It is well established within the hip-hop community that Kanye West is both a genius and a perfectionist. He flipped critics on their heads with the release of his 2010 opus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, creating a sound so lush and beautiful, even non-rap listeners could appreciate it. This is not the case, however, with Cruel Summer. Cruel Summer is not an exclusively Kanye album, but rather a mediocre compilation of songs by recent additions to his G.O.O.D music label. Though “Clique” and “New God Flow” are some of the best rap tracks that have been released this year, a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, and many of the tracks on Cruel Summer are thoroughly disappointing. “Creepers,” Kid Cudi’s contribution to the album, is the rap equivalent of snapping at a rubber band to create music. Cruel Summer is at times brilliant, but on the whole, sadly underwhelming.
