We’re in 2012 now, where the genre breaking collaborations aren’t exactly as jaw dropping as it may have been in the past. We’ve heard rap star Nelly sing with country star Tim McGraw, rapper B.o.B team up with rocker Hayley Williams of Paramore, neo-soul India Arie and popstar Pink joined together by the concept of hair – and this one may be up there in terms of quality, with those collaborations. Sure, it may not result in the same mass media exposure, or even attain the chart success that some of those records have attain, but this one could very well be a work of art. It took me almost five months of listening to Lana Del Rey’s album Born To Die, for me to beg the question, “What if Kid Cudi hopped on this song ‘Summertime Sadness?’ what if his flows graced the track, “Lolita.” How awesome would be a collaboration between Kid Cudi and Lana Del Rey?
If you aren’t familiar with one or the other, the two might seem as if they’re on completely different sides of the spectrum. However, the two actually share quite a bit of similarities,
Both Lana Del Rey and Kid Cudi first of all share similar producers, which would credit Del Rey with the pseudo hip-hop feel of some of her songs such as “Lolita”, “Off To The Races”, “Diet Mtn Dew” among others on the album. These songs were created with the help of producers Emile and Jeff Bhasker, who both have collaborated and contributed to both of Kid Cudi’s albums.
Another similar trait is the continuous, methodical yet compelling records the two make. There’s absolutely no ounce of radio friendly on each of their albums, yet at the same time each record almost seems to hypnotize you. Their lyrics, melody, and tone are fully supported by the atmosphere created by the production squadh such as Emile, Jeff Bhasker, and others.
While not directly related to the music, another similarity comes with both having distinct fan-bases. It’s no secret the strength in Kid Cudi’s fan-base who absolutely loves everything he does. Almost down to a cult-like obsession. His debut album and sophomore album have sold surprisingly well, with little to no real radio records backing it and the same is occuring with Lana Del Rey. The fan-base of Del Rey has managed to push her to over 2 million copies of the album sold worldwide, and the number keeps swelling.
I’m interested in seeing what the pair could do together on a record. With similar styles reflected in different genres, it could make for some fantastic – yet probably incredibly somber – music.
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