasn’t moved me at all. It’s not terrible, but other than “Day N Nite”, “Make Her Say”, & “Hyyer”… I can pass on the rest of the album.
With the way his album went, he doesn’t seem to be swinging for MVP, but for “Nate Dogg Status” (featured artist of the year).
I’m with you Beware. young money is killing Drake’s creativity. You know, the same creativity that Kanye will never kill for Cudi.
He’s allowed to be his own artist. Pave his own direction. I like Drake and Cudi. But if you ask me which one’s album is really, truthfully gonna be in his vision, not be bogged down with his bench playing label mates AND sound good? It’s gonna be Cudi.
And like Dr Turbo is doin…..
All of you are welcome to visit my site, insideravensmind.net. plenty of new hip hop and r&b, including new DMX and Dru Hill.
Plus, I’m in the middle of ROCK WEEK. Show me a lil bit of love please.
While I’ve never been one for some of his antics, I think some are in denial re: his music.
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First off to Beware, excellent post. Cudi’s definitely the artist of the year. IMO the only reason folks dont like the album is cause of the subject matter. Folks just arent used to people pouring their soul onto a record. They just want the typical egotistical braggadocio.
MOTM moved me more than maybe any album I’ve ever heard. And his featured appearances are quality as well. He helped w/ 808s in a big way. And his guest appearances were usually the best songs on the album.
I like Drake and I think he’s a pretty good rapper but he isnt bringing anything new to the table for the most part and like it was said above; Young Money is killing his creativity. Cudi’s got the right people behind him and he’s going to be a star.
not sure about this 1
he still cant rap.
“Folks just arent used to people pouring their soul onto a record.”
——
ha!
Sorry man, his music is juvenile. I have no problem with, in fact I enjoy, artists getting personal and talking about their problems. But there was absolutely no depth to his brand of it.
“It doesn’t help that I’ve always found him mildly corny.It doesn’t help that I’ve always found him mildly corny.”
I think he is corny and thats hard to look past. If your a fan of lyrics you can count on him to say some weak corny rhymes in almost every single verse. Some ppl can look past that easily if they really like the artist and some can’t. I try and I like a couple songs but can’t listen to Cudi in large doses.
“MOTM moved me more than maybe any album I’ve ever heard.”
Wow. How old are you? Not trying to be disrespectful but I think anyone who would make that comment has to be really young (definitely under 25) and probably doesn’t listen to much older hip hop and/or much of any other genre of music. I’d bet alot of money your young, very young. Sometimes Cudi sounds to me like hes way younger than he is so I get young cats feelin his music the way you claim to.
“It doesn’t help that I’ve always found him mildly corny.It doesn’t help that I’ve always found him mildly corny.”
I think he is corny and thats hard to look past. If your a fan of lyrics you can count on him to say some weak corny rhymes in almost every single verse. Some ppl can look past that easily if they really like the artist and some can’t. I try but its too hard for me to look past and I just can’t listen to Cudi in large doses.
“MOTM moved me more than maybe any album I’ve ever heard.”
How old are you? Not trying to be disrespectful but I think anyone who would make that comment has to be really young (definitely under 25) and probably doesn’t listen to much older hip hop and/or much of any other genre of music. Cudi lyrically sounds to me like hes way younger than he is (content not style) so I get young cats feelin his music the way you claim to.
Ok ok .. i have to speak on behalf of the cudi-heads cuz i havent seen any post on here yet.
Cudi, in my opinion, isnt a rapper. Sure, he raps, but listen to MOTM. Its far from a rap album. Cudi has kind of created a new sound (much like kanye and 808′s, which is similar to MOTM due to cudi’s help with the album). And its obvious that this sound of his is original, and has been his since the start of his career because other than 808′s, there isnt anything like it.
but i do agree that he deserves MVP because he’s done more for me than any rapper. Granted, its not only about what i think. but in the end we’re all entitled to our opinions and in my opinion, drake is ROTY and cudi MVP.
“His Lyrics are corny” … okay .. i’ll agree that he isnt the best lyricist in the game … because im ALL for lyrics. but neither is Gucci mane or Mack mane or any of those other DUMBASS mane’s in rap
-_-. Cudi has an entire fan base, a group of loyal fans (aka what i call cudiheads) His album JUST got put onto my iphone a month ago and every single song on it has more plays than anything else..
dont wanna get lengthy, but he’s definetly the man for creating a new style of hip hop, and if you disgree with that statement, then tell me: Who in rap created an album telling a story in a movie format, full of content that they ACTUALLY experience, besides that bullshit “i killed a nigga wit my ak” music.
Z-Ro shits all over Cudi. Like really.
That man pours everything into his music. He can actually sing.Cudi can’t. He as flows. yes FLOWS. Cudi is barely on beat. Z-ro is also a decent producer. Cudi..not so much.
MOTM moved you? really?..see Kind of blue moved me. Illmatic moved me. Blueprint moved me.Third(by portishead) moved me. Hell TM101 moved me. Mood music 2 moved me. elzhi moved me. B.O.B. moved me. Wale’s TMAN moved me. fuck outta here
Many dont think cudi deserves it because they dont know cudi well enough.
Cudi isnt yet(and i dont think he’ll ever be) In the public eye as much as kanye, therefore people dont see is accomplishments unless they want to.
When Kanye produced Drake’s first video, it was pretty known due to the fact that… well, its kanye. But not many are aware of the work that cudi did on the 808′s album. This is because they dont look for it, which you have to this early in cudi’s career.
cudi’s collaborations, his album, his mixtapes, his style… his commercials (Karmaloop and Youtube’s Vevo) all show his personality and out of the box persona. THAT is why im a cudi fan, and i think he deserves rapper of the year NOT because of anything more than his charisma combined with concepts that are unorthodox
MOTM was dope. But not better than 808s. Gone.
Put it this way, Cudi is someone I want to like. He seems to be cut from that Kanye cloth as far as his focus and artistic intent. His music isn’t taking a backseat to anything else, and I respect him and like him for it. That being said, his album is horrible. He rambles. His lyrics are on par with shit 15 year old freshman in poetry 101 class scribble down. They are horrible. Maybe next he’ll write a screenplay about suicide or something equally original. And just because Pursuit of Happiness has a fantastic hook, that isn’t enough to save him.
If you all knew about night terrors, then you know Cudi is the truth.
@Trill…
“Z-Ro shits all over Cudi. Like really.”
Trill. Fam. C’mon.
I own four Z-Ro CDs and it’s two too many. Dude may be super talented, but he has a case of the Joe Budden syndrome. He drops hella albums with two good songs and mediocre material laces the rest. He can sing, but he over exerts himself by singing EV-ER-Y hook. It gets played out to the point where I can’t even get through whole albums. At least Cudi breaks down the hooks into parts instead of just belting them out. Plus, Cudi made a consistent album (based on popular opinion, at least) that the poeple who do like his music can sit and and enjoy front to back. I really enjoy Z-Ro’s music, but I couldn’t even say that about my favorite album of his, Look What You Did To Me.
Plus, for as much as Z-Ro’s seen, he’s just as EMO as Cudi. Maybe worse, because he’s not optimistic AT ALL. Cudi turns his down-trodding ways around, typically by songs end, while Z-Ro contemplating killing himself for whole albums.
When it comes down to it, Cudi isn’t even a rapper and Z-Ro is….so, yes, Z-Ro is a better rapper.
A better ARTIST?
AW HELL NAW
@ Beware
You didn’t just say Cudi is a better artist than Z-Ro. That’s absolutely ridiculous. Z-Ro has put in so much classic work for well over a decade and has evolved extensively over that period. Trill Smith brought him up in comparison to Cudi because he is somebody who puts a lot of emotion into their music but also has some real reasons to be struggling with depression. Z-Ro is one of the most authentic dudes out there.
Z-Ro has put in so much classic work for well…
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Has he August? Has he really?
@ August….
Z-Ro is definitely one of the most authentic dudes in the game. No question.
But when I think about an COMPLETE OVERALL ARTIST, i envision a solid catalogue and hit songs. Z-Ro has never even come close to having a hit song. And don’t say ‘well Kanye helped Cudi’ because Z-Ro’s had the back of the entire south for like ten years. How can mediocre artists like Slim Thug, Paul Wall and fucking Mike Jones have plenty of hits, when Z-Ro has none? Oh, i know, because he doesn’t make hits. “Don’t want to hurt nobody” could’ve been a hit, but instead of keeping clean and civilized, he throws “Don’t wanna hurt nobody but a nigga might fuck around and bust ya brai-ainn” into the fucking chorus. cmon dog, at least give yourself a chance….
All im sayin is that Z-Ro tries too hard. Cudi does the exact opposite and people dig his music just the same. even more, actually.
In my opinion, a BETTER artist can find a way to make a song that caters to a radio-friendly audience, but still sticks to their personal script.
“Z-Ro has put in so much classic work for well over a decade…”…..and what does he have to show for it?
When it comes down to it, Cudi isn’t even a rapper and Z-Ro is….so, yes, Z-Ro is a better rapper.
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Ah Ha! So you admit CuDi’s non-rappin ass is not an MC?
Z-ro emotes better than Cudi…fuck outta here wit the monotone bs.. I know ro is emo. thats why i compared him to Cudi
MOTM sounds like Cudder popped some xanax while listenin to some Prince and Kast albums and then decided to record sumn.
Ah Ha! So you admit CuDi’s non-rappin ass is not an MC?
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Cudi is the start a new trend toward genre integration. He is not a rapper in the strict definition just look at Pursuit of Happiness, which is an example of a pretty big hit that hasnt been mentioned. He puts together his shit, one of the great indie guitar bands of the past decade Ratatat, AND the biggest Alternative artist of the past few years MGMT and it comes out great. I know very few if any that could have made that happen so successfully.
It is one of the best albums of the year if your looking at a complete musical genre spectrum. If you put hip hop’s restrictions on this album it becomes much less relevant.
The label chose to market Cudi as “Hip-Hop”, not I.
I really would have less of a problem with his stuff if it wasn’t labeled as Hip-Hop, cause real MC’s put alot of time & effort into their craft and Cudi’s elementary lines, while somewhat entertaining, are clearly not on the same level.
@ Amp…
“Ah Ha! So you admit CuDi’s non-rappin ass is not an MC?”
I definitely do. like i said in the post, he’s created his own style…which sure ain’t rap (as we know it).
yall got to remember….rap has evolved so much. back in the day (© Trick Daddy) MCs never even used to sing on records…now that’s warranted. MCs never used to use inter-syllabic rhymes…now that’s a must. etc. etc.
Watch how many rappers bite his style in 010 and capitalize off it. Those people will still be called rappers…and people will forget this argument ever existed.
SORRY PEOPLE BUT ROKKIE OF THE YEAR IS FASHAWN!!!! I LIKE KUDI BUT IN TERMS OF RAPPIN RAPPIN WE DONT LOOL
hey cudi i ma say u re simply cool.men just keep the broom sweepin n grabbin u soon make awards part of u.
@ Beware
Z-ro doesn’t release hits like Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug because they are Commercial Rappers, Mainstream. Have you ever thought of that? Z-ro is not for the Public. He is strictly underground and is as real as it gets, i consider him just as real as Tupac.
Z-ro is staying underground, he doesn’t want the Fame and Blow-up like mainstream rappers, hes not gonna flip the script. There’s a reason why his music isn’t on the radio dude.