once turned on, all attention is on the music. you're immersed into it, disorientated with no idea as to what's going on or how to navigate what you're hearing. but once you've marinated in the waves of ear-piercing static and noise, it becomes intoxicating. you almost don't want to leave, the chaos becomes normal and you start to discern patterns that flow together.

the album art really does perfectly represent the album, and overall is something everyone should at least try to sit through.

I have a mild nostalgia for this album but man, nah lmao

I wish I liked it more than I did. The intro track really hooked me in but after that, it gradually loses my interest. Perhaps one day.

I recognize I'm in the vocal minority here but I am obsessed with this record. It's so unrelenting and grimy, I adore it.

I'll be 100% honest in saying I probably have more of an affinity for this album than I likely should.
That being said, the soundscape of this record is like immersing yourself in a photographic-negative reality in which the colors are amplified by an almost neon glow. Each songs carries a dark or heavy atmosphere that is illuminated by the orchestration that provide a grandiose backdrop for Kid Cudi's tribal moans and raps; flowing effortlessly through it all. It comes together for a very ... read more

WAAAAY too long and sonically basic, I will likely never seek out this album ever again but the individual songs that display Cudi's creativity and direct lyrics effectively like Confused!, Man in the Night, Judgemental Cunt, the title track, and Embers are enough to formulate a really solid EP. If it had just been a more laser-focused effort; better songwriting, more diverse instrumentation, and a better overall mix, this could've made for one of Cudi's best projects.
But as it is, it's doomed ... read more

A refinement of the weird eccentric ideas from the last album with far more atmospheric and catchy tunes.

Perfectly captures what it's like to be feverish sick and way too young to be watching Adult Swim.

Kendrick took what we knew of him and his perspectives on his two prior albums and refined them with a level of self awareness and unhinged creativity that coalesce into a defining piece of art. It truly transcends the medium of music itself to immerse you within the story of self-worth, wide-spread struggle, and the importance of maintaining a community that supports one another. Once you sit down to listen to the first song, you're there til the very end.
Favorite Song: i
"Worst" ... read more

Incredibly haunting, profoundly sad, yet also immensely catchy and charged with a belief in growth; both for himself and in his community. good kid, m.A.A.d city is an incredible listen that proves more rewarding on each subsequent listen. The psychedelic atmosphere juxtaposed with the grainy audio logs portraying the narrative all come together to perfectly capture the mindset of a young black teen wrapped up in a culture he doesn't fully understand nor want to necessarily even involve himself ... read more

Something to really appreciate with this album is Kendrick's approach. His approach to songwriting, unpackaging the trauma he and his community experiences in each track with precision whilst maintaining an individuality through how he showcases his perspective and ideas. And these are clear and concise ideas that possess layers of subtlety through how he structures or constructs his verses.
However, the album does suffer from a few rough patches of dated production choices and the occasional ... read more

maintaining the humor that drew me in with his earlier work whilst taking a similarly personal approach to his last album, Oxy Music is content on providing more of what i enjoyed prior whilst somewhat exploring concepts of addiction and mental illness. it fluctuates between being some of his more middling songs to some of my favorite music I've heard this year. i think a large problem is that despite it's brevity, it feels as though Alex hadn't fully committed to a central idea that really ... read more

scatterbrained and bit on the shallow side, TESTING is a flawed album that succeeds in spite of it's lack of focus or connective themes/ideas. definitely a bigger showcase on the artist merit of A$AP Rocky rather trying to prove his capacity as a lyrical rapper. if that shift in focus is something that doesn't interest you, this album can very easily fade into the background; especially in the second half when almost all of the responsibility falls to Rocky to create compelling songs on his ... read more

as an album showcasing each individual member's talents in A$AP MOB, it isn't entirely successful. a lot of the members give forgettable verses or are overshadowed by their peers/production. it certainly doesn't help the album either when a few overly long skits ruin the flow of the album and the replayability of certain songs. however, it's hard to deny the individual staying power a lot of the tracks on this album have for me, with each one having unique qualities from one another that ... read more