I feel we are just breaking the tip of the iceberg in the future of music today and Cruel Summer begins to expose this progression. Kanye West presents his G.O.O.D. Music & friends compilation. Records like Creepers (Kid Cudi) and the opening track To The World (Kanye West, R. Kelly) are shedding light on a more ambient sounding vibe. Creepers was in fact produced by a member from the euro group The Servant, Dan Smith. Other records such as Bliss (John Legend, Teyana Taylor) give us a better look at what the future holds by bringing back that classic 80's sound then twisting it up with hints progressive hints of dubstep. Rumors are already suggesting that Kanye West's official single from his next album will feature Skrillex, a dirty dubstep dj who has paved the way for up and coming artists today. To those of you who don't know, a new producer/DJ was introduced on Cruel Summer. Hudson Mohawke from Glasgow, Scotland I feel is a direct influence on why this album has a much different sound than expected. Hudson Mohawke aka HudMo aka DJ Itchy who also is involved in a trap group called TNGHT produces as well as co-produces upwards of 4 tracks on Cruel Summer, including the smashbox hit Mercy. I'm getting too excited about this guy, lets not forget the other superstar hit makers, which include Hit-Boy, Mike Dean, Noah "40" Shebib and even Mannie Fresh features his co-production. Eventhough unnecessary fillers like New God Flow and the Chicago anthem I Don't Like Remix are on the tracklist, I think overall Cruel Summer is a breath of fresh air in the creativity realm.
