Passion, Pain and Demon Slayin'

Background

Following the release of his 2015 alternative rock-inspired album, Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven, Kid Cudi embarked on The Especial Tour and subsequently began recording new music. On May 11, 2016, amidst rumors that he was planning to release Man on the Moon III, Cudi revealed the title of his sixth solo album would be Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin', through Instagram. On June 1, 2016, Cudi announced that he would release two albums in 2016, one for the summer and one set for fall. In September 2016, Cudi revealed Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' would be a double disc album. On September 26, Cudi unveiled the album's track-listing, which revealed that similar to his Man on the Moon album series, the Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' track-list is split into acts. In October 2016, in the weeks leading up to the albums release, Cudi revealed on his Facebook page that he had checked himself into rehabilitation for depression and suicidal urges.

Recording and production

On May 1, 2016, American drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182 fame, revealed he's had recording sessions with Cudi and Atlanta-based rapper André 3000. On June 1, 2016, Cudi revealed on Twitter that Houston-based rapper Travis Scott, was the only featured artist on the album at the moment; Cudi also previewed a video of them in the studio with a new song in the background, via Snapchat. It was also confirmed on June 3, that Cudi's longtime producer Dot da Genius, would also be involved with the album, after Cudi posted a video of them in the studio on Snapchat. On June 9, Cudi released a video of child actress and singer Willow Smith, singing in a recording booth, with the caption "Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'". On June 29, Cudi teased a Pharrell Williams collaboration, when he tweeted: "Got some magic from Pharrell lastnite. New collabs, new energy, new frequency."

Release and promotion

After releasing an alternative rock solo album, where he sang and played instruments throughout the album, Kid Cudi returned to rapping on March 25, 2016, with the song "The Frequency". "The Frequency", which was produced by Cudi's longtime collaborators Mike Dean and Plain Pat, was called a "return to form" for Kid Cudi. On April 15, 2016, Cudi released a song titled "All In", produced by Atlanta-based multi-platinum producer, Mike Will Made It. On April 22, 2016, Kid Cudi announced he would be releasing a new studio album, set for a summer release. In May, a few hours following the announcement of the album's title, Cudi released a snippet of a song from the album, produced by himself and Mike Dean, which he shared via Instagram.

On June 24, 2016, Kid Cudi released a song, titled "Goodbye". The song, produced by Cudi and Dot da Genius (collectively known as WZRD), samples dialogue by Tupac Shakur from the 1992 film Juice, as well as vocals by English rock band Pink Floyd from their 1979 song "Goodbye Cruel World". On August 15, 2016, Cudi announced he had completed working on the album and would soon be unveiling the release date. In August 2016, while performing at the Trillectro Music Festival, Cudi debuted a new song produced by Pharrell Williams. In September 2016, Cudi revealed the album would be a double disc album and that he had plans to release the album that month.

On September 26, 2016, Cudi revealed the album's track-listing via his Twitter account. Later that day, Cudi announced the album's release date and unveiled the cover art. Hours before the album's release, Cudi revealed the album had been postponed "due to some minor sample clearance issues still being finalized" and announced he would be officially releasing two singles, "Frequency" and "Surfin'" featuring Pharrell Williams, due to the delay. On December 1, 2016, the album was made available for pre-order on the iTunes Store, with "Baptized in Fire" featuring Travis Scott, as the "instant gratification track".

On March 1, 2017, Kid Cudi performed the song "Kitchen", with a string orchestra, live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Singles

On September 30, 2016, Kid Cudi released "Frequency" and "Surfin'" featuring Pharrell Williams, as dual singles via digital distribution. The music video for "Frequency", which was directed by Kid Cudi himself, was released on October 13, 2016. The music video for "Surfin'", also directed by Cudi, later followed on October 31, 2016, featuring cameo appearances from Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, King Chip, ASAP Nast and ASAP Rocky, among others.

Critical reception

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on 10 reviews. Neil Yeung of AllMusic commented that Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' "breathes gravitas into the Kid Cudi discography, realigning his trajectory and hinting at hope, possibility, and, most importantly, recovery." Chris Mench of Complex stated that Cudi has managed to "recapture the heart of his music, mixing confessional raps with cosmic hums and unique production. It's not perfect, but it finally feels like we have the Cudi we fell in love with when we first heard him." Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork, while noting the long length and redundancy, commented that "Cudi is as focused as he's been since 2010's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager", as well as praising the production. Kellan Miller of Drowned in Sound said, "It is definitely a record that demands repeated attention, as a cursory listen will not unveil all its hidden gems. It's instantly accessible than his previous records, but when Cudi is on his game he reaps unignorable rewards." Anya Zoledziowski of Exclaim! said, "Not only is Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' loaded with hits, but it also draws attention to Cudi's renewed sense of self. Cudi has finally slayed his demons, and he sounds all the better for it."

Alex Bell of HipHopDX said, "Weighing in at 19 tracks and 86 minutes, PP&DS sprawls to a fault, but it sticks true to its branding." Karas Lamb of Consequence of Sound said, "Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' seems concerned with little more than keeping up appearances. Hopefully, the high points of the album are a proper barometer, and Kid Cudi's next destination is a sight better than this." Bernadette McNulty of The Observer said, "Pharrell Williams and André 3000 add support on this hefty but intriguingly experimental 19-track marathon, while Willow Smith adds weirdness to Mescudi's trademark humming on the dub hip-hop of "Rose Golden"." Tanner Smith of PopMatters said, "The consistent sound here isn't so much redundant as repetitive; it builds a world in a way that too few records do. It's not a particularly deep work—and it's certainly not as important as its maker implies. But if there is a deeper truth to be found, it's going to be in the album's texture which conjures a beautiful night where the streets are wet, and you might be sad, but not sad enough to go to bed just yet." Chris Gibbons of XXL said, "The album's biggest issue is its length. ... While the project is lengthy, it's just good to hear Kid Cudi sound like himself." XXL ranked Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' among the best 50 hip hop projects of 2016.

Commercial performance

In the United States, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, with 49,000 album-equivalent units. It was the second best-selling digital album of the week, selling 24,000 digital copies. The album was also streamed 35 million times in the first week.

Track listing

Credits adapted from album liner notes.

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits for Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' adapted from AllMusic.