Maps of Music

Indicud (2013)

Where the lyrics of Indicud take you, and where it was really made.

Cudi first planned a double album, then cut it down to a single disc of at most 17 new tracks.

Key places

Recorded at Westlake in West Hollywood (2013)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood is listed among the recording locations for this album. The grade is exact, so the point marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Chalice in Los Angeles (2013)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Chalice in Los Angeles is listed as a recording location for this album. The point uses the city centre, not a building address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Encore in Burbank (2013)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Encore in Burbank is listed as a recording location for this album. The point uses the city centre, not a building address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Indicud: third studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi
• Released by GOOD Music, Wicked Awesome Records and Republic Records
• First solo album of Cudi's career outside the Man on the Moon series
• Cover artwork designed by Cudi, who also served as executive producer
• Aim: more uptempo and positive music than his earlier work
• Cudi described it as a completely new format

Background

• Announced in summer 2012 as Cudi's own version of The Chronic 2001
• Title is a play on the cannabis species indica and Cudi's name
• Early plan was a double-disc album, later reduced to a maximum of 17 new tracks
• Dedicated to the late Ben Breedlove, with the dedication placed in the liner notes
• Followed WZRD, his rock project with Dot da Genius (2012)
• Cudi announced his departure from GOOD Music; this was his last album under the label
• Only the first 200,000 copies printed carry the GOOD Music logo, making them collector's items

Recording

• Cudi produced nearly all tracks himself; Hit-Boy co-produced one track
• Dot da Genius provided drums on two tracks
• Guests include King Chip, Kendrick Lamar, Too Short, RZA, ASAP Rocky, Father John Misty, Michael Bolton and Haim
• The album leaked online in full on April 9, 2013, and the release date was moved up to April 16

Cover

• Cudi himself handled the art direction
• The cover shows a large explosion inside a gold frame
• Cudi said the artwork represents him: a ball of flames in a rose gold frame

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, was born January 30, 1984 in Cleveland, Ohio.
• He began rapping in 2003 and moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a music career.
• His song "Day 'n' Nite" gained online attention in 2007, leading Kanye West to sign him to GOOD Music in 2008.
• His debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi was released in July 2008.

Career

• Debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) reached commercial and critical success and received quadruple platinum certification.
• Second album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) received platinum certification.
• Formed the rock band WZRD, whose 2012 debut topped the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.
• Album Indicud (2013) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
• Formed the duo Kids See Ghosts with Kanye West in 2018.
• Single "The Scotts" with Travis Scott (2020) became his first number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Released Man on the Moon III: The Chosen (2020) and Entergalactic (2022).
• Acted in HBO's How to Make It in America, Need for Speed, and Bill & Ted Face the Music, among other works.
• Won two Grammy Awards and has sold over 22 million units domestically.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album received mixed reviews from critics
• Metacritic average of 58, based on 16 professional reviews
• AnyDecentMusic? gave it 5.5 out of 10 based on critical consensus
• Exclaim!: Chris Dart called it a smart, fun, eclectic record with psychedelic influences and massive choruses
• USA Today: Steve Jones said Cudi's production creates moody, surreal soundscapes that support rhymes covering a wide range of emotions
• AllMusic: David Jeffries called it entertaining, vibrant and artistically filling
• Spin: Mosi Reeves said Cudi's inner turmoil draws listeners in more than the guest artists do
• XXL: Dan Buyanovsky called the project original and bold, and said it does not fall flat
• The A.V. Club: Evan Rytlewski said Cudi is more interested in throwing a party than a pity party
• Rolling Stone: Joe Gross said Cudi's voice remains his own worst enemy

Reappraisal

• Complex ranked it 26th among the 50 best albums of 2013
• XXL placed it 25th on its best albums of 2013 list
• The Source ranked it 23rd on its list
• HipHopDX included it on its top 25 albums of 2013 list

Records

• Debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 in the United States, selling 139,000 copies in the first week
• Debuted at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart, Cudi's highest-charting album there
• Entered at number two on the UK R&B Chart
• Peaked at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart, number 28 in Australia, number 32 in Denmark and number 33 in New Zealand
• 260,000 copies sold in the United States as of December 19, 2013
• RIAA gold certification on February 25, 2019 for over 500,000 units in the United States

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title blends the cannabis species indica with Cudi's name
• Cudi produced most of the record himself, unlike his earlier albums
• Michael Bolton's studio session lasted about three hours, and Bolton spent most of it talking
• Cudi's mother was a big Bolton fan, so he heard the singer around the house growing up
• The album came in a cardboard sleeve

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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