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Contributed image "WZRD," the first collaborative CD from Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius, mixes hip hop with guitar-driven, rock-based production.

Longtime friends and partners Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius converge under the moniker "WZRD" in their debut collaborative self-titled album, which reveals a new musical direction for Scott Mescudi.

In "WZRD," Cudi jousts his demons and celebrates his triumphs through melodic rhymes, while other times full-out singing to the best of his (limited) abilities. Furthermore, Cudi's lyrical sensitivity and introspection are ever present throughout the album. But the biggest difference in "WZRD" from Cudi and Dot's previous works is Dot's guitar-driven, rock-based production. Cudi always has straddled the lines of hip-hop underdog and emotive rock star, as if in the depths of his conscience RUN-DMC and Aerosmith were battling it out as they did in their '80s hit, "Walk This Way."

Now in "WZRD," Joe Perry kicks the wall in, unplugs the turntables, cranks the gain on his amp up to 11 and lets his Les Paul wail. In the process of creating the album, Dot and Cudi taught themselves electric and bass guitar while extensively studying their favorite rock acts, such as Pink Floyd and The Pixies.

The result of their experimentation is an album chocked full of heavy electric guitar, ambient entrancing vocals and potent thought-provoking lyrics that are a clever byproduct of Cudi's otherwise repressed alter-ego.

"High Off Life" follows the instrumental intro and starts the album off on an exhilarating note with gritty guitar chords, deep pounding drums and Cudi's rousing chorus, "Never thought the day would come for me/When I would be high off life!/ There's so much I haven't seen."

Listeners immediately get the direction Cudi and Dot are headed in and realize that Dot's production genius expands beyond the elements of hip-hop.

Within Cudi's music, drugs and addiction have always been a recurring theme. In "High Off Life," he persuades us he is free and that "O.D.ing off the life" is a sufficient fix, but Dr. Pill finds him reverting to using medication as his therapy. In "Teleport to Me, Jamie," a song to his recent ex, Cudi yearns to be near his then new love: "I can't stand the times when I'm alone at night/And I feel your side of the bed and it's cold/Wide awake, I don't know the time/Cause I'm too busy texting you on my phone."

"WZRD" follows the tradition of their favorite bands, such as Nirvana and Lead Belly, in covering the traditional folk song "Black Girl" in "Where Did You Sleep Last Night." The duo breaks tradition by beefing up the originally somber and acoustic track with echoing electric guitar and Cudi's fervent vocals.

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Cudi, Dot meld grinding rock, hip hop