Kids See Ghosts // Kids See Ghosts

Kids See Ghosts

Kids See Ghosts

G.O.O.D Music

4.5/5 Stars

Kids See Ghosts, the third album from G.O.O.D Music's Wyoming project (and first from longtime collaborators Kid Cudi and Kanye West), is the kind of success bound to polarize listeners as it pulls no punches in its experimental nature. Combining Cudi's psychedelic vision with exquisite production from West, the album's sonic palette is unlike anything we've heard from the pair before, navigating original instrumentation and bold samples (including Kurt Cobain on album closer "Cudi Montage"). As expected, Cudi's unmistakable croon works wonders for KSG's hooks, but the artist also returns to rapping in a caliber only hinted at throughout 2016's Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin'. The pair's confidence here is so apparent, it's eerie, from the album's title-referencing artwork (courtesy of Takashi Murakami, the man behind West's iconic Graduation cover) to the otherworldly howls of "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)." It all comes together on project highlight "Reborn," where West raps in top form against an unforgettable and cathartic chorus from Cudi. Kids See Ghosts may serve as proof that West needs more than a week or two to scrap together an album that is truly great. — Aaron Mook