Kids See Ghosts, stylized in all caps, is the only eponymous debut studio album by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts. It was released on June 8, 2018 by GOOD Music, Def Jam Recordings and Wicked Awesome. The album features guest appearances by Pusha T, Louis Prima, Ty Dolla $ign, and Yasiin Bey.
History[]
Since 2008, West and Cudi had been collaborating on songs together, first beginning with West's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak, on the song "Welcome To Heartbreak". West released his sixth studio album Yeezus on June 18, 2013, which includes vocals from Cudi on "Guilt Trip". In June of 2014, Cudi recalled having recorded the vocals as a reference a couple of years prior and admitted to lacking awareness of being on the song until people mentioned it on social media, initially questioning: "What the fuck is everyone talking about?" Cudi stated he was partially flattered and regarded it "kind of cool that he thought of me", before further consideration led the rapper to feel dissatisfied with West underusing him.
Cudi would make an appearance on West's seventh album, The Life of Pablo, having features on the tracks "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" and "Waves", and during the production of the now scrapped album Turbo Grafx 16, pictures between the artists would be posted by Ibn Jasper. During September 2016, Cudi would briefly fall out with West, regarding the usage of songwriters as the reason, and even rope in Drake as part of his criticism. West would respond with hostility, stating he "birthed" Cudi's career and to keep his name out his mouth, though he would later retract these tweets out of guilt.
Following this event, Cudi admitted himself to a rehab center due to depression and suicidal thoughts, and thanked West for his support. West himself was hospitalized due to heavy sleep deprivation in November 2016, with the tour being cancelled after he brought Cudi out to perform at his Sacramento show that ended early.
In December 2016, Cudi released his sixth studio album "Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'", which West subsequently described as "super inspiring". Work on Kids See Ghosts began that same month and parts of it were created in the summer of 2017 during recording sessions in Japan and China. In November, and again in February of the following year, West performed "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" live with Cudi.
West was spotted recording in the US state of Wyoming with various collaborators in March, including Cudi and fellow rapper Nas. He returned to the state two months later for the recording of several then-upcoming albums, which were later referred to as the "Wyoming Sessions". The sessions took place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where West had purchased a property known as Monster Lake Ranch and renamed it to West Lake Ranch.
Kids See Ghosts was the third of five albums produced by West in Jackson Hole as a part of the Wyoming Sessions". The album succeeded the release of Pusha T's Daytona and West's Ye, and preceded the release of Nas' Nasir and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E.
Track Listing[]
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feel The Love" (featuring Pusha T) | 2:45 | |
| 2. | "Fire" | 2:20 | |
| 3. | "4th Dimension" (featuring Louis Prima) | 2:33 | |
| 4. | "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) | 3:26 | |
| 5. | "Reborn" | 5:24 | |
| 6. | "Kids See Ghosts" (featuring Yasiin Bey) | 4:05 | |
| 7. | "Cudi Montage" | 3:17 |