Cudi’s back.

Kid Cudi released a new single, titled The Rage, two days ago. Sampled from The Smashing Pumpkins ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings,’  the song comes from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s forthcoming action film Rampage.

The Rage follows Cudi’s most recent album Passion, Pain and Demon Slayin (2016).

Although the 1995 Smashing Pumpkin’s hit makes up the majority of the instrumental behind The Rage, Cudi additionally pays his respects by singing the chorus of the original song: “Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage.”

Listen to the 1995 hit below:

The music intensely courses through every bone in your body as Cudi sings, “Feel it comin’ on, comin’ on and I know/Fight ’til I’m done, it’s just the rage in me.” As Cudi progresses through the second verse and back into the chorus, the instrumental builds and builds.

To explore the song’s title even further, the rise and fall in intensity between the verses and the chorus ultimately, and in a deeper sense,  relates to the analogy of being a rage-filled rat in a cage. The epic and dramatic drum-supported verses in the song represent the rage while the calmer, less intense transitions symbolize the cage that ultimately suppresses the rat’s rage. Whether or not this is the intended metaphor behind Cudi’s song may never be known.

Overall, The Rage gives off both a subtle and intense combination of musical emotion, making it the perfect inspirational song for an action film. In terms of latest projects, Cudi has been rumored to be working in collaboration with Kanye West on what’s supposed to be a highly secretive project. Though the sources behind this rumor haven’t been identified, it would definitely be interesting to see the two artists team up for a musical collab.

I’m excited to see what else The Man on the Moon has in store for 2018.

Stay up to date with Kid Cudi’s latest moves on Instagram, Twitter, Official website, Spotify and iTunes!

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By Rickie Houston

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