"Frequency" (previously titled "The Frequency") is a song recorded by American rapper

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

. It was released on September 30, 2016, as the first single from his sixth studio album, ''

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' ''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 ...

'' (2016). The song was written and produced by Mike Dean,

Plain Pat Patrick Reynolds, known professionally as Plain Pat, is an American record producer, Talent Manager#Music manager, talent manager, record executive and disc jockey (DJ). He is perhaps best known for his work with American rapper Kid Cudi, havin ...

and Kid Cudi.

Release and composition

"Frequency" originally premiered on Cudi's

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

account on March 25, 2016, but was released for digital download on September 30, 2016. It is the first offering from his sixth studio album, ''

'', which was released on December 16, 2016. "Frequency" runs for a duration of four minutes and fifty-eight seconds. It was described as "a low-key hip-hop ballad" by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' reviewer Elias Leight.

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".

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'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". Chico from '' Respect.'' wrote that Cudi "hums, sings and even lyrically dances all over this one, like we always knew he could". C. Vernon Coleman II of '' XXL'' wrote; "The dreamy production is highlighted by odd sound effects and spaced out chords".

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song, directed by Cudi himself, premiered on October 12, 2016, via his

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

channel. The five-minute video features Cudi performing the song shirtless in a dark jungle. It also shows him having a

threesome In human sexuality, a threesome is "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". While the term ''threesome'' typically refers to sexual activity involvin ...

in a mushroom cave. 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". The Boombox's Jacinta Howard called the video "dark and artistic", while ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' called it "dark and smoky". Elisabeth Brier from

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

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"." Pigeons & Planes named it as one of the best music videos released in October 2016.

References

External links

* {{authority control 2016 songs Kid Cudi songs Songs written by Kid Cudi Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Plain Pat Republic Records singles 2010s ballads Song recordings produced by Kid Cudi Songs about drugs