Kids See Ghosts (album)

Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all caps) is the only studio album by the American hip-hop supergroup Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers and producers Kanye West and Kid Cudi. It was released on June 8, 2018, through GOOD Music and Wicked Awesome Records, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Prior to the release, West and Cudi had collaborated on each other's work since 2008, although they experienced personal quarrels due to creative differences. The first studio sessions for the album began after the two reunited in late 2016.

Guest contributions are included on Kids See Ghosts from Pusha T, Yasiin Bey, and Ty Dolla Sign, as well as a vocal sample of Louis Prima, who is credited posthumously as a featured artist. Kids See Ghosts handled the majority of the stylistically fragmented production that includes varying elements, with further contributions by Dot da Genius, Mike Dean, and Plain Pat, among others. The album was the third of five records produced by West in Jackson Hole as a part of the "Wyoming Sessions", each being released weekly in the summer of 2018. It succeeded the release of Pusha T's Daytona and West's Ye, while preceded the release of Nas' Nasir and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E.

Commentators noted the genre of Kids See Ghosts as a fusion of psychedelia and hip-hop. The lyrical content includes references to mental health issues, which both West and Cudi had suffered from previously. The cover art was designed by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami; he based it on Hokusai's landscape print series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics, who generally pointed out the chemistry of West and Cudi in praise, while some noted an improvement from West's recent work. It was named to year-end lists for 2018 of many publications, including GQ Russia and Pitchfork.

In the United States, Kids See Ghosts debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 in 2018, alongside entering atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It attained top-10 positions in nine other countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom. The album has since been certified gold and silver in the US and the UK by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively. Kids See Ghosts performed live for it at the 2018 Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival and the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Background and recording

Since 2008, Kanye West had frequently collaborated with Kid Cudi. That year, they first worked together on "Welcome to Heartbreak" from West's fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak. West released his sixth studio album Yeezus on June 18, 2013, which includes vocals from Cudi on "Guilt Trip". In June of the following year, Cudi recalled having recorded the vocals as a reference a couple of years prior and admitted to lacking awareness of being on the song until people mentioned it on social media, initially questioning: "What the fuck is everyone talking about?" Cudi stated he was partially flattered and regarded it "kind of cool that [West] thought of me", before further consideration led the rapper to feel dissatisfied with West underusing him. On February 14, 2016, West released his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo, with the tracks "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Waves" featuring vocals by Cudi. 10 days after releasing the album, West tweeted on February 24 that he would release an album titled Turbo Grafx 16 in the summer, named after the video game console of the same name. Later that month, his longtime associate Ibn Jasper posted a photo on Instagram showing West, Cudi, and record producers Mike Dean and Plain Pat in a recording studio working on the album.

Cudi briefly fell out with West, criticizing him and Drake over their usage of writers in September 2016, tweeting that he had been loyal to his colleagues but now he was "your threat". West responded to the tweets at the Tampa stop of his Saint Pablo Tour, threatening Cudi not to mention his name again and assuring "I birthed you", before adding that he felt "hurt" and "disrespected". Days later, at a Houston show, West retracted his earlier comments, describing Cudi as his "brother" and "the most influential artist of the past ten years". Cudi, who had admitted himself into a rehabilitation facility following a struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts, thanked West and other supporters in a Facebook post, writing that "words can't really express how much it made my heart glow". West himself was hospitalized due to heavy sleep deprivation in November 2016, with the tour being cancelled after he brought Cudi out to perform at his Sacramento show that ended early. West had suffered from mental illness for 10 years prior to Kids See Ghosts, while Cudi reached post-rehab stage by the time of its release.

In December 2016, Cudi released his sixth studio album Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin', which West subsequently described as "super inspiring". Work on Kids See Ghosts began that same month and parts of it were created in the summer of 2017 during recording sessions in Japan and China. In November, and again in February of the following year, West performed "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" live with Cudi. West was spotted recording in the US state of Wyoming with various collaborators in March, including Cudi and fellow rapper Nas. He returned to the state two months later for the recording of several then-upcoming albums, which were later referred to as the "Wyoming Sessions". The sessions took place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where West had purchased a property known as Monster Lake Ranch and renamed it to West Lake Ranch.

Outside of his own releases, West also executive produced, produced, and provided guest vocals for all of the albums by other artists that originated from the "Wyoming Sessions"; he had announced taking on the role of producer for the sessions beforehand. Fellow rapper Pusha T's third studio album Daytona was issued on May 25, 2018, as the first release of West's "Wyoming Sessions" recordings. On June 1, a week before the release of Kids See Ghosts, West released his eighth studio album Ye as the second album of the "Wyoming Sessions". Cudi made appearances on the tracks "Ghost Town", alongside PartyNextDoor and 070 Shake, and "No Mistakes", alongside Charlie Wilson and Caroline Shaw. West revealed via Twitter that the former was originally slated to appear on Kids See Ghosts. A sequel to "Ghost Town", entitled "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)", is included on it, which features vocals from singer Ty Dolla Sign. The release of Kids See Ghosts on June 8, 2018, served as the third album from the "Wyoming Sessions". A week after its release, Nas released his twelfth studio album Nasir as the fourth album of the "Wyoming Sessions". Recording artist Teyana Taylor released her second studio album K.T.S.E. on June 22, 2018, as the fifth and final album of the "Wyoming Sessions".

Music and production

According to Jordan Bassett of NME, Kids See Ghosts shows West and Cudi "catch[ing] up with the fragmented, fragile brand of hip-hop that they helped to shape", noting how "the ethereal, low-key beats" characterize the production. Christopher Thiessen of PopMatters called the tracks "brooding, somber, [and] psychedelic", observing that they often make use of minor chords, while Rrampt. magazine's Andrew Johnston deemed it a "truly adventurous movement in progressive hip-hop", with its seven songs traversing "scatted freakouts, bangers, space odysseys, psychedelic soul, and dream pop". Similarly, Dean Van Nguyen of The Guardian considered the album to be filled with "blistering electronics, laser-cut samples, psychedelic crescendos and edges as blurry as a half-remembered dream", while Van Nguyen categorizing track "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" as rap rock. Sidney Madden of NPR wrote that the track is "reminiscent of fuzzed-out psychedelic rock of the '70s" and also noted the rock elements of "Cudi Montage". The staff of Highsnobiety pointed out West "angrily scatting to the beat" on "Feel the Love". "4th Dimension" and "Cudi Montage" both include samples of posthumously released music: "What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin')" and "Burn the Rain" by American singers Louis Prima and Kurt Cobain, respectively. Prima received credit as a featured artist on "4th Dimension". "Feel the Love" and "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" include guest vocals from Pusha T and Ty Dolla Sign, respectively. "Kids See Ghosts" features rapper Mos Def, who is credited under his real name of Yasiin Bey.