| WZRD | |
|---|---|
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| Studio album by | |
| Released | February 28, 2012 |
| Recorded | 2011–2012 |
| Studio |
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| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Length | 47:12 |
| Label | |
| Producer | |
| Singles from WZRD | |
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WZRD (/dʌbəlju-zi-ɑːr-diː/) is the debut studio album by Americanalternative rock duoWZRD, composed of musiciansDot da Genius andKid Cudi. It was released on February 28, 2012, viaUniversal Republic Records andGOOD Music, also in conjunction with Cudi's then-newly founded label imprint,Wicked Awesome Records. The album was supported by thelead singles "Brake" and "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie".
The album, which was produced entirely by the duo themselves, debuted at number three on theBillboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 66,000 physical anddigital copies in the United States.[1] The album also debuted at number one on theTop Rock Albums andTop Alternative Albums charts.
WZRD's lead singerKid Cudi, first unveiled theproject 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, noraps, just singing. brand new thing… workin on someJay and'Ye shit… new mixtapeA 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 andDot 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 onlyguest appearance on the album would be Australian indie-rock bandEmpire 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 anyprofanity including the use of the wordnigga.[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'slead single.
On January 4, 2012, Cudi confirmed on Twitter that there will be atour 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 backWZRD 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 includeElectric Light Orchestra,Jimi Hendrix,Nirvana,Pixies andPink Floyd.[21][22] On February 23, the entirety of the album wasleaked online.
The album's cover art was designed by American fashion designerVirgil Abloh.[23] The album was the first to be released under Wicked Awesome Records, a new imprint Kid Cudi had announced in April 2011, in conjunction withKanye West'sG.O.O.D. Music label and Universal Republic.[24][25][26]
At a private listening session in Los Angeles, Dot da Genius acknowledged that he originally wanted to record the album in the best possible studio they could be in, but Cudi interjected saying he believed the album needed a raw and gritty feel which led to recording on thetour bus and at his home. "I could have spent tons of money hiring the best people to do everything, but that's not what I’m about". The album features noprofanity, however Kid Cudi didn't originally intend to record the album in that manner: "I didn’t write this album with the goal of not cursing. It just happened. When you have important things to say you don’t need to swear," Cudi informed the crowd. Although the album will not receive an explicit warning,Best Buy posed a challenge as they did try to claim it contained cursing because of the word "pussies" in the song "Upper Room". "Pussies is a word used when talking about multiple cats," Cudi told the crowd, "My daughter watchesPuss in Boots, it’s not a swear word". Cudi said he hadwriter's block for almost 5 months because of his newsobriety, something that had never happened to him for such an extended period of time.[21]
On working with Australian rock bandEmpire 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] andNick [Littlemore], they added a lot of the background ambiance, those chants and trippy sounds."[27] Sean F. Martin, formerly of American metalcore bandHatebreed, was the guitarist on "Where Did You Sleep Last Night".[28]
The album begins with "The Arrival", aninstrumental track, where Cudi and Dot da Genius showcase their skills. "Dream Time Machine" features supporting vocals from Australian indie-rock band Empire of the Sun, as Cudi previously announced they were to be featured on the album. "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie", an ode to Cudi's then-girlfriend, features a sample from Americansynthpop actDesire's "Under Your Spell" (previously included on the soundtrack to the 2011 filmDrive), serves as the album'slead single and was released via digital distribution on January 31, 2012. The album's eighth track "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?", is a cover of the same titled song by American rock band andgrunge pioneersNirvana, who in turn were inspired by blues guitar legendLead Belly's rendition of thetraditionalfolk song. Completing the album is "Upper Room", said to be the most uplifting track on the album.[21] The last song added to the track list however, was "Dr. Pill", where Cudi touched onantidepressants: "I took a trip on antidepressant lane for a little bit. After the WZRD song “Dr. Pill" everyone thought I was talking aboutmolly orecstasy. But I'm talking aboutprescription meds. I had just gotten ashrink. I was having anemotional breakdown with this breakup. I kept trying different pills for five months. It fucked me up. They weren't working. It was every side effect on the bottle. I couldn't fuck."[29]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 50/100[30] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [31] |
| 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 frommusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns aweighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 50, based on 10 reviews.[30]HotNewHipHop suggested that the reception to the album was a "glaring [example] of the music media immediately shutting down Black artists for stepping outside of the confines of what is deemed as ‘Black music.’"[37]
The album debuted at number three on theBillboard 200, with first-week sales of 66,000 physical anddigital copies in the United States.[1] The album also debuted on theTop Rock Albums andTop Alternative Albums at number one, and at number nine on theCanadian Albums Chart, respectively. The album to date has sold 84,000 copies in the United States.[38]
Kid Cudi, who has had label issues in the past, was less than pleased with the support he received from his labelUniversal Republic, forWZRD. He claimed the album was under shipped and rushed by hismajor label in hopes that Kid Cudi would move on toMan on the Moon III, which led Cudi to let out his frustrations on online social networking service, Twitter:
"Ok so just a heads up, my weak ass label only shipped 55kphysicals cuz they treated this like some indie side projecttax right off. So i apologize on behalf of my weak ass major label. And I apologize for the lack ofpromo, again, my weak ass major label. They tried to rush me thru this so i can just give em anotherMOTM, but guess what? Fuck that, next album isWZRD.MOTM3 on hold til 2014. who mad??? not me and @DotDaGenius : ) So its def gonna be tough to find one in the stores guys, I’m sorry about that. I gotta go out and find one too, becuz my weak ass label never even gave us a copy of our own album. FAIL!!! Im lettin Universal Republic have it, fuck it. What they gon’ do, spank me?? hahahaha AND Teleport 2 Me, Jamie aint on theradio!!!! like helloooooooooo?????HIT HIT HIT!!!"[39][40][41]
All tracks are written byWZRD, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Arrival" | 2:51 |
| 2. | "High Off Life" | 5:13 |
| 3. | "The Dream Time Machine" | 4:47 |
| 4. | "Love Hard" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Live & Learn" | 4:34 |
| 6. | "Brake" | 5:04 |
| 7. | "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie" (withJohn Padgett featuringDesire) | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Efflictim" | 4:27 |
| 10. | "Dr. Pill" | 4:12 |
| 11. | "Upper Room" (withJack Bruce andPete Brown) | 3:12 |
| Total length: | 47:12 | |
Credits forWZRD adapted fromAllMusic.[44]
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