G.O.O.D. Music’s ‘Cruel Summer’ falls short of expectations

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Author: Adrian Hairapetian

Controversial rapper Kanye West and the various artists signed to his G.O.O.D. Music label released the highly-anticipated Cruel Summer compilation album on September Sept. 18.  From his early hits “Jesus Walks” and “Through the Wire” to more recent tracks from the My “Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy record, West fans expected this album to be composed of sample-heavy instrumentals and thoughtful lyrics. “Cruel Summer had the potential to become a legendary record considering the amount of talent featured, including big names like Big Sean, Common, and Jay-Z. Unfortunately, G.O.O.D. Music did not deliver and fell short of fans’ expectations.

The first song off the record, titled “To the World,” features vocals from R. Kelly and combines heavy drums and powerful synths to piece together a dynamic track with an energizing mood. The next track “Clique” features rap veteran Jay-Z, Detroit rapper Big Sean and Kanye West. Big Sean contributes a monotonous and annoying chorus, incessantly repeating the same word multiple times. Thankfully, veterans Jay-Z and West save the track as they declare how far they’ve come in the rap game: “Turn that 62 to 125, 125 to 250, 250 to half a million, ain’t nothing nobody can do with me.” 

By far the most notable track on the “Cruel Summer” record is “Mercy.” Its inventive use of  Super Beagle’s “Dust a Sound Boy” creates a haunting vibe through the simple, yet creative instrumental. On the contrary, Big Sean’s, Pusha T’s, Kanye West’s and 2 Chainz’s lyrics are not particularly impressive: “Now ketchup to my campaign, coupe the color of mayonnaise.”

The album’s third single “New God Flow” rescues the record with Pusha T and Kanye West delivery and influential rhymes, including Kanye’s claim that he’s living three dreams: Biggie Smalls’, Dr. King’s and Rodney King’s. Kanye refers to Notorious B.I.G.’s opening lines from “Juicy:” “It was all a dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Rodney King’s famous plea: “Can’t we all just get along?” Furthermore, the instrumental retains the sound of that “College Dropout”-era Kanye West through a heavy piano riff and chorus vocals provided by the legendary Ghostface Killah.

Although he’s not officially signed to the G.O.O.D. Music label, Common appears as a guest on “The Morning.” Despite Common’s contributions, the track fails to produce a good impression of the record. Fans expect much more from the Chicago rap veteran, after making monumental and influential hits like “I Used To Love H.E.R” and “The People.”

Most of the remaining tracks on “Cruel Summer” are not particularly noteworthy; however, “The One,” featuring Big Sean, Kanye West and 2 Chainz, stands out. The piano-driven track showcases West rapping about love and Big Sean spitting about his road to success. Although 2 Chainz’s talent does not fit in with the thoughtful mood of the track, it does not downgrade the overall tone of the song.

Kid Cudi elicited high expectations for his contribution to the album. The “Day ‘n’ Nite” star always manages to create engaging music that possesses elements of slick synthetic loops and simple, yet real lyrics. In “Creepers,” Kid Cudi delivers an unexpected sound that is quite different from what he usually presents. The track, overall, is a good example of a hit. 

Cruel Summer did not live up to its high expectations, but still left a positive mark on the rap game. If more songs similar to “New God Flow” and “Clique” had made the cut, the album would have truly represented G.O.O.D. Music’s aura: heavily-sampled and soulful tracks. Ultimately, Kanye West saw his dream realized as he put out a record that will add to his legendary portfolio. 

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