Kids See Ghosts (album)
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''Kids See Ghosts'' is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of rapper-producers
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
and
Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Y ...
. It was released on June 8, 2018, through
Wicked Awesome Records Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
and
GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...
, and distributed by
Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...
. Prior to the release, West and Cudi had collaborated on each others' 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 Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...
, Yasiin Bey, and
Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
, as well as a vocal
sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of ...
of
Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...
, 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 Oladipo Omishore, known professionally as Dot da Genius is an American record producer and audio engineer from Brooklyn, New York City. He first gained recognition in 2008 for producing "Day 'n' Nite" by American musician Kid Cudi, with whom he ...
, Mike Dean, and
Plain Pat Patrick Reynolds, professionally known as Plain Pat, is an American music executive, record producer, songwriter and disc jockey (DJ). He is perhaps best known for overseeing American musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi, during their respective e ...
, among others. The album was the third of five records produced by West in
Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unit ...
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 Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...
' ''
Nasir Nasir ( ar, ناصر, translit=Nāṣir) is a masculine given name, commonly found in Arabic which can mean "helper" or "one who gives victory" (grammatically the Stem I masculine singular active participle of consonantal verb root ''n-ṣ-r''). ...
'' and Teyana Taylor's '' K.T.S.E.'' Commentators noted the genre of ''Kids See Ghosts'' as a fusion of
psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
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 is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...
; he based it on
Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock print series '' Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the iconic print ''The Great W ...
's landscape print series, '' Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji''. The album received widespread acclaim from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, who generally pointed out the chemistry of West and Cudi in praise, while some noted an improvement from West's past work. It was named to year-end lists for 2018 of many publications, including ''
GQ Russia ''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles on ...
'' and ''
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''. 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 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
chart. It attained top-10 positions in nine other countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom. The album has since been certified
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
and silver in the US and the UK by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI), respectively. Kids See Ghosts performed live for it at the 2018
Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, formerly known as the Odd Future, OFWGKTA Carnival or Odd Future carnival, is an annual American music festival and carnival curated by Tyler, the Creator and has been held annually since its inception in the fall of 2012. ...
and the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.


Background and recording

Since 2008,
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
had frequently collaborated with
Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Y ...
. That year, they first worked together on "
Welcome to Heartbreak "Welcome to Heartbreak" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, ''808s & Heartbreak'' (2008). The song features a guest appearance from Kid Cudi on his debut collaboration with West, as well a ...
" from West's fourth studio album ''
808s & Heartbreak ''808s & Heartbreak'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 24, 2008, having been recorded earlier that year in September and October at Glenwood Studi ...
''. West released his sixth studio album ''
Yeezus ''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, ...
'' on June 18, 2013, which includes vocals from Cudi on "
Guilt Trip A guilt trip is a feeling of guilt or responsibility, especially an unjustified one induced by someone else. Overview Creating a guilt trip in another person may be considered to be manipulation in the form of punishment for a perceived trans ...
". 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 Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, initially questioning: "What the fuck is everyone talking about?" Cudi stated he was partially flattered and regarded it "kind of cool that estthought 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 ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in I ...
'', with the tracks " Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "
Waves Waves most often refers to: *Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass. *Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water. Waves may also refer to: Music *Waves (band) ...
" 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 Patrick Reynolds, professionally known as Plain Pat, is an American music executive, record producer, songwriter and disc jockey (DJ). He is perhaps best known for overseeing American musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi, during their respective e ...
in a recording studio working on the album. Cudi briefly fell out with West, criticizing him and
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...
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 The Saint Pablo Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West which ran from August 25, 2016 to November 19, 2016 in support of West's seventh solo studio album, ''The Life of Pablo'' (2016). The tour was originally planned to run until D ...
, 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 Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
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' ''Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. The album was released on December 16, 2016, through Wicked Awesome Records and Republic Records. It succeeds Cudi's alternative rock album ''Speedin' Bullet 2 ...
'', 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 Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...
. 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 Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Un ...
, 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 Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...
'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 Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
", alongside
PartyNextDoor Jahron Anthony Brathwaite (born July 3, 1993), known professionally as PartyNextDoor (stylized as PARTYNEXTDOOR), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. PartyNextDoor was the first artist signed to Drake's OVO Sound record labe ...
and
070 Shake Danielle Balbuena (born June 13, 1997), better known by her stage name 070 Shake, is an American hip hop recording artist. 070 Shake is a part of the musical collective 070, who have released a mixtape together titled ''The 070 Project: Chapter ...
, and " No Mistakes", alongside Charlie Wilson and
Caroline Shaw Caroline Adelaide Shaw (born August 1, 1982) is an American composer, violinist, and singer. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2013 for her a cappella piece '' Partita for 8 Voices'' and the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Contemporar ...
. West revealed via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that the former was originally slated to appear on ''Kids See Ghosts''. A sequel to "Ghost Town", entitled "
Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2) "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their eponymous debut album (2018). The song features a guest appearance from American musician Ty Dolla Sig ...
", is included on it, which features vocals from singer
Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
. 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 Nasir ( ar, ناصر, translit=Nāṣir) is a masculine given name, commonly found in Arabic which can mean "helper" or "one who gives victory" (grammatically the Stem I masculine singular active participle of consonantal verb root ''n-ṣ-r''). ...
'' 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 ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', ''Kids See Ghosts'' shows West and Cudi "catch ngup 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 ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' called the tracks "brooding, somber, nd 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 Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a music genre that emerged in the late 1960s and saw Black soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, including its production techniques, instrument ...
, and
dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
". Similarly, Dean Van Nguyen of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' 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 National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
wrote that the track is "reminiscent of fuzzed-out psychedelic rock of the '70s" and also noted the
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
elements of "Cudi Montage". The staff of '' Highsnobiety'' pointed out West "angrily
scatting In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...
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 Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...
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 Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all-caps) was an American hip hop duo composed of musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed in 2018 during West’s Wyoming sessions, the duo released their eponymous debut album in June of that year, through ...
" features rapper
Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...
, who is credited under his real name of Yasiin Bey. The album includes prominent production from West and Cudi, though " Reborn" and "Cudi Montage" are the only tracks to not include production from West, while "Feel the Love" and "4th Dimension" are the only tracks without Cudi's production. Dean helped produce "Feel the Love", "4th Dimension", "Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)", and "Cudi Montage". Shawn Setaro of ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' wrote that due to Dean's presence on ''Ye'', "it makes sense he would be equally involved in ''Kids See Ghosts''". Plain Pat contributed production to "Feel the Love", "4th Dimension", "Reborn", and "Kids See Ghosts". Evan Mast helped produce "Feel the Love", "Fire", and "Reborn". "Feel the Love", "4th Dimension", and "Kids See Ghosts" include production from record producer Noah Goldstein. Production was contributed to the tracks "Fire", "4th Dimension", and "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" by record producer BoogzDaBeast. Record producer
Dot da Genius Oladipo Omishore, known professionally as Dot da Genius is an American record producer and audio engineer from Brooklyn, New York City. He first gained recognition in 2008 for producing "Day 'n' Nite" by American musician Kid Cudi, with whom he ...
, Cudi's WZRD bandmate, co-produced the tracks "Reborn" and "Cudi Montage" for ''Kids See Ghosts''. Musician
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...
was partially responsible for the production of "Feel the Love" and "Kids See Ghosts". The latter and "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" include production from record producer Andrew Dawson. ''Kids See Ghosts'' also includes production contributed by Francis and the Lights,
Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...
,
André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi. ...
,
Andy C Andrew John Clarke (born 7 April 1976) is a British DJ and record producer and is co-founder of RAM Records, a pioneering label in the drum and bass genre. Music career Early years Andy C was a DJ in his own right but gained a strong reputa ...
, Russel "Love" Crews, and
Jeff Bhasker Jeff Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He was awarded the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and nominated in 2013. An accomplished producer, he ...
.


Themes and lyrics

Lyrically, ''Kids See Ghosts'' includes references to mental illness throughout. "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" and "Reborn" are related to the recovery from the state, showcasing a transition to happiness. The album includes the duo battling against their mental fears and anxieties to achieve comfort in a better spirit, with them mostly doing so on the aforementioned tracks. As Robert Christgau summarized for ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'', they demonstrate
male bonding In ethology and social science, male bonding or male friendship is the formation of close personal relationships, and patterns of friendship or cooperation between males. In the context of human relationships, male bonding is used to describe ...
and "acknowledge their madness, with West shitcanning his meds" and Cudi becoming enough of "a rehab nut" that it leads to the
mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...
of "I'm movin' forward" being heavily repeated. Kids See Ghosts also acknowledge their past successes, as well as failures. Pop culture and historical references are frequent throughout ''Kids See Ghosts'', mostly in "4th Dimension". The album's opener, "Feel the Love", includes a verse from Pusha T, while West contributes gun noises ("vocal rat-a-tats", as Christgau described) to the track and Cudi sings a hook about being able to "feel the love". The staff of ''Highsnobiety'' noticed that the position of "Fire" after the track serves as a reminder "of the ping-pong nature of mental illness — sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down", with the song lyrically seeing Kids See Ghosts take "a softer approach to diagnosing the self, exposing the failures of the aforementioned duo". Within "4th Dimension", Kids See Ghosts prevent being burdened by their feelings by putting forward the random in the form of the duo's current thoughts; this is an example of bipolar disorder. West shows that he is numb to criticism on "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)", which is about the mind becoming free of any impediments. The song interpolates lyrics from the original "Ghost Town". "Reborn" is linked to getting past mental lows that inspire depression and usage of drugs. The throes of paranoia are addressed on "Kids See Ghosts", which also features political ideas from Yasiin Bey: "Civilization without society / Power and wealth with nobility / Stability without stasis / Spaces and places." In contrast to the song's lyrical content, "Cudi Montage" features Cudi remarking about the journey to his mind's reconstruction and West referencing an environment's cycle of violence. The track was described by the staff of ''Highsnobiety'' as closing out ''Kids See Ghosts'' "on a whimper, purposefully, to dictate the cyclical nature of mental illness".


Artwork and title

In August 2017, West and Cudi visited Japanese artist
Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...
at his studio, with Murakami sharing images of the three via Instagram. West had previously collaborated with Murakami for the artwork of his third studio album '' Graduation'' (2007) and the animated music video for its opening track, "
Good Morning "Good morning" is a common greeting in the English language. It may also refer to: Television * ''Good Morning!!!'' (Australian show), a children's show * ''Good Morning'' (New Zealand show), a daytime talk show * ''Good Morning'' (Russian ...
". On April 22, 2018, West shared art by Murakami related to the album via Twitter, confirming the title to be ''Kids See Ghosts''. The black and white image featured two caricatures that appeared to be of West and Cudi stood by a smoke ball with a face, while the title was included in a spray paint font. The only parts of the art not in black and white were Japanese writing, an autograph, and a sunflower. Accompanying his tweet, West added the caption "Murakami vibes". Regarding the drawing, Murakami told ''Complex'' that him and his assistants followed their "very rudimental plan" of drawing different ideas on a paper with West and his assistants. Murakami also said that West had brought forward the idea of portraying an
anthropomorphized Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
bear and fox, to reflect him and Cudi, respectively. Cudi allegedly had suggested for his character to be represented by a dog, however upon seeing an early sketch, West insisted that Cudi was better represented by a fox. Cudi tweeted out Murakami's artwork for the album on June 6, 2018, which has a high similarity to the art previously shared by West. Murakami explained that
Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock print series '' Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the iconic print ''The Great W ...
's '' Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji'' was the basis of the artwork's background picture. The pastel-colored cover art presents a psychedelic scene, showing a ghostly figure riding on top of a sperm-shaped monster that has sharp teeth and haunted eyes. The figure is flying through a forest, which is backed by a mountain. The title ''Kids See Ghosts'' continues "the spooky-ghost routine" that started with West releasing "Ghost Town", which is also continued by the album with "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)".


Release and promotion

In late 2017, it was rumored that West and Cudi were working on a collaborative album, reportedly titled ''Everybody Wins''. On April 19, 2018, West announced via Twitter that an album with Cudi was set to be released on June 8. He followed the announcement that same day by tweeting the album's title, which also serves as the name of their duo, ''Kids See Ghosts''. On April 25, 2018, West revealed via Twitter that the album was scheduled to be accompanied by a
short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, slated to be directed by Dexter Navy, who had collaborated with him in the past on the
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for " Flashing Lights" (2007). West tweeted out the track list on June 2, which included a track called "Devil's Watchin" that was ultimately not released on ''Kids See Ghosts''. The spot of fourth track was blank at the time after "Ghost Town" had been removed, having a possibility of being taken up the track "Extasy" after it did not appear on ''Ye''. The latter was later released under the title of " XTCY" on August 11, 2018. "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" ultimately took up the spot of the fourth track on ''Kids See Ghosts''. On June 8, 2018, the album was released for digital download and streaming by
Wicked Awesome Records Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
and
GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...
, distributed by
Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...
, as Kids See Ghosts' eponymous debut studio album. The digital release of ''Kids See Ghosts'' faced technical difficulties, with six of the songs initially being incorrectly titled and ordered on streaming services; "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" was the only one to not be mislabeled. The same year as being digitally issued, the album was released on CD through the labels in various countries. During an interview with ''Complex'' on September 9, 2019, it was revealed by Cudi that more albums by Kids See Ghosts are set to be released in the future, and he assured that West had told him he wanted to start working on ''Kids See Ghosts 2''. On June 5, 2018, Cudi's manager Dennis Cummings announced a listening party for ''Kids See Ghosts'' in Los Angeles via Twitter, which was to be conducted a day prior to its release. Cudi announced on Twitter that the live stream of the listening party was intended to take place through
WAV Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or WAV due to its filename extension; pronounced "wave") is an audio file format standard, developed by IBM and Microsoft, for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. It is the main format used on Microsoft Wind ...
at 8 pm EST, simultaneously sharing a link to download the application. Following a series of unexplained delays alongside much frustration being caused, the listening party did not start until 1:50 am EST on June 8, 2018. It was unknown whether the live stream being delayed was because of a technical issue or Kids See Ghosts showing up late. The listening party was held by a bonfire at a secret location in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
, with Kids See Ghosts showcasing their merchandise at it. Attendees of the listening party included the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Quentin Miller of American hip hop duo WDNG Crshrs, rapper and singer
Desiigner Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. In December 2015, his debut single "Panda" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2019, he was released fr ...
, and Trinidadian-American rapper
Trinidad James Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper. In 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. The label d ...
. Shortly after the party, videos circulated on social media of Dean completing the mixing of ''Kids See Ghosts''. No music videos were released for the album or ''Ye''. Kids See Ghosts made their live debut at the 2018
Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, formerly known as the Odd Future, OFWGKTA Carnival or Odd Future carnival, is an annual American music festival and carnival curated by Tyler, the Creator and has been held annually since its inception in the fall of 2012. ...
, performing for 45 minutes inside a rectangular glass box that was floating above the stage. The duo went through a full performance of ''Kids See Ghosts'', delivering the tracks in the order of the track list, and also performed a number of past collaborations, including "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1". West forgot several lyrics from his verses on "Reborn" and "Cudi Montage". During the first concert of West's
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
group the Sunday Service Choir on January 6, 2019, the group and him performed "Reborn" while Cudi was in attendance. Kids See Ghosts performed numerous tracks live at that year's
Coachella Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
, including "Reborn" and "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)". In June 2020, Cudi shared a teaser for the album's CGI animated show of the same name. The clip used "4th Dimension" as its soundtrack, while the show is directed by Murakami.


Critical reception

''Kids See Ghosts'' was met with widespread acclaim from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an
average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
score of 84, based on 18 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. In a positive review, Van Nguyen referred to the album as "a psychedelic return to godlike power", commending Cudi's performance and the chemistry of Kids See Ghosts, as well as the lyricism: "The brevity is effective as
hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
stack ideas on top of ideas, packing the 23 minutes with as much creativity as possible. The chemistry is that of two old friends who no longer have to second-guess each other's instincts", concluding that the album reasserts West "as a fun, thrilling rap music-maker that tests the genre's boundaries". Jayson Greene of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' wrote that "the songs are the most intriguing ones to emerge from this Wyoming project thus far". He compared ''Kids See Ghosts'' positively to ''Ye'', writing that "a lot of the energy that ''Ye'' seemed to be gasping for fills the lungs of this project, and it's humbling to consider how much this material might have enlivened West's own album". He further praised the "soul and depth" of Cudi's contributions to the album, and the duo's "psychic bond", which "yields a spacious and melancholy album about brokenness". He concluded that ''Kids See Ghosts'' marked "the first time in years" that "Kanye sounds at peace". Providing a highly positive review, Russell Stone of ''Highsnobiety'' praised Cudi's performance for "fueling the album's immaculate feel" and "sounding ismost empowered" yet, while complimenting West's "mind-bending" production and focused subject matter, in contrast to his lyricism on ''Ye''. Bassett asserted that ''Kids See Ghosts'' "sounds, suitably, ghostly and supernatural", offering a moderate "glimpse" into a different world, and is "the sound of two artists looking back over the vast distance they've travelled so far". Writing for ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', Marty Sartini Garner commended Cudi's contributions as "without qualification, the spiritual and artistic backbone of ''Kids See Ghosts'', the source of its truest artistic risks", writing that he "lifts Kanye up", who "allows Cudi to take him further" than he has gone on his own. He also stated the album "marks
udi Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...
s true return only a year and a half after he checked himself into rehab to fight depression and suicidal ideation", affirming that the rehab "seems to have done him wonders". Chuck Arnold of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' wrote that the album "had a lot going against it before it dropped from the Wyoming wilderness", but that the album's "hope, healing, and haunting music in the face of darkness" causes these concerns to "go out the window", and that West and Cudi "craft a work that easily surpasses ''Ye'' both musically and emotionally". He concluded that the album "leaves you greedy for more", hoping West and Cudi "have rid themselves of enough ghosts to bust out more of this kind of artistry". In a less enthusiastic review for ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', Christopher R. Weingarten wrote that the album is "nowhere near as incisive, infectious or rewarding as their best work", but is "still an important step forward into an era of big moods and short attention spans".


Accolades

''Kids See Ghosts'' ranked at number one on ''
GQ Russia ''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles on ...
''s list of 2018's best albums. It was listed at number two on ''Pitchfork'' Readers' Poll: Top 50 Albums of 2018; on others polls conducted by ''Pitchfork'' for that year, the album ranked as the third most underrated and seventh most overrated album respectively, while "Kids See Ghosts" ranked at number 14 on the top 50 songs list. Similarly, '' Slant Magazine'' listed ''Kids See Ghosts'' as the third best album of the year, with the staff saying that Kids See Ghosts "alternate between haunted-house trappings and candidly confronting their respective demons". The album was voted 55th on
Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...
's music critics poll for 2018 albums, scoring 35 points. It came in at number 72 on ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
''s
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abs ...
poll that year, gathering 90 points and being tied with two other albums for the position. On ''
The Music The Music are an English alternative rock band, formed in Kippax, Leeds in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey (vocals, guitar), Adam Nutter (lead guitar), Stuart Coleman (bass) and Phil Jordan (drums), the band came to prominence with the releas ...
''s list of the best cult albums of the 2010s decade, ''Kids See Ghosts'' was ranked at number nine. For the magazine, Cyclone described the album as where the duo "ventured into hip hop psychedelia, bonding over their mental health journeys", while noting "Reborn" as being the highlight.


Commercial performance

Unlike ''Ye'', ''Kids See Ghosts'' failed to give West a chart topper on the US ''Billboard'' 200, debuting at number two on the chart behind
Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...
's ninth studio album '' Come Tomorrow'' (2018). The album totalled 142,000
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditio ...
s, which included 79,000 pure album sales and over 90 million streams. On the US
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
chart, ''Kids See Ghosts'' entered at number one. On January 29, 2021, the album was certified
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for registering 500,000 certified units in the United States. ''Kids See Ghosts'' peaked at number two on the
Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...
, tying with ''Graduation'' and ''
Late Registration ''Late Registration'' is the second studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions ...
'' (2005) for West's second highest charting albums on the chart. On the Canadian Albums Chart, ''Kids See Ghosts'' entered at number three, standing as the second highest debut of the week, one place behind ''Come Tomorrow'' at number two. This gave Cudi his highest charting album in Canada since his third studio album ''
Indicud ''Indicud'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the third studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on April 16, 2013, by GOOD Music, Wicked Awesome Records, and Republic Records. It was the first album of Cudi's solo career to not be ...
'' attained the same position in 2013. ''Kids See Ghosts'' also peaked at number three on Estonia's Albumid tipp-40, the Latvian Albums Chart,
New Zealand Albums Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
, and
Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart. It is presented weekly in the newspaper '' VG''. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continents around the world. The data are collected by Nie ...
. The album debuted at number four on the ARIA Albums chart, becoming West's second top-10 album in 2018 and Cudi's first appearance on the chart since ''Indicud''. This also led to Kids See Ghosts becoming the fourth major hip hop act to have an album reach the top-10 of the ARIA Albums chart in 2018, joining West with ''Ye'', J. Cole with his fifth studio album '' KOD'', and
ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...
with his third studio album '' Testing''. A top-five position was also attained by ''Kids See Ghosts'' in the Netherlands, with it peaking at number five on
Dutch Album Top 100 The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = ...
. The album ranked at number 13 on the midweek album sales chart in the United Kingdom for the week of its release, before debuting six places higher at number seven on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. The debut made ''Kids See Ghosts'' the week's third highest entry, though was a position five places lower than ''Ye'' gave West when peaking at number two on the chart earlier in 2018. On April 2, 2021, the former was certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
(BPI) for sales of 60,000 units in the UK. All of the seven tracks from ''Kids See Ghosts'' debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with "Reborn" entering the highest at number 39; West had previously achieved this feat with ''Ye''. The song was later certified platinum by the RIAA for amassing 1,000,000 certified units in the US on June 11, 2020. All the tracks also entered the ARIA Singles Chart, Canadian Hot 100, and Irish Singles Chart, with "Reborn" charting the highest in Ireland too. The song charted on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
along with "Feel the Love" and "4th Dimension", all three of which reached the top-50.


Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer * signifies an additional programmer * Andrew Dawson is credited as an "adapter" in the track's official liner notes. Sample credits * "Fire" contains a sample of "
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" is a 1966 novelty record written and performed by Jerry Samuels (billed as Napoleon XIV), and released on Warner Bros. Records. The song became an instant success in the United States, peaking at No. 3 o ...
", written and performed by Jerry "Napoleon XIV" Samuels. * "4th Dimension" contains samples of "What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin')", written and performed by
Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...
; and an uncredited sample of "Someday", written and performed by Shirley Ann Lee. * "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" contains samples of "Stark", written and performed by Corin "Mr. Chop" Littler; an uncredited sample of a speech from
Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
; and portions of the previous "
Ghost Town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
". * "Cudi Montage" contains samples of "Burn the Rain", written and performed by Kurt Cobain, from the deluxe edition of the 2015 soundtrack album '' Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings''.


Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes and
Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
. Production * Nico Aglietti – engineering (track 4) * Thomas Cullison – engineering (track 5) * Andrew Dawson – engineering (tracks 1, 4–6), mixing (tracks 1, 5) * Mike Dean – co-executive producer, mixing, mastering * Zack Djurich – engineering, acoustic guitar (track 4) * Noah Goldstein – co-executive producer, engineering (tracks 1–3, 5–7) * Jess Jackson – mixing * Tom Kahre – engineering (track 1) *
Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Y ...
– executive producer * Mike Malchicoff – engineering * William J. Sullivan – engineering * Sean Solymar – mix assistance *
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
– executive producer Design *
Katsushika Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock print series '' Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the iconic print ''The Great W ...
– background art ('' View of Mt. Fuji'' (1847)) *
Horst Janssen Horst Janssen (14 November 192931 August 1995) was a German draftsman, printmaker, poster artist and illustrator. He had a prolific output of drawings, etchings, woodcuts, lithographs and wood engravings. Janssen was a student of Alfred Mahla ...
– seal references * Jnthed – character design *
Aki Kondo Aki Kondo (born February 22, 1977) is a Japanese illustrator and character designer, and former staff of San-X is a Japanese stationery company known for creating and marketing Kawaii, cute characters such as Tarepanda, Rilakkuma, and Sumikk ...
– character design *
Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...
– creative direction, artwork, calligraphy * Chieri Nakano – original drawing direction * Soga Shōhaku – seal references


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* 2018 in hip hop music *
GOOD Fridays GOOD Fridays was a weekly free music release by rapper Kanye West, launched in support of his fifth studio album '' My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010). The original intention was to release a free new song every Friday for a few months to ...
*
List of top 10 albums in 2018 (Australia) This is a list of albums that charted in the top ten of the ARIA Album Charts, an all-genre albums chart, in 2018. Top-ten albums The list is sorted chronologically by issue date with the date representing the first issue in which the album a ...
*
List of UK top-ten albums in 2018 The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical albums and digi ...
* List of ''Billboard'' number-one R&B/hip-hop albums of 2018


References


External links

* *
Kids See Ghosts
' at
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
{{featured article 2018 debut albums Kids See Ghosts albums Albums produced by André 3000 Albums produced by Benny Blanco Albums produced by Cashmere Cat Albums produced by Dot da Genius Albums produced by Jeff Bhasker Albums produced by Justin Vernon Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by Kid Cudi Albums produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Albums produced by Plain Pat Def Jam Recordings albums GOOD Music albums Wicked Awesome Records albums