'Legend' not all the rage

In the opening seconds of his sophomore studio album, Kid Cudi promises us “some generation-next shit.” Ever since he became a household name with last year’s “Man on the Moon: The End of Day,” Cudder fans have been eager to see him take this next step. With “Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager,” he does just that, though it isn’t so much a step forward as one slightly off to the side.

Cudi still identifies himself as darker than your average rapper, and his penchant for mumbling over lethargic beats with outer-space-like atmospheres prospers on standout tracks “These Worries” and “Mojo So Dope.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t make for a very compelling hour of hip-hop here, and the best tracks fall short of the quality met by those from his debut.

In part one, Cudi vented about the woes of being misunderstood — mainly his nightmares, loneliness and “Pursuit of Happiness.” His new problems are no serious departure; they include his bumpy rise to fame, more loneliness and how his earnings from Vitamin Water advertisements and a role on HBO’s “How to Make it in America” worsened his cocaine habit.

Thankfully, this album has more to offer than Cudi’s monotonous delivery and choice of subject matter. The record’s delightfulness is within his wide, persistent spanning of production styles. He flows over a looped vocal sample from Annie Clark of St. Vincent on “Maniac” and croons over a full orchestra on “All Along.” He even does somewhat of a decent Joe Jonas on the guitar-charged single “Erase Me,” a shoe-in for heavy Saturday night play at bars everywhere for at least a couple years.

And as expected, weed still holds a special place in Cudi’s heart, as does humor. One track called “Marijuana” deliberately stretches out its final seconds so that it ends at exactly 4:20. Another track is called “Ashin’ Kusher.”

As far as misunderstood, space-case mumblers go, Cudi is still boss.  Finding the top of the rap hierarchy, however, requires much more these days.