I didn’t want to make the actual album review too long so I decided to split my thoughts up into two parts. KIDS SEE GHOSTS is mesmerizing musically, but what could it mean metaphorically? I mean, it might not seem that hard to figure out, because there are clear messages and themes stated throughout by Kanye West and Kid Cudi, but I have a mindful of ideas about what KIDS SEE GHOSTS means that I want to write down. This is what it means, in my opinion.
KIDS SEE GHOSTS is a movie, if you want to say that. A movie about Kanye West and Kid Cudi leaving the regular world and journeying to a new world, the Ghost Town in the 4th Dimension, but if we’re looking at it metaphorically, or literally, it’s simply shifting from one mindset to another. It takes place in various locations, but it begins, I’d say in the underworlds, where there’s only darkness. There is, however, a light. A light that leads to freedom, in the middle of all the darkness. The problem is that it feels impossible to reach the light so the masses are trapped in the underworlds, where there’s nothing good in sight.
Enter our heroes, Kanye West and Kid Cudi, not wanting their lives to be ruined, not wanting their lives to end. Literally. They decide to begin their mission of improving themselves, and doing whatever it takes to reach the light. In the first three scenes “Feel The Love”, “Fire”, and “4th Dimension”, we see Kanye and Cudi, for the first time in a while, they’re trying to enjoy their lives and they’re having a great time doing it, but as always, out of nowhere and for no reason, the hate seems to find them. It really bugs them because they know they’re good people but yet, people still disrespect and put them down. Now they’re on the run, running for their lives, downhill, towards more darkness, where they think the end lies, because how can they overcome this? They’ve just gone even more downwards.
Kanye and Cudi are trapped in the darkness and their lives have drastically changed in a negative way. They feel useless, worthless, unappreciated and time is just passing them by. Life is just passing them by. The thing is, though, that they are still here. Literally. But they’ve become slaves. Slaves to the negativity, slaves to the drugs. They desperately want to break free from their bonds, though. Still on the march downward toward darkness, they see little hope ahead. The light is gone and they’re by themselves. Here is where it gets real:
While they were going through their bad luck and bad days, they didn’t know that they were getting closer and closer to themselves. Kanye and Cudi asked why were they like that in the first place, they know who they are, they always knew, and they become to feel less worthless, they block everything out and listen to only themselves and positivity that will help them escape the darkness. All of a sudden, the light appears again. Something they thought they’d never see again is right there, where it’s always been, they can see everyone but everyone can’t see them. Something clicks inside their minds and they realize what they’re doing; listening to themselves, being good, keeping the family close. They keep doing it and soon they reach the light!
When they enter the light, they notice that it’s the 4th dimension; they can still see everyone and everyone still can’t see them, and people can’t see 4D unless you’re there. Most people aren’t. Here, they immediately start wilding out to test if this is true. They work out that it is true, they can do whatever they want and if people talk, just block it out OR cuss them out, because they don’t matter and whatever they say doesn’t matter. Your life matters, just keep moving forward, you might think it’s downward but in the 4th dimension, like time, direction doesn’t exist, any direction is forward. As long as you’re alive, you’re moving forward.
In the next scenes “Freeee”, “Reborn”, and “Kids See Ghosts”, we witness what Kanye West and Kid Cudi have been waiting for; the day they achieve freedom. They figured out the ways to find the light when no one else could, when no one else believed they could. They didn’t want them to find it and they still hate, still call them crazy, still don’t appreciate them, but in the light, like I said, they remain unbothered and do what they want. They BE who the want.
In the 4th Dimension they feel as if they’d died and gone to heaven. They’re living a whole new life, with a whole new perspective on life. They’re happy. They can’t stop smiling. There were times when you’d never see Kanye West smile. Now that’s all he does in the fourth dimension, and there’s no way he’s leaving it. It’s actually impossible to.
The movie ends with them officially entering the Ghost Town and being welcomed by their guide Mos Def who already achieved freedom. He leads them through everything, telling them about the spirits and the ghosts they might see while here, but they’ll get used to it. They do see ghosts. Of themselves. And they begin reflecting on their past life as Mos Def continues to lead them. He leads them to a campfire with the other kids who’ve made it through. They ditch the ghosts and join the campfire, and perform “Cudi Montage” for the rest of the group at the campfire. Stay Strong.
Everything I Am 
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