Album Review: Kid Cudi's 'Speedin Bullet 2 Heaven' is Edgy and Bold

Empty Lighthouse is a reader-supported site. This article may contain affiliate links to Amazon and other sites. We earn a commission on purchases made through these links.

When he made it clear that Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven would not be another hip-hop album, some of Kid Cudi's fans were rubbed the wrong way.

For those who bought the album or streamed it anyway, you'll realize that it's actually a bold evolution of Cudi's sound.

Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven is a hardcore grungy compilation of songs that will send you on a trip without having to take a single drug. Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven is a mixture of Kurt Cobain's "Montage of Heck," a cup full of codeine and dark poetry. Tracks like "Screwed," "Fade 2 Red," "The Nothing," "Amen" and "Handle With Care" exemplify that notion to the tenth power.

It's a peek into the head of Kid Cudi, dazed, "Confused" and absolutely dark. Did we already say dark? It's necessary to mention it again.

The album is not something you would expect from Cudi at all but that's exactly what he was going for. The best part about it all is that his long time supporters Travi$ Scott and A$AP Rocky are in full support of the body of work that is Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven. Both Scott and Rocky are known to have push the envelope with their respective styles and have been avid supporters of everything Cudi has done.

Both artists see him as an inspiration and influence on their music.

You can definitely hear it in Scott's music. His harmonized humming that continues to buzz all over his tracks are very close to what Cudi does on "Handle With Care."

There is an inkling of Cudi's hip-hop sound that comes through on "Adventures," and "Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven." For a moment you are taken back to Man On The Moon before being transported back into the heavy grunge rock sound that resonates throughout the 26 tracks on the album. Simply put, the first time you listen to Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven you will most definitely ask yourself "what the f**k did I just listen to?" On the second listen you'll begin to feel all of the different emotions of Kid Cudi. The darkness, the pain, the light and the optimism is all packed into one album.

As for the amount of music that Cudi gave his fans, there shouldn't be any complaints there.

It's solely up to you to interpret the album the way you want and it certainly isn't for everyone. That being said, it is a solid piece of experimental work from Cudi.

Stream Kid Cudi's Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven album in it's entirety below.

Wanna read more on this? Check these out: Kid Cudi's 'Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' Is Finally Here (more); Anticipating 'MOTM3' & 'SBTH' : How Kid Cudi Inspired Individuality With 'Man On The Moon' (more).