So now two rising hip-hop stars have enlisted the help of the ubiquitous Lady Gaga. First Wale released “Chillin” and now Kid Cudi is sampling her song “Poker Face” for his new single “Make Her Say.” Or rather one could say, this is the re-named version of the remix featuring both Common and Kanye West that West originally posted on his blog. On the one hand, it’s a bit scary how these fellas manage to take the Gaga song, about how the empowered woman holds the cards, and turn it into an extreme sexual innuendo. On the other, it’s still massively entertaining. Suppose we shall chalk it up to boys being boys.
Cudi is more devious here than our original introduction to him, he’s less the lonely loner and more of the self-possessed braggart, but the video itself is very restrained and actually quite beautiful visually speaking. Ultimately it’s surprising simply because it is so very understated. And whenever Kanye is around that’s a rare quality we should all take the time to treasure. Not even his wardrobe is flashy here. Although, insane credit must be given to an artist who can work the term “medulla oblongata” into his rhyme scheme at the same time he references Kid Cudi’s other single “Day N’ Nite” and Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” plus his own albums. While West can grate on one’s nerves from time to time, he is always able to come back and astound. It’s both what makes him such a cultural icon and immensely frustrating.
The video seems to stand as more of a status symbol, displaying who Kid Cudi can acquire for collaborations, rather than a true testament to his talent. It’s not his musical ability at its finest, but it’s clever and the video really is gorgeous. So it will continue to help this new-comer gain massive momentum.
