Frequency (song)

Last updated
"Frequency"
Single by Kid Cudi
from the album Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Recorded2016
Genre Hip hop
Length4:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Mike Dean
  • Plain Pat
  • Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi singles chronology
"Confused!"
(2015)
"Frequency"
(2016)
"Surfin'"
(2016)

"Frequency" (previously titled "The Frequency") [1] is a song recorded by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on September 30, 2016, as the first single from his sixth studio album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' (2016). The song was written and produced by Mike Dean, Plain Pat and Kid Cudi. [1]

Contents

Release and composition

"Frequency" originally premiered on Cudi's SoundCloud account on March 25, 2016, [2] but was released for digital download on September 30, 2016. [3] It is the first offering from his sixth studio album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' , which was released on December 16, 2016. [4] "Frequency" runs for a duration of four minutes and fifty-eight seconds. [3] It was described as "a low-key hip-hop ballad" by Rolling Stone reviewer Elias Leight. [5]

Critical reception

Ryan Middleton of Music Times gave the song a positive review, saying "it has the spacey, stoner sound that fans loved from the Cudi on his first couple of albums". [6] Fuse's Tyler Lauletta wrote that "the song is a return to form for Cudi, with shout-outs to women and psychedelic drugs in his signature sultry tone". [7] Chico from Respect. wrote that Cudi "hums, sings and even lyrically dances all over this one, like we always knew he could". [8] C. Vernon Coleman II of XXL wrote; "The dreamy production is highlighted by odd sound effects and spaced out chords". [9]

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by Cudi himself, premiered on October 12, 2016, via his Vevo channel. The five-minute video features Cudi performing the song shirtless in a dark jungle. [10] It also shows him having a threesome in a mushroom cave. [10] Peter A. Berry of XXL wrote that the video is "simultaneously dark and colorful, much like the music Cudi’s provided for fans over the last eight years". [11] The Boombox's Jacinta Howard called the video "dark and artistic", while Rap-Up called it "dark and smoky". [12] [13] Elisabeth Brier from Uproxx wrote; "It’s a sort of R-rated Wonderland. That’s perhaps the best way to describe the world depicted in Kid Cudi‘s new music video for "Frequency"." [14] Pigeons & Planes named it as one of the best music videos released in October 2016. [15]

Related Research Articles

Frequency refers to how often an event occurs within a given period.

Michael George Dean is an American hip hop record producer, audio engineer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Houston, Texas. He is best known for recording and mixing songs and synthesizers for major artists across the American hip hop industry such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, 2Pac, Scarface, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Desiigner, Drake, Madonna, Selena Gomez, Lana Del Rey, and The Weeknd. He has released three solo studio albums: 4:20 on April 20, 2020, 4:22, on April 22, 2021, and Smoke State 42222 on April 22, 2022.

Kid Cudi American rapper (born 1984)

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, known professionally as Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has widely been recognized as an influence on several contemporary hip hop and alternative acts. His lyrics are often autobiographical and describe his childhood hardships of depression, loneliness and alienation, his struggle with alcohol and drugs into adulthood, as well as themes of spirituality, heartbreak, dissipation and celebration. Cudi began to gain major recognition following the release of his first official full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008), which would go on to catch the attention of high-profile music producer Kanye West, who subsequently signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label imprint by late 2008.

<i>Man on the Moon: The End of Day</i> 2009 studio album by Kid Cudi

Man on the Moon: The End of Day is the debut studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on September 15, 2009, through Dream On, GOOD Music, and Universal Motown Records. A concept album, narrated by fellow American rapper Common, it follows the release of his first full-length project A Kid Named Cudi (2008), and is the first installment of the Man on the Moon trilogy. Production was handled by several high-profile record producers, including Kanye West, Emile Haynie, Plain Pat, No I.D., Dot da Genius, and Jeff Bhasker, among others.

<i>Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager</i> 2010 studio album by Kid Cudi

Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is the second studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on November 9, 2010, through Dream On and GOOD Music, and distributed by Universal Motown Records. It serves as a sequel to his debut studio album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), and is the second installment of the Man on the Moon trilogy. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 at various recording studios and was handled by long-time collaborators Emile Haynie and Plain Pat. It also featured contributions from Anthony Kilhoffer, Blended Babies, Chuck Inglish, Dot da Genius, Jim Jonsin, and Rami Beatz, among others. The album was supported by two singles: "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager".

<i>Indicud</i> 2013 studio album by Kid Cudi

Indicud 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 an installment of his Man on the Moon series. The album's cover artwork was designed by Kid Cudi himself, who also served as an executive producer of Indicud. It was Cudi's goal to make more uptempo and positive music with the album. He described it as a completely new format compared to his previous albums.

Show Me (Kid Ink song) 2013 single by Kid Ink

"Show Me" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Ink. The song was released on September 17, 2013, by Tha Alumni Music Group, 88 Classic and RCA Records as the lead single from his second studio album, My Own Lane (2014). The song, produced by DJ Mustard and Mike Free, features a hook by American recording artist Chris Brown. The song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

Denzel Curry American rapper from Florida (born 1995)

Denzel Rae Don Curry is an American rapper. Born and raised in Carol City, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape in 2011. Influenced by underground Florida rapper SpaceGhostPurrp, the mixtape was later featured on Purrp's social media, giving Curry attention in the local music scene and resulting in him joining Purrp's hip-hop collective Raider Klan.

Jaden Smith discography

American rapper Jaden Smith has released three studio albums, three mixtapes, three extended plays, 16 singles and 28 music videos. In 2010, Smith collaborated with singer Justin Bieber on the song "Never Say Never", which peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and later becoming certified 5× platinum by the RIAA. Smith released his debut mixtape, The Cool Cafe: Cool Tape Vol. 1, in October 2012, which was followed up by CTV2, a sequel to his mixtape, on November 18, 2014. He then released a three-track collaborative EP with producer Daniel D'artiste titled This Is the Album in February 2015.

"Father Stretch My Hands" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). The song is split into two parts on the album: "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2". "Pt. 1" contains vocals by American musician Kid Cudi and American R&B singer Kelly Price, while "Pt. 2" includes vocals from American rapper Desiigner, and American musician Caroline Shaw. Prior to release, the latter was played by West for Desiigner when the two met.

<i>Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight</i> 2016 studio album by Travis Scott

Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight is the second studio album by American rapper Travis Scott. It was released on September 2, 2016, through Grand Hustle Records and distributed by Epic Records. It exclusively premiered through Travis Scott and Chase B's radio show Wav Radio on Beats 1 and Apple Music. The album features guest appearances from André 3000, Blac Youngsta, Kid Cudi, Nav, 21 Savage, Kendrick Lamar, Bryson Tiller, Young Thug, Quavo, K. Forest, and the Weeknd. Production was handled by a number of record producers, including Nav, Vinylz, Mike Dean, Cardo, Frank Dukes, and Allen Ritter, among others.

<i>Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin</i> 2016 studio album by Kid Cudi

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 Heaven (2015). The album features guest appearances from André 3000, Pharrell Williams, Travis Scott and Willow Smith. The production on the album was handled by Cudi himself, alongside Plain Pat, Mike Dean, Dot da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mike Will Made It and Pharrell Williams, among others.

"Through the Late Night" is a song by American rapper Travis Scott featuring American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on September 2, 2016 from the former's second studio album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. The song marks the first of several collaborations between the two rappers.

Surfin (Kid Cudi song) 2016 single by Kid Cudi featuring Pharrell Williams

"Surfin'" is a song by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on September 30, 2016, as the lead single from his sixth studio album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'. The lyrics were handled by Cudi, while the music was written and produced by Pharrell Williams, who also makes a vocal appearance on the extended outro of the album version of the song.

"Baptized in Fire" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi. It was released on December 1, 2016, as an instant-grat from his sixth studio album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'. The song was produced by Mike Dean, Plain Pat and Kid Cudi. It features American rapper Travis Scott, and samples "Deja Vu" by Mort Garson. It marks the third collaboration between the artists, following the tracks "Way Back" and "Through the Late Night" from Scott’s album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.

"Fire" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their only studio album (2018). West, Kid Cudi, BoogzDaBeast, and André 3000 produced the song, while additional production was handled by Evan Mast. Written by the producers with the exception of BoogzDaBeast, it is a rock-influenced track that includes a sample of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!". In the lyrics, Kids See Ghosts refuse to let haunting demons define them.

Latto American rapper (born 1998)

Alyssa Michelle Stephens, professionally known as Latto or Big Latto, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. She first appeared on the reality television series The Rap Game in 2016, where she was known as Miss Mulatto and won the show's first season but later turned down the deal.

The Scotts 2020 song by the Scotts

"The Scotts" is a song by American hip hop duo The Scotts, composed of Travis Scott and Kid Cudi. It was released in various formats, including on 7-inch vinyl, cassette and as a CD single through Epic, Cactus Jack and Wicked Awesome on April 24, 2020. The song release was supported by four different visuals on YouTube. Both artists had previously collaborated on Scott's "Through the Late Night" and "Way Back" on Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016), Cudi's "Baptized in Fire" on Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' (2016), and Scott's "Stop Trying to Be God" on Astroworld (2018).

<i>Man on the Moon III: The Chosen</i> 2020 studio album by Kid Cudi

Man on the Moon III: The Chosen is the seventh studio album by American musician Kid Cudi, released on December 11, 2020 by Republic Records. It is the final installment of Cudi's Man on the Moon trilogy of albums.

Kid Cudi filmography

Kid Cudi is an American actor, producer, film composer, music video director and musician. Cudi ventured into acting in 2009, when he was cast in the HBO series How to Make It in America. In 2011, Cudi, alongside fellow American rapper Cage, starred in Maniac, a short horror film directed by American actor Shia LaBeouf. Cudi went on to appear in several feature films, including Goodbye World (2013), Need for Speed (2014), Entourage (2015) and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). In addition, he has made appearances on television shows such as One Tree Hill, The Cleveland Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Westworld. In 2015, he was the bandleader on the IFC series Comedy Bang! Bang! and in 2020 starred in the television drama We Are Who We Are.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kid Cudi Shares New Song "The Frequency" With Plain Pat, Mike Dean". Pitchfork . March 26, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  2. "Kid Cudi - The Frequency". HotNewHipHop. March 25, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Frequency - Single by Kid Cudi". iTunes . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  4. "Kid Cudi Announces New "Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'" Album Release Date". HipHopDX . December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  5. "See Kid Cudi's Dark 'Frequency' Video". Rolling Stone . October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  6. "Kid Cudi Shares 'The Frequency,' Bringing Back 'Man On The Moon' Vibes". Music Times. March 28, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  7. "Kid Cudi Shares New Track 'The Frequency'". Fuse . March 27, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  8. "KiD CuDi Returns To Vintage Form With "The Frequency"". Respect. March 25, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  9. "Kid Cudi Transmits "The Frequency" on New Song". XXL . March 26, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Kid Cudi "Frequency" (video)". Exclaim! . October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  11. "Watch Kid Cudi's New Video for "Frequency"". XXL . October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  12. "Kid Cudi Drops Dark, Artistic 'Frequency' Video [WATCH]". The Boombox. October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  13. "Video: Kid Cudi – 'Frequency'". Rap-Up . October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  14. "Kid Cudi's 'Frequency' Video Is An R-Rated Wonderland". Uproxx . October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  15. "Best Music Videos of the Month". Pigeons & Planes. October 31, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.