Kanye West and Kid Cudi Reunite on ‘Man on the Moon II’

Kanye West has been busy down in his Hawaiian bunker trying to change the direction of hip-hop again, but that doesn't mean he's leaving Kid Cudi, his former protégé, out to dry on his new record. Cudder's newly-renamed 'Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager' is in the works and word has it that a Jim Jonsin-produced track finds Kanye and Cudi getting their "rock-pop" style on for a new single that samples '80s soft rock mainstays Duran Duran.

"We did another record where I sampled a Duran Duran record," explained Jonsin the Rap-Up. "Kanye and Kid Cudi supposedly did that in the studio together and killed it but I haven't got it yet. From what I heard, it's a mix man. It's kind of some club stuff, some hip-hop traditional rap stuff, and then some rock-pop stuff. He's going everywhere, it's similar to what B.o.B. is doing. These new artists are really trying to reach out to new people and fans."

While mixing up genres is certainly nothing new for Cudi, he is already hinting at an even more eclectic direction for his sophomore effort. At first he seemed to emphasize party tracks and lots of collaboration, but has recently suggested a return to some of the more emotional material that populated his debut album.