How Kid Cudi made the song of 2009

To say that something is the song of the year is high praise, to say the least, but Kid Cudi may have nailed it on his first try. Ironically, the song is not "Day N Nite," the song he is using as the first single off of his new album. Instead, it's "Make Her Say," the Lady Gaga-sampling tune that features guest appearances by Kanye West and Common.


The reason that Cudi's song is the most representative of 2009 is fairly simple. By taking lyrics from many of the year's hits as well as borrowing the vocal skills of two of rap's superstars, the Cleveland rapper has managed to effectively utilize the spastic nature of pop culture right now.

The song directly references multiple hit songs from the past year, including T.I.'s "Whatever You Like," Asher Roth's "I Love College," Jamie Foxx's "Blame It," in addition to the omnipresent Lady Gaga.

Today's culture is a strange mixture of self-references and the same old formula, while this song points to the hits of 2009 and acknowledges them even as it makes something new out of them. By recognizing the typical creative process (and let's face it, nothing is completely new in this era), Kid Cudi has managed to make the perfect song of 2009.