"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]

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

Release and composition

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"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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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.
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