WZRD (album)
WZRD | |
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Singles from WZRD | |
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WZRD (
The album, which was produced entirely by the duo themselves, debuted at number three on the
Background
WZRD's lead singer Kid Cudi, first unveiled the project in January 2011 after returning to Twitter announcing a new album he was hoping to have out by the summer: "pushing for a summer release of the wizard album… wizard is a rock album, no raps, just singing. brand new thing… workin on some Jay and 'Ye shit… new mixtape A Man Named Scott thats this summah for all those who fucks with my raps, this is for u since ima be all rocked out with the wizard shit. also its free… oh and new york catch me if u can, i start filmin “how to make it” in march."[2][3]
On May 31, 2011, Cudi released the first offering from his rock band, a song titled "Perfect Is the Word". It was the first song Kid Cudi and Dot da Genius worked on for the album.[4] During a Ustream broadcast they revealed a song titled "Rocket" and announced it will serve as the second single.[5] On November 10, 2011, Kid Cudi revealed that the only guest appearance on the album would be Australian indie-rock band Empire of the Sun.[6][7] On November 18, 2011, Kid Cudi renamed the band once again to 'WZRD', and announced that the album would be released on his 28th birthday, January 30, 2012.[8][9][10] On November 20 Kid Cudi announced via Twitter that his upcoming album will not contain any profanity including the use of the word nigga.[11] Kid Cudi released "Brake", the first offering from the album on November 21, 2011. On December 5, 2011, Kid Cudi released a snippet of "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie", the album's lead single.
On January 4, 2012, Cudi confirmed on Twitter that there will be a tour for the band in 2012, beginning in Europe.[12] On January 12, Dot da Genius took to Twitter to announce that he and Cudi decided to push back WZRD to a February 28 release date: "Hey guys, WZRD update. Me and Cudi have been working on our debut album and it’s almost near completion. We are in the final stages of mastering but we really had to take time and pay attention to the sonics as this is new territory for us. With that being said, we have decided to change the release date. We are looking roughly at Feb 28th. Y’all know how Cudi is’ and I'm the same way. Everything has to be in place and now it is. I know it's late notice, we were trying to keep the date but got wrapped up making this album perfect for y’all. However, for making you guys wait a little longer we will release ‘Brake‘ & ‘Teleport 2 Me‘ on iTunes on the previously said date. Hopefully that will hold you guys over until the album drops!"[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
According to Kid Cudi, bands that inspired the album include Electric Light Orchestra, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pixies and Pink Floyd.[21][22] On February 23, the entirety of the album was leaked online.
The album's cover art was designed by American fashion designer
Composition
Recording and production
At a private listening session in
On working with Australian rock band Empire of the Sun, Cudi recalled "We made this record with Empire of the Sun. Ordered a bunch of dope vintage keyboards, they came over. [We were] jamming for hours. How they work is just so crazy. It’s so different from how we work and so inspirational. They ended up taking ‘The Dream Time Machine’ to another realm. Dot had the core of what the record was already done…, but we both knew something was missing. Luke [Steele] and Nick [Littlemore], they added a lot of the background ambiance, those chants and trippy sounds."[27] Sean F. Martin, formerly of American metalcore band Hatebreed, was the guitarist on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night".[28]
Music and lyrics
The album begins with "The Arrival", an
Reception
Critical response
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Consequence of Sound | [32] |
DJ Booth | 2.9/5[33] |
HipHopDX | 3.88/5[34] |
Now | [35] |
Rolling Stone | [36] |
WZRD received generally mixed reviews from
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number three on the
Controversy
Kid Cudi, who has had
"Ok so just a heads up, my weak ass label only shipped 55k
Track listing
All tracks are written by
- Notes
- "The Dream Time Machine" features background vocals by Empire of the Sun.
- Sample credits
- "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie" contains a sample of "Under Your Spell", as performed by Desire.[42]
- "Upper Room" contains a sample of "White Room", as performed by Cream.[43]
Personnel
Credits for WZRD adapted from AllMusic.[44]
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ a b Jacobs, Allen (March 7, 2012). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/4/2012". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ Kid Cudi Announces New Rock LP Wizard: Fans React
- ^ Kid Cudi Re-Joins Twitter as @Wizardcud
- ^ 2 Be Continuum ZPerfect is the World Song Sample
- ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ The Chosen One [@KidCudi] (November 10, 2011). "The only feature on WZRD isssss..." (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ The Chosen One [@KidCudi] (November 10, 2011). "Empire of the Sun :)" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ The Chosen One [@KidCudi] (November 18, 2011). "The title of the album is still undetermined..." (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ The Chosen One [@KidCudi] (November 18, 2011). "News update! Me and @DotDaGenius are no longer called 2 Be Continuum. The world will call us W Z R D, which is short for WIZARD" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ The Chosen One [@KidCudi] (November 18, 2011). "And heres the biggest news, the official release date will be January 30, my birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Jason Weintraub (2011-10-20). "Kid Cudi's New Album Will Contain No Curse Words, No N-Words". HipHopWired.com. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ^ The Chosen One [@KidCudi] (January 5, 2012). "WZRD will tour Europe first, followed by a US tour" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "Hey Guys, WZRD Update" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "Me and Cudi have been working on our debut album and it's almost near completion" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "We are in the final stages of mastering but we really had to take time and pay attention to the sonics as this is new territory for us" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "With that being said, we have decided to change the release date. We are looking roughly at Feb 28th" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "Y'all know how Cudi is' and I'm the same way. Everything has to be in place and now it is" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "I know it's late notice, we were trying to keep the date but got wrapped up making this album perfect for y'all" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "However for making you guys wait a little longer we will release 'Brake' & 'Teleport 2 Me' on iTunes on the previously said date" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dot Da Genius [@DotDaGenius] (January 16, 2012). "AS WELL AS 'DOSE OF DOPENESS'. Hopefully that will hold you guys over until the album drops!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c DP (February 14, 2012). "Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius Host "WZRD" Listening Session in LA". DatNewCudi. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ Chris Payne (February 24, 2012). "Kid Cudi, Dot Da Genius Preview 'WZRD' Album in NYC". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ^ "A History of Virgil Abloh's Album Covers". Complex Networks.
- ^ "Kid Cudi Focusing on Wicked Awesome Label After Leaving G.O.O.D. Music [LISTEN]". 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Kid Cudi Planning To Focus On His Wicked Awesome Record Label Following G.O.O.D. Music Departure | The Versed". theversed.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-09.
- ^ "Kid Cudi on WZRD Chart Success: 'I'm Not Out Here Taking Crazy Pills'". Billboard.
- ^ "The Making of WZRD". Complex Networks.
- ^ The Chosen One [@KidCudi] (February 29, 2012). "@joeysimas except for Where Did You Sleep Last Night?, that was my buddy Sean Martin who use to be in Hate Breed" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
- Complex. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Metacritic: WZRD". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "WZRD - WZRD - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ Kivel, Adam (8 March 2012). "Album Review: WZRD – WZRD". Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ S., Nathan. "WZRD - WZRD - Hip Hop Album Review". Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ Fairfax, Jesse (28 February 2012). "WZRD (Kid Cudi x Dot Da Genius) WZRD". Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ Boles, Benjamin. "WZRD _ NOW Magazine". Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ Katucci, Nick (8 March 2012). "WZRD - Album Reviews - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ Fisher, Gus (August 7, 2018). "Kings Of Rock: A Brief History Of Rap-Rock". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 3/25/2012". March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
- ^ Ryon, Sean (February 28, 2012). "Kid CuDi Lambasts Label For Under Shipping Physical Copies Of "WZRD"". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ Christman, Ed (February 29, 2012). "Kid Cudi Slams 'Weak Ass Label' Over Handling of Rock Album". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ "Kid Cudi Airs Out His "Weak A** Label" for Under Shipping WZRD Album". Vibe. February 29, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ "WZRD feat. Desire's 'Teleport 2 Me, Jamie' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled.
- ^ "WZRD's 'Upper Room' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled.
- Universal Republic Records. 2012.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ "WZRD Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "WZRD Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "WZRD Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "WZRD Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
Further reading
- The Making of WZRD at Complex