Insano

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* Album
* Animated

***Insano*** (stylized in all caps) is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on January 12, 2024, by Wicked Awesome Records and Republic Records. Kid Cudi had announced it would be his final contractual album with Republic, where he indicted his retirement as a rapper.

The album features guest appearances from fellow American rappers Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, Lil Yachty, Young Thug, Lil Wayne, XXXTENTACION, and Pharrell Williams. It was originally scheduled to be released in September 2023, though he pushed it back to add finishing touches, in order to give fans "the best version of myself."

## Synopsis

For a time, Kid Cudi was bracing for the worst. Back in 2022, the renowned artist—whose discography touches everything from hip-hop and R&B to alt-rock and beyond—made some statements suggesting a retirement from music. The award-winning animated feature *Entergalactic* and its corresponding soundtrack didn't quite seem like the last we'd hear from The Chosen One, yet its success indicated that his creative pursuits were ever-expanding. While there's no definitive statement indicating that this, his ninth album, would close out his catalog, its scope and sound certainly make it feel like the end of an era for one of the most compelling musical artists of our time.

On the cusp of his 40th birthday—some 16 years after breakout single "Day 'n' Nite" first dropped—*INSANO* proves that nothing about Cudi has diminished with age. Spanning just over an hour, the 21-track effort kicks off with a characteristically boisterous DJ Drama introduction, "OFTEN, I HAVE THESE DREAMZ," that transitions into the gnarly, distorted maximalism of "KEEP BOUNCIN'." His distinct vocal range and rubbery cadences add buoyancy to "GETCHA GONE" and the pugnacious "A TALE OF A KNIGHT." On tracks like "PORSCHE TOPLESS" and the Ace of Base-interpolating "ELECTROWAVEBABY," it's hard not to hear how much fun he's having.

Beyond Drama's repeat drop-ins, the short yet significant guest list here reflects Cudi's tenure as much as his influences. A$AP Rocky, who featured opposite him over a decade ago on Indicud, reunites with his "Brothers" cohort for the larger than life "WOW." Frequent collaborator Travis Scott remains his finest foil, evident on their shared "GET OFF ME." Elsewhere, Lil Wayne lends his veteran voice and punchline prowess to "SEVEN," while Pharrell Williams takes the mic to start the booming "AT THE PARTY." A younger generation gets a few nods as well, with Lil Yachty's playful "TOO DAMN HIGH" verse and a posthumous appearance from XXXTENTACION on the "X & CUD."

## Cover artwork

The album artwork was curated by KAWS, featuring a 2019 painting.

## Critical reception

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At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 64, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Neil Yeung of AllMusic considered the record to be unmemorable and burdened by the many tracks. He conceded, "With a little editing, *Insano* could have been one of Kid Cudi's strongest releases to date. Instead, listeners are given an uneven playlist of great highs and should-have-been B-sides that, in the very least, deliver the expected vocal melodics, haunting vibes, tongue-twisting bars, and "tortured" emotions that Cudi has mastered over the years." *Clash* magazine's Robin Murray opined, "At times disjointed, some features hit harder than others. [...] At its best, though, 'Insano' can be riveting." Sam Moore of *HipHopDX* that the many guest features seemed "unnecessary" or "downright awful," finishing, "a success and features Cudi at his most radio friendly since his debut but even at over an hour long and spanning a multitude of genres, it lacks any depth of feeling that grows tiring over 64 minutes." Dylan Green of *Pitchfork* wrote, "Cudi's raps are too meandering and generic" and called *Insano* "unfathomably boring." *PopMatters*' Igor Bannikov noted Cudi sticking to familiarly and relaxation, rather than making something iconic. He concluded, "This record is easy to listen to, forget, and confuse with something else."

## References

1. ↑ Rowley, Glenn (October 6, 2022). "Kid Cudi Hints He's 'Nearing the End' of His Career as a Rapper Over 'Hot Ones'". *Billboard*.
2. ↑ Mier, Tomás (January 8, 2024). "Kid Cudi's Album 'Insano' Will Feature Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, XXXTentacion". *Rolling Stone*.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bernstein, Elaina (January 5, 2024). "Everything We Know About Kid Cudi's 'INSANO'". *Hypebeast*.
4. ↑ "INSANO | Metacritic"
5. ↑ Yeung, Neil (January 12, 2024). "INSANO Review by Neil Z. Yeung". AllMusic.
6. ↑ Murray, Robin (January 1, 2024). "Kid Cudi – Insano". *Clash*.
7. ↑ Moore, Sam (January 15, 2024). "Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness Uplifts 'Insano' Despite Overly Long Tracklist". *HipHopDX*.
8. ↑ Green, Dylan (January 19, 2024). "Kid Cudi: Insano Album Review". *Pitchfork*.
9. ↑ Bannikov, Igor (January 17, 2024). "Kid Cudi Channels Travis Scott on 'Insano'". *PopMatters*.

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