![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wrkc.kings.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Kidcudimanonthemoonthelegendof.jpg\" "\\"Kidcudimanonthemoonthelegendof\\"")
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Kid Cudi finally stops talking about aliens on Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager<\/em>, an album where he tries to be less electronic and more hip-hop. But Cudi is true to himself, so he can\u2019t really break the bond he\u2019s made between the two genres. His collaborations have jumped into Grammy territory with Kanye West, Mary J. Blidge, and Cee-Lo\u2014all guests on the album who bring their successful style to Cudi\u2019s world. \u201cErase Me,\u201d with Kanye West, has a thumping 80\u2019s hair-band drum that comes and goes through a 90\u2019s guitar riff that blows up for a sung chorus. West jumps in for a few rhymes at the end, if only to remind us that he may be a little more self-praising than Kid Cudi himself.<\/p>\n Cudi does stick to rhymes for most of MOM 2<\/em>, bringing underground vet Cage into the spotlight for \u201cMANIAC,\u201d which samples St. Vincent\u2019s \u201cStrangers\u201d from her 2009 album The Actor<\/em>. There are a few songs where Cudi continues to wallow in his self-awareness, like \u201cTrapped in My Mind,\u201d where he spews \u201cNow it\u2019s a gift and a curse, since my birth\/ I\u2019m in a prison\/ Oh I\u2019m happy right where I\u2019m at.\u201d And Cudi should be content where he\u2019s at. After his debut album he was trading guest spots with commercial hip-hop and pop heavies and packing hipster kids into alternative hip-hop shows. A sophomore departure like MOM 2<\/em> shouldn\u2019t push fans away, but it may thin his following to the few who enjoy the occasionally confusing lyrics and slow-paced rap of hip hop\u2019s black sheep of the moment.<\/p>\n