Cudi vs. Drake

[Kanye South]

Whether you like it or not, Lil' Wayne and Kanye West are among the biggest, baddest, and best names in hip hop. You can hate Kanye's douchebaggery. You can despise Wayne's seemingly effortless ability to turn incoherent mumbling into a hit record that actually sounds good. Do whatever the hell you want, but you'd be lying like fuck if you said Kanye West and Lil' Wayne weren't at the top of Hip-Hop right now. They both haven't released albums in about a year (Weezy's last album was in June 2008 and West's last album was in November of the same year), and yet everything they touch is still gold. And one thing that they've both touched on are the careers of Scott Mescudi and Audrey Graham. Better known as Kid Cudi and Drake.

Undoubtedly you've heard of them. Cudi and Drake have been not exactly proteges, but they have had assistance from Kanye and Wayne throughout their career. But to me, there is one guy who stands out from both of these men, and he isn't apart of Wayne's entourage:

Kid Cudi.

Why?

1) His Flow

Kid Cudi's addictive beats and "true story" lyrics are what make his music so profound. His rythmic rapping, which combines singing and rapping, makes for an interesting sound. I've been listening to almost every Drake song ever since he came onto the rap scene. One day of listening to Cudi and I'm addicted.

Tell me this doesn't make you want to nod your head:

[YOUTUBE]i1t5kZPVt7M[/YOUTUBE]

And the amazing thing is that everything he says seems true. Cudi can rap from everything from his loneliness as a child (evidenced above), to getting a blowjob:

[YOUTUBE]S0duyxpG3Ck[/YOUTUBE]

2) Drake's Hype

Kid Cudi will succeed off of Drake's hype. Yes, you heard me right, Drake's hype will help Kid Cudi. Drake has risen to much deserved popularity over the last two years. He has been on the cover of magazines, nominated for music awards, and performed at Award Shows and he hasn't released one album yet. It would be impossible to live up to the hype that he has built up. Cudi didn't have that much hype to begin with, and to be honest, his debut album was way better than I expected.

3) Lyrics

While Drake is amazing at singing, and he can make rapping about money sound like a classic record, Drake cannot compare to Cudi. As evidenced above, Cudi can rap from everything from getting high, his childhood, to getting blowed. This guy's lyrical range is amazing.

So those are three reasons why I think Cudi>Drake.

Who do you think is better?

Poll not coming.

 

[X]

Cudi is definitely better than Drake, and frankly I don't think it's even close. Drake is overrated as shit, and his rhymes are mediocre at best. Cudi on the other hand not only has an insane flow and creative beats, but has great rhymes and lyrics. The lyrics to the song "Soundtrack 2 My Life" is better than anything Drake has ever written or could probably achieve. Probably the single best song of 2009, atleast in hip-hop. The one thing I really love about Cudi is how unique he is. He isn't afraid to rhyme about his feelings or other taboo shit for rappers, and his beats are much more influenced by other genres than just hip-hop. He's easily better than Drake.

Anyone who would say Drake is better, I'd certainly like to hear their argument.

 

[Legendary_Undertaker]

You guys wont get an arguement from me I definately think Kid Cudi is waayyy better than Drake. While im not hating Drake is a very good artist but he has the benifit of having the three (wayne jay-z kanye west)hottest artist in the game backing him something Cudi doesnt.

Its funny to mention that because Cudi is Kanye's artist who in turn is Jay's artist yet both of them co sign Drake. While Drake will be more comercially successful Cudi will have far more staying power if he doesnt decide to call it quits again

My vote goes to Kid Cudi

 

[Super Crazy]

Cudi is better then Drake. There is no argument to that. I have been following Cudi for awhile now. The first time I heard of Cudi was when him and Kanye were on 106 and Park on BET back when Yeezy had the mullet haircut. They freestyled and Cudi's rhymes were a part of what is now Soundtrack 2 My Life. I looked him up on youtube and watched some of his freestyles. I counted down the days until his album came out. Hell I am a big fan of Drake's too. Him and Cudi are two different types of rappers though. Cudi is more like Lupe Fiasco with his unique rhymes and beats and also his singing. Drake is good at rapping about money just like every other rapper. The thing that sets him apart from the others is that he can sing too. I

I was waiting for the day that these two would have a major release and while Drake's was just a mainstream release of a mixtape I will say both are good cds.

Drake's ability to sing though is great. He really makes excellent hooks. Lil Wayne said it best in Birdman's song " Money to Blow " when he had the line

" ... and we gon' be alright if we put Drake on every hook ". To be honest Drake's verse and his singing of the hook is what makes that song good to the ears.

Although Cudi is leaps and bounds above Drake in lyrical content I due believe both will shine. They are both attached to the two biggest stars in hip hop/rap in the last decade so how could they not shine?

These two are the leaders of the new generation of rappers and I look forward to hearing more of their music.

My favorite Cudi song off his album is :


My favorite Drake song is :

Well it's not really a Drake song but more a song he is featured on.


OR

 

[jmt225]

I've heard one song by Drake I really liked (Unstoppable), but that's it. However, there were 7/8 songs from Kid Cudi's new album that I absolutely LOVED. So, yeah... by my standards, Kid Cudi is definitely better.

Look, Drake is just some spoiled, Degrassi reject. He can't speak that real shit. If he did, no one would buy into it anyway. So, instead... he caters to the moronic mainstream crowd who only care about shitty love songs and other horseshit like that.

Kid Cudi, on the other hand, is full of emotion and speaks perhaps the realest shit in the game right now. He's actually been through some stuff in his life, and the genius knows how to write it down on paper, while giving it some fantastic rhythm and turning it into a tremendous song. He's very, very creative, AND original; both qualities most rap artist from today highly lack, including the precious Drake.

Kid Cudi is leaps and bounds better than Drake, and will be forever.

 

[TOX]

Drake's style is built for mainstream, and while Cudi does have that style people seem to like... I listened to his album and he sounded horribly monotone throughout most of the songs.

 

[Freddy4190]

Gotta give it to Cudi. Drake's mediocre. He's a hook singer. That's about all he's really good for. His flow isn't nothing impressive, his song Forever was popular and suceeded only because it had 3 of the biggest names in hip-hop on it. I do have to admit though, Drake's flow in Forever wasn't THAT bad. Cudi is just so fucking slick though. He has a style right now that not a lot of rappers have going for them. He's just good. Period. His debut album is crazy good, the beats are fresh, the lyrics are insane. Just like TOX said, Drake's still is built for mainstream. The only reason Drake is so popular is because he was on the hook of all these big name rappers songs. Plus that Degrassi thing, ugh. Cudi has that underground feel even though he's slowly inching into mainstream. Like I said, gotta give it to Cudi. Drake's just not that good.

 

[SK]

So for the past few months I've had these two on repeat, they are a totally different style of hip-hop than I usually listen to, they aren't very hardcore and don't claim to be but instead are more introspective.

Cudi is definitely better than Drake, and frankly I don't think it's even close. Drake is overrated as shit, and his rhymes are mediocre at best. Cudi on the other hand not only has an insane flow and creative beats, but has great rhymes and lyrics. The lyrics to the song "Soundtrack 2 My Life" is better than anything Drake has ever written or could probably achieve. Probably the single best song of 2009, atleast in hip-hop. The one thing I really love about Cudi is how unique he is. He isn't afraid to rhyme about his feelings or other taboo shit for rappers, and his beats are much more influenced by other genres than just hip-hop. He's easily better than Drake.

Anyone who would say Drake is better, I'd certainly like to hear their argument.

I think your massively underselling Drake here X, whilst I agree that Cudi is better than Drake, I think it's a lot closer than your making out. The So Far Gone mixtape was quite strong and gave us a few good tracks, Drake's lyrics are good in some aspects for example;

and my mother embarrassed
to pull my phantom out
so i park about 5 houses down
she say i shouldn't have it until i have the crown
but i don't wanna feel the need to wear disguises around
so she wonder where my mind is accounts in the minus
but yet i'm rolling round the fuckin city like your highness

I loved this lyric from Say Whats Real, in fact that whole song is brilliant; here it is if you haven't heard it;


Drake certainly has a lot of potential but should probably shy away from going too mainstream, but for me personally, I think Kid Cudi is better than Drake.

Cudi's style is very different, but very good, he does seem to spit from the heart and say what he truly think and I think he's got great potential. The Man on the Moon: End of the Day was ridiculously good and probably one of the best debut albums this decade. My personal favourite off the album is Cudi Zone;


A great song right there, but in truth the whole album was decent.

On another note;

Look, Drake is just some spoiled, Degrassi reject. He can't speak that real shit. If he did, no one would buy into it anyway. So, instead... he caters to the moronic mainstream crowd who only care about shitty love songs and other horseshit like that.

Kid Cudi, on the other hand, is full of emotion and speaks perhaps the realest shit in the game right now. He's actually been through some stuff in his life, and the genius knows how to write it down on paper, while giving it some fantastic rhythm and turning it into a tremendous song. He's very, very creative, AND original; both qualities most rap artist from today highly lack, including the precious Drake.

Sorry JMT I usually agree with what you say and obviously respect your opinion. But you can't honestly be telling me that just because Drake's Dad hasn't died or he didn't have a bad upbringing, he's destined to be a bad rapper. Every rapper does love songs, even Pac and Biggie, I wouldn't say he's gone too mainstream yet, one track with Wayne, Em and Kanye, mainly just to get his name about. But yeah I don't think you can generalise someone's upbringing to their rapping ability, that's a bit narrow-minded.

 

[Super Crazy]

In my opinion, both are going to wind up huge. Drake will wind up being big because of Wayne and the hype that follows with him and that label/Wayne. Cudi will grow to be huge because while he may not have the hype or the backing like Drake, but Cudi raps about the most unique topics. His songs are unusual and unexpected, and they are great. He raps about real life and not the typical money, cars, and clothes. Cudi reminds me of Lupe Fiasco in many ways. Both rap about unique things, and use different kinds of beats then your usual rap beats. My favorite Cudi songs right now has to be Up Up And Awayand Alive.

 

[thewrestlinghero]

Kid Cudi is way better Drake is good and all and better then half of these horrible rappers today in mainstream at least. But Cudi for me anyway when I listen to him his songs sorta means something to me. I don't know how to necessary explain this but there something about his raps that make me like them. But I guess for me he rhymes way better then Drake.

 

[Rokitka]

I'm a fan of both. Although Drake has yet to release an album, his So Far Gone mixtape played like an album and was consistent throughout. Lyrically, I feel like Drake surpasses Cudi hands down. When you look at rhyme schemes, most of Cudi's lines are a bit simple. They most produce melodic flows, even while they're just rapping you'll hear the change in pitch or exasperated bar. I'd really have to give it more thought before I choose one over the other, I'm a big fan of both.

 

[ethan_is_beast]

Kid cudi's songs are so-so... i liked "Day/Night" and "Make Her say" , but they got old caus they got so much radio play. I like alot of Drake's stuff. Even though he has done nearly 20 songs with Weezy. I think Drake is better

 

[gd]

Drake's style is built for mainstream, and while Cudi does have that style people seem to like... I listened to his album and he sounded horribly monotone throughout most of the songs.

This, Drake is more popular and likely will be for most of his career beacause he seems more like a mainstream guy.

I really do like Cudi though, I've heard about the same amount from each of these guys and I'm definetly a fan of both of them. If I was forced to choose I'd go with Cudi, but I'd be fine listening to either one of them.

 

[Rokitka]

See, I don't know if I agree with Drake being more of a mainstream guy. If you look at his material, the subject matter is mainstream but the way it's written has more of the underground feel, filled with metaphors and similies. Cudi on the other hand produces the catchy choruses, many of which to me are radio ready, therefore more mainstream in my opinion.

 

[X]

Cudi may produce "catchy choruses" but his production style is anything but mainstream, he incorporates so many different elements of music that he can't solely even be considered just a hip hop artist. Drake always rhymes over your standard tracks.

 

[Rokitka]

That's true, but at the same time we're comparing Cudi and Drake, not the producers of their tracks. The different instruments and unique sounds aren't produced by Cudi, nor are the "standard tracks" your hearing produced by Drake.

 

[Ty Burna]

I suppose I should chime in on this little debate. I think Cudi is the better overall artist than Drake. Why? Cudi actually has lyricisim in his flow, where Drake is nothing more than your typical hip pop artist that has become prevalent in today's industry.

Now will I listen to either on an extensive basis? No, they're just not my style of hip hop. I know the Cudi lovers here are gonna blast me for this but I'm just not a big fan of his style. Meanwhile Drake hasn't impressed me at all with any of his music or appearances on other tracks. The only reason why I rate Cudi above Drake is because he puts in work with his lyrics and his selection for instrumentals borders a trip hop like essence. So in reality, Cudi is unique in my opinion, while there Drake is just another dime a dozen rapper that's major credential is Lil Wayne is a fan of his. And in my hip hop world, Wayne has no standing whatsoever with me so that one small point is mute. Cudi is linked with Kanye which isn't any better but I'll take Kanye over Wayne any day so by proxy, I'll take Cudi over Drake.

Finally, Cudi I believe has the better staying power than Drake. I can't say it enough but his style is unique enough to the point that even if he loses mainstream appeal, he'll still have fans on the underground that could still come out with a major hit. Think Lupe Fiasco in this regard. Drake is basically being held up by the mainstream hip hop fans that change trends on a monthly basis. He's the new flavor of the month and soon he'll be like T-Pain, showing up on everyone's songs to do the chorus or a small verse. Eventually everyone will get bored and sick of him and he'll fall off to the wayside.