:Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven

In October 2013, Kid Cudi announced that he would be releasing the long-awaited third and final part of his Man on the Moon series in 2015, with an extended play (EP) due to follow as a "prelude" between his third album Indicud (2013) and the album.{{cite web |last=Tardio |first=Andres |date=October 17, 2013 |title=Kid Cudi Announces "Man On The Moon 3" Prelude EP |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.25841/title.kid-cudi-announces-man-on-the-moon-3-prelude-ep |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017160718/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.25841/title.kid-cudi-announces-man-on-the-moon-3-prelude-ep |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |access-date=October 26, 2014 |work=HipHopDX |publisher=}} By January 2014, Cudi had expanded the EP into an album,{{cite web |last=Nadeska |first=Alexis |date=January 31, 2014 |title=Kid Cudi Was 'On Fire' When Satellite Flight EP Morphed into An Album |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1721610/kid-cudi-satellite-flight-album.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201100708/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1721610/kid-cudi-satellite-flight-album.jhtml |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |access-date=January 31, 2014 |publisher=MTV News}} which he surprise released the following month as Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon.{{cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Gerrick D. |date=February 25, 2014 |title=Kid Cudi releases surprise album, 'Satellite Flight' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-kid-cudi-surprise-album-satellite-flight-20140225,0,6617044.story |access-date=February 27, 2014 |work=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226182338/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-kid-cudi-surprise-album-satellite-flight-20140225,0,6617044.story |url-status=live }} In January 2015, he hinted at the possibility of releasing another album before Man on the Moon III in an interview with Billboard at the Sundance Film Festival.{{cite web |last=DV |date=January 30, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Planning To Release Album Before Man On The Moon: III |url=http://www.themaskedgorilla.com/kid-cudi-planning-to-release-album-before-man-on-the-moon-3/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625054740/http://www.themaskedgorilla.com/kid-cudi-planning-to-release-album-before-man-on-the-moon-3/ |archive-date=June 25, 2020 |access-date=February 22, 2015 |publisher=The Masked Gorilla}} On April 4, 2015, Cudi announced on Twitter that his next album, titled Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven, would be "coming really really soon".{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Mitchell |date=April 5, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Unveils Title of His New Album |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/kid-cudi-unveils-title-of-new-album-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-6524176/ |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=February 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206091429/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/kid-cudi-unveils-title-of-new-album-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-6524176/ |url-status=live }} Later that month, he confirmed the album would not be a surprise release.{{cite web |author=Hunter Clark |date=April 25, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Says Speedin' Bullet to Heaven Will Not Be a Surprise Album |url=http://bluntiq.com/2015/04/25/kid-cudi-says-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-will-not-be-a-surprise-album-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041643/http://bluntiq.com/2015/04/25/kid-cudi-says-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-will-not-be-a-surprise-album-2/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |publisher=Bluntiq}}

On April 10, 2015, the American drummer Travis Barker revealed he was in the studio with Kid Cudi and praised his upcoming album.{{cite web |author=Clare |first=Garrett |date=April 10, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi & Travis Barker Were In The Studio Working On Cudi's Forthcoming Album |url=http://bluntiq.com/2015/04/10/kid-cudi-travis-barker-were-in-the-studio-together-very-recently/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000137/http://bluntiq.com/2015/04/10/kid-cudi-travis-barker-were-in-the-studio-together-very-recently/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |publisher=Bluntiq}} On May 25, 2015, Cudi announced that Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven would have no guest features.{{cite web |last=Tardio |first=Andres |date=May 28, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi's Got Us Even More Excited About Speedin' Bullet To Heaven After This Revelation |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2172013/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531190756/http://www.mtv.com/news/2172013/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet/ |archive-date=May 31, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=MTV News |publisher=}}{{cite magazine |last=Frydenlund |first=Zach |date=May 28, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi's 'Speedin' Bullet To Heaven' Album Won't Have Any Guest Features |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/05/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-album-wont-have-any-guest-features |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924134538/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/05/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-album-wont-have-any-guest-features |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |magazine=Complex}} On July 4, 2015, Cudi reported the album to be "98% finished" and said that its first single would be released by the end of the month.{{cite web |last=Hosken |first=Patrick |date=July 4, 2015 |title=Allow Kid Cudi To Explain His New Album To You |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2204199/kid-cudi-new-album-tweets/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706191535/http://www.mtv.com/news/2204199/kid-cudi-new-album-tweets/ |archive-date=July 6, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |publisher=MTV News}} He also stated that it would "consist of all guitar and bass", although he later clarified that drums and electric guitar would appear on most of its tracks.{{cite web |last=Fitz-Geraland |first=Sean |date=July 6, 2015 |title=This Is What Kid Cudi's Next Album Will Be Like |url=http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-twitter.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707160624/http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-twitter.html |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=Vulture |publisher=}} A week after tweeting that he was finalizing the album's tracklisting, Cudi confirmed the album's release date on October 27, 2015.{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Gregory |date=October 27, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Fires Off 'Speedin' Bullet to Heaven' Release Date |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/kid_cudi_fires_off_speedin_bullet_to_heaven_release_date |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615075719/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/kid_cudi_fires_off_speedin_bullet_to_heaven_release_date |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Exclaim! |language=en}}

Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven was recorded at Chalice, Conway and Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and Red Barn Recording Studios in Big Sur.{{Cite AV media notes |title=Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven |last=Kid Cudi |year=2015 |type=booklet |publisher=Republic Records/Wicked Awesome Records |id=B0024341-02}} Cudi produced the entireity of the album himself and performed all of its bass and guitar parts; he said that the album contained no "synths or electronic sounds" and that the only other person involved in its production was Plain Pat. Cudi avoided using click tracks and quantization,{{cite web |date=August 5, 2015 |title=SBTH Will Be 'Pure Groove' |url=https://datnewcudi.com/2015/08/05/sbth-will-be-pure-groove/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815115934/https://datnewcudi.com/2015/08/05/sbth-will-be-pure-groove/ |archive-date=August 15, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=Datnewcudi.com}} and recorded everything using two-inch tape "for a richer and warmer sound quality". Dennis Cummings, Cudi's manager, was given an executive producer credit.{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Victoria |date=October 25, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi's Manager Calls Drake "Corny As Fuck" For "Two Birds, One Stone" Diss |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.41004/title.kid-cudis-manager-calls-drake-corny-as-fuck-for-two-birds-one-stone-diss |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=HipHopDX |language=en |quote=Cummings, who is listed as an executive producer on Cudi’s Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven album from 2015, |archive-date=June 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618091826/https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.41004/title.kid-cudis-manager-calls-drake-corny-as-fuck-for-two-birds-one-stone-diss |url-status=live }}

File:Nirvana around 1992.jpg (pictured); Kid Cudi also credited the documentary film Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) with inspiring the album.|221x221px]]

Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven is a 26-track double album, with its first disc ("Side A") containing the main, 18-track album and the second ("Side B") containing 8 bonus tracks of demos and outtakes.{{Cite web |last=Goddard |first=Kevin |date=December 4, 2015 |title=Stream Kid Cudi’s New Album "Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/461370-stream-kid-cudi-s-new-album-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-news |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205151513/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/461370-stream-kid-cudi-s-new-album-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-news |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}} Musically, the album marked a departure from the hip-hop sound of Cudi's previous albums. Music critics predominately described it as alternative rock,{{Cite web |last=Kaye |first=Ben |date=December 15, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi drops new album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin: Stream/download |url=https://consequence.net/2016/12/kid-cudi-drops-new-album-passion-pain-demon-slayin-stream-download/ |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=Consequence of Sound |language=en |quote=2015’s Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven [...] made a detour into alternative rock music.}} grunge, indie rock,{{Cite web |last=Itkoff |first=Adam Isaac |date=April 25, 2016 |title=A Look Inside The Genius Mind Of Kid Cudi |url=https://thesource.com/2016/04/25/a-look-inside-the-genius-mind-of-kid-cudi/ |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=The Source |language=en-US |quote=When compared to his collaborative 2012 release with Dot da Genius, WZRD, the direction of [Cudi's] 2015 alternative attempt isn’t actually all that surprising. But when juxtaposed with Billboard smothering hits from his debut like "Day 'n' Nite" and "Pursuit of Happiness", the difference couldn’t be more stark.}} punk rock{{Cite web |last=Middleton |first=Ryan |date=December 4, 2015 |title=Stream, Download Kid Cudi New Album 'Speedin Bullet 2 Heaven' |url=https://www.musictimes.com/articles/57053/20151204/stream-download-kid-cudi-new-album-speedin-bullet-2-heaven.htm |access-date=March 12, 2025 |website=Music Times |language=en-US |archive-date=February 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202112619/http://www.musictimes.com/articles/57053/20151204/stream-download-kid-cudi-new-album-speedin-bullet-2-heaven.htm |url-status=live }} and lo-fi. Cudi described the album as "alternative".{{Cite web |last=Cowen |first=Trace William |date=December 5, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi on the Proper Way to Classify 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven': It's Alternative, Not Hip-Hop |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/tracewilliamcowen/kid-cudi-twitter-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-alternative-not-hip-hop |access-date=December 23, 2015 |website=Complex |language=en |archive-date=December 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226132204/https://www.complex.com/music/a/tracewilliamcowen/kid-cudi-twitter-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-alternative-not-hip-hop |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Meara |first=Paul |date=December 5, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Calls "Speedin' Bullet To Heaven" "Alternative" |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.36538/title.kid-cudi-calls-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-alternative |access-date=December 23, 2015 |website=HipHopDX |language=en |quote=The reviews behind Kid Cudi’s latest album have been mixed,}} Cudi employs singing, groaning,{{Cite web |last=Gibbons |first=Chris |date=December 23, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi Returns to Form on "Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin" |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/kid-cudi-passion-pain-and-demon-slayin-album-review/ |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=XXL |language=en |archive-date=December 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211172902/https://www.xxlmag.com/kid-cudi-passion-pain-and-demon-slayin-album-review/ |url-status=live }} and crooning throughout the album, and applies Auto-Tune to his vocals on "Melting". According to Chris Mench of Complex, its songs lack traditional structures and "end up feeling more like unfiltered bursts of emotion". Kris Ex of Billboard writes that Cudi "differentiates things raging up and down emotional scales, mores than musical ones{{Sic}}." Its tracks are interspersed by four skits featuring Mike Judge voicing the titular characters of his animated sitcom, Beavis and Butt-Head.

Adam Isaac Kintoff of The Source and HotNewHipHop{{'s}} Maxwell Cavaseno compared Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven{{'s}} direction to WZRD, Cudi's previous rock music project with Dot da Genius, and its 2012 debut album. Ex viewed the album as more of a stylistic "hard left turn" for Cudi than a departure in light of this. Matthew Ramirez of Pitchfork considered it to be a more "unfiltered and unpolished" album compared to WZRD, a sentiment also shared by David Jefferies of AllMusic, who described its production as "minimal". Mench and Chris Tart, also of HotNewHipHop, compared the album to the American rock band Nirvana.{{Cite web |last=Tart |first=Chris |date=December 12, 2015 |title=6 Artists That Probably Influenced Kid Cudi's "Speedin' Bullet To Heaven" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/38816-6-artists-that-probably-influenced-kid-cudis-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-news |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250223212302/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/38816-6-artists-that-probably-influenced-kid-cudis-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-news |archive-date=February 23, 2025 |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}} In discussing the album, Cavaseno mentioned Cudi's past admiration for the band's frontman Kurt Cobain, whom is given a shout out on "Man in the Night". In 2024, Cudi credited the Brett Morgen documentary film Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) with inspiring Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven and {{Nowrap|"[expanding}} his] mind as an artist."{{Cite web |last=Hawkins |first=Ruth |date=February 2, 2024 |title=Kid Cudi Receives 'Extraordinary' Kurt Cobain Gift For 40th Birthday: 'This Blew My Mind' |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/kid-cudi-kurt-cobain-gift-40th-birthday |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008221241/https://hiphopdx.com/news/kid-cudi-kurt-cobain-gift-40th-birthday |archive-date=October 8, 2024 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=HipHopDX |language=en |quote=[Montage of Heck] was huge for me, as it inspired Speedin Bullet 2 Heaven and expanded my mind as an artist.}} Darryl Sterdan of the Toronto Sun also viewed the album as Cudi's "answer to Montage of Heck".{{Cite news |last=Sterdan |first=Darryl |date=January 6, 2016 |title=David Bowie's 'Blackstar' the first great album of 2016 |url=https://torontosun.com/2016/01/06/david-bowies-blackstar-the-first-great-album-of-2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913151445/http://www.torontosun.com/2016/01/06/david-bowies-blackstar-the-first-great-album-of-2016 |archive-date=September 13, 2017 |access-date=February 23, 2025 |work=Toronto Sun |language=en }}

Lyrically, Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven explores themes of mental health, depression, alienation, self-harm, anger, and suicidal thoughts. Prior to its release, Cudi dedicated the album to "everyone strugglin with mental disorder all around the world."{{Cite web |last=Podolsky |first=Josh |date=December 9, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi remakes mold, again |url=https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2015/12/kid-cudi-remakes-the-mold-again |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=The Tufts Daily |language=en |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525205331/https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2015/12/kid-cudi-remakes-the-mold-again |url-status=live }} Compared to those from his earlier albums, which "focused on escape on terrestrial terms", Ex described its themes as "more internal—the flight is more about Cudi breaking free from his mortal coil than anything around him." Mench writes that the lyrics illustrate Cudi's personal struggles "in alarming sonic clarity" and that the album often "feels like Cudi forcefully exorcizing the demons from his head". Ramirez felt that Cudi's "artlessly blunt" lyrics were made "even more exposed" by the album's production. Jeffries viewed its songwriting as stream-of-consciousness, on account of the simplicity and strangeness of his lyrics.

In an 2016 interview with Billboard, Cudi called Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven his "last outing as the dark, depressing character people place me as", saying that he "didn't want to come back to hip-hop making that type of music".{{Cite web |last=Wete |first=Brad |date=April 22, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi Reveals His Struggle With Drugs and Depression: ‘I Was Living a Nightmare’ |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/features/kid-cudi-reveals-struggle-with-drugs-and-depression-working-with-kanye-west-new-music-7341594/ |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327213439/https://www.billboard.com/music/features/kid-cudi-reveals-struggle-with-drugs-and-depression-working-with-kanye-west-new-music-7341594/ |url-status=live }} He would later call the period surrounding its writing and recording one of his darkest times, more than that of Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010).{{cite web |last=McKinney |first=Jessica |date=November 5, 2021 |title=16 Things We Learned from the New Kid Cudi Documentary 'A Man Named Scott' |url=https://www.complex.com/music/kid-cudi-documentary-man-named-scott-things-we-learned/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817075010/https://www.complex.com/music/kid-cudi-documentary-man-named-scott-things-we-learned/ |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |access-date=July 19, 2022 |website=Complex}} "I just wanted to scream and yell and make angry songs. It was the only way I could express what I was feeling at the time", he stated in 2019.{{Cite web |last=Cowen |first=Trace William |date=November 8, 2019 |title=Kid Cudi Looks Back on Initial Public Reaction to 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven' |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/tracewilliamcowen/kid-cudi-looks-back-on-initial-public-reaction-to-speedin-bullet-2-heaven |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Complex |language=en |archive-date=September 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923072603/https://www.complex.com/music/a/tracewilliamcowen/kid-cudi-looks-back-on-initial-public-reaction-to-speedin-bullet-2-heaven |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Findlay |first=Mitch |date=November 10, 2019 |title=Kid Cudi Appreciates The Love For His "Album Everyone Hates" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/228019-kid-cudi-appreciates-the-love-for-his-album-everyone-hates-news |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}} In 2020, Cudi described the album as a "cry for help", saying that he "was literally screamin out to the world that I was hurting deeply and just wanted so badly to be understood."{{Cite web |last=Zidel |first=Alex |date=July 13, 2020 |title=Kid Cudi Says "Speedin' Bullet" Album Was a Cry for Help |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kid-cudi-says-speedin-bullet-album-was-a-cry-for-help-news.114227.html |access-date=January 20, 2021 |website=HotNewHipHop |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921085135/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kid-cudi-says-speedin-bullet-album-was-a-cry-for-help-news.114227.html |url-status=live }} In the documentary A Man Named Scott (2021), Cudi refused to discuss the album or its songs,{{Cite web |last=Rindner |first=Grant |date=November 5, 2021 |title=The Most Interesting Moments in Kid Cudi’s 'A Man Named Scott' Documentary |url=https://www.gq.com/story/kid-cudi-a-man-named-scott-documentary-amazon-prime-interesting-moments |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111160756/https://www.gq.com/story/kid-cudi-a-man-named-scott-documentary-amazon-prime-interesting-moments |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=GQ |language=en-US}} but said of his state of mind at the time: "I felt like I was living the right way, but I still felt empty inside. People look up to me, but I'm not a happy person. [...] I felt like a fraud, and that’s what drove me to the dark side of what I was dealing with."

{{Listen

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}}

Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven opens with "Edge of the Earth/Post Mortem Boredom", which Mench describes as a "folksy, mesmerizing tune". "Confused!" sees Cudi "pondering huge questions" and desiring inner peace over post-punk guitar and clicking percussion. Featuring an "aggressive guitar riff", "Man in the Night" recalls the "lofi, mid-tempo guitar-driven" sound of The Velvet Underground. On "Screwed", Cudi croons over "carefully plucked" guitar chords, per Mench. Troy L. Smith of The Plain Dealer highlighted the song's "punk and grunge tendencies".{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Troy L. |date=October 27, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi to release new album 'Speedin' Bullet to Heaven' in December |url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/10/kid_cudi_to_release_new_album.html |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=The Plain Dealer}} "Fade 2 Red" centers around a looping, droning riff and "shout-sing[ing]" vocals from Cudi, whose lyrics Adam Kivel of Consequence of Sound described as "mashed together with unrhymed lines about dealing with idiots." "Adventures", which Ex described as a "drug trip ode", is among the few tracks on Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven to display hip-hop influences. Cavaseno compared the song's mix of rock, hip-hop and electronica to the early demo works of TV on the Radio. Cudi said "The Nothing" is about "addiction, [and] the hauntings of it. Calling us."{{Cite web |last=@KiDCuDi |date=December 4, 2015 |title=The Chosen One on Twitter: ""Can someone, anyone, give me candy? Someone, anyone, give me candy? Huh?" The Nothing is about addiction, the hauntings of it. Calling us.". |url=https://x.com/KidCudi/status/672684317676404736 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305220717/https://twitter.com/KidCudi/status/672684317676404736 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |access-date=December 23, 2015 |website=Twitter}} Cavaseno and Tart respectively compared the song's music to Sebadoh and the Deftones. It features stream-of-consciousness lyrics that reference the nursery rhyme "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary". "Handle with Care" is an acoustic number that sees Cudi warning women against dating him. Over a "despondent" melody, he confesses that his "delicate heart" is "essential to his capacity to love and at the same time a liability in terms of his behavior", according to The Hollywood Reporter{{'s}} Lovia Gyarkye.{{Cite web |last=Gyarkye |first=Lovia |date=November 4, 2021 |title=Amazon’s ‘A Man Named Scott’: Film Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-man-named-scott-film-review-1235041907/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221140402/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/a-man-named-scott-film-review-1235041907/ |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

"Judgemental Cunt" features a "classic stoner stomp" and sees Cudi break his voice whilst screaming. Kivel described the song as "a middle finger to the people hating on him", though Smith and Ramirez saw its lyrics as self-critical. Tart viewed "Séance Chaos" and "Angered Kids" as worshipping the hardcore punk of Bad Brains. Jefferies described "Fairy Tale Remains" as sounding like "Death Grips [attempting] to make a My Bloody Valentine album" without "the chops". "Wedding Tux" is an acoustic song{{Cite web |last=Devin |date=October 3, 2015 |title=New Music: Kid Cudi - 'Wedding Tux' + 'Judgemental Cunt' |url=https://www.rap-up.com/article/2015/10/03/new-music-kid-cudi-wedding-tux-judgemental-cunt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241011125941/https://www.rap-up.com/article/2015/10/03/new-music-kid-cudi-wedding-tux-judgemental-cunt |archive-date=October 11, 2024 |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=Rap-Up}} featuring a "warm" and "entrancing" two-chord pattern. Cudi's lyrics describe how he is treated like "rotting meat" by his girlfriend and his memories are being eaten by maggots. Tart compared its "absolutely miserable" vibes to those of Elliott Smith. On the album's title track, Cudi softly sings about manic depression over a "nostalgic" breakbeat, per Ramirez. Mench compared the song and "Insides Out" to Cudi's earlier songs "All Along" and "Mr. Rager". The title track also appears as an acoustic demo at the end of "Side B". Mench described "Embers" as "a fever-dream of quiet existentialism". Kivel compared the "groaning-over-acoustic-guitar" song "The Return of Chip Douglas" to a joke warm-up by Gordon Gano at a Violent Femmes rehearsal.

On May 12, 2015, Cudi posted a low-quality preview of a song via his Twitter account, which he quickly deleted.{{Cite web |last=Bobb |first=Maurice |date=May 12, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Tweeted (And Then Deleted) New Music: Listen |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2158864/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-snippet/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601011245/http://www.mtv.com/news/2158864/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-snippet/ |archive-date=June 1, 2015 |access-date=February 22, 2025 |publisher=MTV News}}{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Christopher |date=May 13, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Teases New Music |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.33831/title.kid-cudi-teases-new-music |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=HipHopDX |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519120709/http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.33831/title.kid-cudi-teases-new-music |url-status=live }} On August 1, 2015, he released "Confused!" as the lead single from Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven.{{cite web |last=Goddard |first=Kevin |date=August 1, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi - Confused {{pipe}} Listen [New Song] |url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kid-cudi-confused-new-song.1965680.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117063534/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kid-cudi-confused-new-song.1965680.html |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=HotNewHipHop}} According to Alex Siber of Complex, initial reactions to the song on social media were varied, with comments on Twitter and Facebook "suggest[ing] disappointment".{{Cite web |last=Siber |first=Alex |date=August 1, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Unveils Lead 'Speedin Bullet' Single, "Confused" |url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/a/alex-siber/kid-cudi-unveils-lead-speedin-bullet-single-confused |access-date=March 13, 2025 |website=Complex |language=en |quote=Mescudi dropped the song on social media minutes ago [...] Initial reactions have covered a broad range, but a quick browse of comments on Twitter and Facebook suggests disappointment.}} On September 29, 2015, he revealed that it would be released as a double album.{{cite web |author=Jefferson |first=J'na |date=September 29, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Has Double-Disc Plans For His New Album |url=http://www.vibe.com/2015/09/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-double-disc/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102073347/http://www.vibe.com/2015/09/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-to-heaven-double-disc/ |archive-date=November 2, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=Vibe}} On October 3, 2015, following delays related to iTunes and his record label, Cudi released two new songs, "Wedding Tux" and "Judgmental Cunt", on his SoundCloud page.{{cite web |last=Hosken |first=Patrick |date=October 4, 2015 |title=You Can Listen To Two Strange New Kid Cudi Songs Right Now |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2338689/kid-cudi-judgemental-cunt-wedding-tux/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005055906/http://www.mtv.com/news/2338689/kid-cudi-judgemental-cunt-wedding-tux/ |archive-date=October 5, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |publisher=MTV News}} On November 13, 2015, Cudi revealed the track listing to the album's first disc (Side A).{{cite magazine |last=Devin |date=November 13, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Reveals 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven' Tracklisting |url=http://www.rap-up.com/2015/11/13/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-tracklisting/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024657/http://www.rap-up.com/2015/11/13/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-tracklisting/ |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |magazine=Rap-Up}} Four days later, he unveiled its cover art.{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Trevor |date=November 16, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Reveals Trippy "Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven" Artwork |url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kid-cudi-reveals-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-artwork-news.18699.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119054852/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kid-cudi-reveals-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-artwork-news.18699.html |archive-date=November 19, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |website=HotNewHipHop}}

Cudi was due to embark on a concert tour of the United States, the Especial Tour, from November 30 to December 22, 2015.{{cite magazine |last=Miss Info |date=November 26, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Announces 'Especial' Tour |url=http://www.rap-up.com/2015/11/12/kid-cudi-announces-especial-tour/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114220552/http://www.rap-up.com/2015/11/12/kid-cudi-announces-especial-tour/ |archive-date=November 14, 2015 |access-date=November 30, 2015 |magazine=Rap-Up}} Following its first show in Denver,{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Ru |date=December 1, 2015 |title=Review: Kid Cudi plays a head-scratching set in Denver (photos) |url=http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2015/12/01/kid-cudi-kicks-off-new-tour-at-the-fillmore-with-a-head-scratching-set/110862/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203213120/http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2015/12/01/kid-cudi-kicks-off-new-tour-at-the-fillmore-with-a-head-scratching-set/110862/ |archive-date=December 3, 2015 |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=Hey Reverb |publisher=The Denver Post}} Cudi cancelled the rest of the tour for various reasons, such as production and personal issues. He wrote: "I got a lot I'm dealing with at this time in my personal life too and in order for the shows to be the best experience possible as well as keeping my sanity intact, I need to regroup. I have to." To make up for postponing the concert tour, Cudi released the album's title track as the second single the following day.{{Cite web |last=Platon |first=Adelle |date=December 2, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Cancels ‘Especial’ Tour, Releases ‘Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven’ |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/kid-cudi-cancels-especial-tour-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-6784804/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818140241/https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/kid-cudi-cancels-especial-tour-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-6784804/ |archive-date=August 18, 2023 |access-date=December 23, 2015 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Cee |first=Kymmi |date=December 2, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi Cancels Tour, Offers New Single As Part Of Apology |url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2015-12-02/9824/kid-cudi-cancels-tour-offers-new-single-as-part-of-apology |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=Revolt |archive-date=October 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003144631/https://www.revolt.tv/article/2015-12-02/9824/kid-cudi-cancels-tour-offers-new-single-as-part-of-apology |url-status=live }} On January 5, 2016, he released an acoustic version of "Confused!".{{Cite web |last=Devin |date=January 5, 2016 |title=New Music: Kid Cudi - 'Confused (Acoustic)' |url=https://www.rap-up.com/article/2016/01/05/new-music-kid-cudi-confused-acoustic |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=Rap-Up |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114023600/https://www.rap-up.com/article/2016/01/05/new-music-kid-cudi-confused-acoustic |url-status=live }} The Especial Tour dates were later rescheduled to January 31 to March 12, 2016.{{Cite web |last=Bristout |first=Ralph |date=January 15, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi Reschedules Especial Tour Dates |url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2016-01-15/10758/kid-cudi-reschedules-especial-tour-dates |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109172119/https://www.revolt.tv/article/2016-01-15/10758/kid-cudi-reschedules-especial-tour-dates |archive-date=November 9, 2024 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Revolt}}

Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven was first released through digital music platforms on December 4, 2015, with its physical release arriving on December 18. The album sold 19,365 album equivalent units in its first week, 14,210 of which were from pure album sales, to debut at number 36 on the US Billboard 200 chart.{{cite magazine |last=Hernandez |first=Victoria |date=December 15, 2015 |title=Hip Hop Album Sales: G-Eazy, Rick Ross & Kid Cudi |url=http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.36642/title.hip-hop-album-sales-g-eazy-rick-ross-kid-cudi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216050343/http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.36642/title.hip-hop-album-sales-g-eazy-rick-ross-kid-cudi |archive-date=December 16, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2015 |magazine=HipHopDX}} It was Kid Cudi's first album to not chart within the top 10, and its sales and chart positions fell below those of his previous albums.{{cite web |last=Mench |first=Chris |date=May 12, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi Says 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven' Is 5 Years Ahead of Its Time |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2016/05/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-ahead-of-its-time |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619185255/http://www.complex.com/music/2016/05/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-ahead-of-its-time |archive-date=June 19, 2016 |access-date=October 1, 2016 |website=Complex |quote=Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven proved to be Cudi's most polarizing album.}} Mench said it was the "first true flop of his career".{{Cite web |last=Mench |first=Chris |date=December 15, 2016 |title=How Kid Cudi Lost and Found Himself in 2016 |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/chris-mench/how-kid-cudi-lost-and-found-himself-in-2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715063009/https://www.complex.com/music/a/chris-mench/how-kid-cudi-lost-and-found-himself-in-2016 |archive-date=July 15, 2023 |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=Complex |language=en}} The album was reissued on cassette in 2016,{{Cite web |last=Hendicott |first=James |date=March 27, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi posts new track 'The Frequency' - listen |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/kid-cudi-2-1198999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712212427/https://www.nme.com/news/music/kid-cudi-2-1198999 |archive-date=July 12, 2019 |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} and on vinyl in 2025.{{Cite web |last=Complex |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Kid Cudi Drops New Vinyl Variants on Complex Shop |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/complex/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-vinyl-complex-shop |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Complex |language=en}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 44/100{{cite web|title=Reviews for Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven by Kid Cudi |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/speedin-bullet-2-heaven/kid-cudi |website=Metacritic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219063324/http://www.metacritic.com/music/speedin-bullet-2-heaven/kid-cudi |archive-date=December 19, 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=December 23, 2015}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web |last=Jeffries |first=David |date=n.d. |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/speedin-bullet-2-heaven-mw0002903533|title=Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven - Kid Cudi - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=October 1, 2016}}

| rev2 = Billboard

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine | url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6792578/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-album-review | title=Kid Cudi Grapples With Life's Lows on 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven': Album Review | magazine=Billboard | date=December 8, 2015 | access-date=December 8, 2015 | author=Ex, Kris | archive-date=December 11, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211110929/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6792578/kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-album-review | url-status=live }}

| rev3 = Complex

| rev3Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web |url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/12/review-kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven |title=Review: Kid Cudi's 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven' Is Not As Terrible As Everyone Thinks It Is |first=Chris |last=Mench |website=Complex |date=December 7, 2015 |access-date=December 7, 2015 |archive-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209220444/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/12/review-kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven |url-status=live }}

| rev4 = Consequence of Sound

| rev4Score = D+{{cite web |url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/12/album-review-kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven/ |title=Album Review: Kid Cudi – Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven |first=Adam |last=Kivel |work=Consequence of Sound |date=December 10, 2015 |access-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-date=January 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110202827/http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/12/album-review-kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven/ |url-status=live }}

| rev5 = HipHopDX

| rev5Score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite web |last=Bisnof |first=Jason |date=December 15, 2015 |url=http://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2593/title.kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven |title=Kid Cudi - Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven |work=HipHopDX |publisher=Cheri Media Group |access-date=December 15, 2015 |archive-date=December 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151217022414/http://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2593/title.kid-cudi-speedin-bullet-2-heaven |url-status=live }}

| rev6 = HotNewHipHop

| rev6score = 68%{{Cite web |last=Cavaseno |first=Maxwell |date=December 13, 2015 |title=Review: Kid Cudi's "Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/39382-review-kid-cudis-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-news |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151215033842/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/review-kid-cudis-speedin-bullet-2-heaven-news.19091.html |archive-date=December 15, 2015 |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}}

| rev7 = The Needle Drop

| rev7Score = 0/10{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJDcbwpsjU0 |title=Kid Cudi - Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven Album Review |date=December 5, 2015 |last=theneedledrop |access-date=July 23, 2024 |via=YouTube |archive-date=December 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205231210/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJDcbwpsjU0&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8Score = 4.0/10{{cite web|last=Ramirez|first=Matthew|date=January 6, 2016|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21351-speedin-bullet-2-heaven/|title=Kid Cudi: Speedin' Bullet 2 Heavn|work=Pitchfork|access-date=January 6, 2016}}

| rev9 = The Plain Dealer

| rev9Score = C−{{cite web|last=Smith |first=Troy L. |date=December 4, 2015 |title=Kid Cudi explores mental illness on confounding 'Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven' (Review) |url=http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/12/kid_cudi_absolutely_loses_his.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207015329/http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/12/kid_cudi_absolutely_loses_his.html |archive-date=December 7, 2015 |url-status=live |website=The Plain Dealer |access-date=January 6, 2016}}

| rev10 = Toronto Sun

| rev10score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

}}

Publications described the critical consensus of Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven as mixed, negative, or polarizing.{{#tag:ref|{{underline|Reception}}:

• Mixed:{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Randall |date=October 5, 2016 |title=Citing depression and suicidal thoughts, rapper Kid Cudi checks himself into rehab |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-kid-cudi-depression-post-20161005-snap-story.html |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |quote=the double-disc “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.” [...] received mixed reviews. |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004001948/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-kid-cudi-depression-post-20161005-snap-story.html |url-status=live }}
• Negative:{{Cite web |last=Carissimo |first=Justin |date=September 14, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi says Kanye West and Drake don't write their own rhymes |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/kid-cudi-says-kanye-west-and-drake-have-30-people-writing-songs-for-them-a7307706.html |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=The Independent |quote=2015's critically panned effort Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven |archive-date=January 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128221841/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/kid-cudi-says-kanye-west-and-drake-have-30-people-writing-songs-for-them-a7307706.html |url-status=live }}
• Polarizing:{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Troy L. |date=September 6, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi to release new album in September |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2016/09/kid_cudi_to_release_new_album_1.html |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=The Plain Dealer |language=en |quote=his polarizing indie-rock opus "Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven" |archive-date=January 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104081834/https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2016/09/kid_cudi_to_release_new_album_1.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Bristout |first=Ralph |date=September 6, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi set to drop double album of "beautiful sonic candy" this month |url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2016-09-06/19495/kid-cudi-set-to-drop-double-album-of-beautiful-sonic-candy-this-month |access-date=February 23, 2025 |website=Revolt |quote=After releasing the polarizing indie-rock double-disc Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven last year,}} |group=N}} On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the album holds a score of 44 out of 100, based on reviews from five critics, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".

Smith of The Plain Dealer called the album "a poor man's Yeezus - a baffling case of experimentation without any of the sonic depth." Kivel of Consequence of Sound criticized its formulaic songwriting, "ultra-repetitive guitar riffs" and skits, though he commended the "passion and intensity" at which its ideas were presented. Although he found it sonically "strong", Jason Bisnof of HipHopDX felt that the album was lacking in identity and believed many of its songs were "repetitive and better suited for a singer and a voice more typical to [rock music]." Bisnof also deemed it creatively inferior to Cudi's first two albums, Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) and Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, stating: "For many artists or rock groups this would show pieces of strong artistry, but for the man behind two of the best albums of the last decade, it seems like yet another identity crisis on wax".

Jeffries of AllMusic felt that Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven would only appeal to Kid Cudi's hardcore fanbase, whilst "outsiders" would perceive the album as "sloppy and confused". Cavaseno of HotNewHipHop anticipated that the varying quality of Cudi's musicianship, its length, "raw" songs, and skits, would make the album a difficult listen for both listeners and fans. Ramirez of Pitchfork called the album dated and self-indulgent and compared it to "a comedian bombing onstage trying to will it into performance art". Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop gave the album a zero out of ten, calling it "the musical equivalent to just a mile of hot coal walking" and the worst album he had reviewed in 2015. Fantano's review led to the album becoming the subject of memes.{{Cite web |last=Davino |first=Bianca |date=December 5, 2019 |title=Love Him Or Loathe Him, Anthony Fantano Shaped Music Criticism In The 2010s |url=https://archive.junkee.com/anthony-fantano-criticism/233311 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250122224447/https://archive.junkee.com/anthony-fantano-criticism/233311 |archive-date=January 22, 2025 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Junkee |language=en-US}}

Vice{{'s}} Adam Downer considered Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven to be a work of "so bad it's good" art, comparing it to Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 film The Room.{{Cite web |last=Downer |first=Adam |date=January 10, 2016 |title=Confused!: Kid Cudi's 'Speeding Bullet 2 Heaven' and the Phenomenon of Art So Bad It's Irresistible |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/confused-kid-cudis-speeding-bullet-2-heaven-and-art-so-bad-its-irresistible/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121032045/https://www.vice.com/en/article/6e4kew/confused-kid-cudis-speeding-bullet-2-heaven-and-art-so-bad-its-irresistible |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Vice |language=en-US}} In a review for Complex, Mench thought it was messier and more challenging than Cudi's previous work but felt it had "admirably unique" qualities. Ex of Billboard found the album "uncomfortably internal" but nevertheless "a pleasurable listen"; he overall felt on the album, Cudi is "more exposed than ever, and perhaps all the better for it". The album was praised by several of Cudi's peers, including Erykah Badu,{{cite web |last=Ivey |first=Justin |date=December 17, 2015 |title=Erykah Badu Praises Kid Cudi's New Album 'Speedin Bullet to Heaven' |url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/12/erykah-badu-praises-kid-cudis-new-album-speedin-bullet-to-heaven/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813102451/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/12/erykah-badu-praises-kid-cudis-new-album-speedin-bullet-to-heaven/ |archive-date=August 13, 2016 |access-date=October 1, 2016 |website=XXL}} Kanye West, and André 3000.{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=John |date=January 7, 2016 |title=Andre 3000 Says He Loves the New Kid Cudi Album and Wants to Write More Music |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/r7pmgz/andre-3000-loves-the-new-kid-cudi-album-and-wants-to-write-more-music |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025190917/https://www.vice.com/en/article/r7pmgz/andre-3000-loves-the-new-kid-cudi-album-and-wants-to-write-more-music |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=Vice}} ASAP Rocky later named it his favorite Kid Cudi album.

In 2018, Gus Fisher of HotNewHipHop suggested that the negative reception to the album was a "glaring [example] of the music media immediately shutting down Black artists for stepping outside of the confines of what is deemed as 'Black music.' "{{cite web |last=Fisher |first=Gus |date=August 7, 2018 |title=Kings Of Rock: A Brief History Of Rap-Rock |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/119311-kings-of-rock-a-brief-history-of-rap-rock-news |access-date=May 16, 2023 |work=HotNewHipHop |quote= |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516230847/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/119311-kings-of-rock-a-brief-history-of-rap-rock-news |url-status=live }} In 2019, Cyclone Wehrer of The Music called the album "underrated".{{Cite web |last=Wehner |first=Cyclone |date=February 18, 2019 |title=Fans May Have 'Cancelled' These Albums On Release But Are They Worthy Of A Do-Over? |url=https://themusic.com.au/features/og-flavas-controversial-albums-cyclone/XZxFcXBzcnU/18-02-19 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |website=The Music |language=en}} In a 2022 listicle covering "Hip-Hop Albums That Didn't Live Up to the Hype", XXL wrote the most of the album's songs lacked "enough oomph to make them remarkable" and remarked that although "Day-one Cudi fans would argue that his project wasn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be", fans that "[knew] the full extent of his artistic talent […] would say otherwise."{{Cite web |last=High |first=Kemet |last2=Seabrook III |first2=Robby |date=December 9, 2022 |title=23 Hip-Hop Albums That Didn't Live Up to the Hype |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/hip-hop-albums-didnt-live-up-to-hype/ |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=XXL |language=en |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204143100/https://www.xxlmag.com/hip-hop-albums-didnt-live-up-to-hype/ |url-status=live }} In 2024, Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone dismissed the album as "bland, Afropunk-baiting alt-rock".{{Cite web |last=Reeves |first=Mosi |date=January 17, 2024 |title=Kid Cudi Is Leaning Into the Chaos, And Getting Lost In It |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kid-cudi-insano-1234948097/ |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=December 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219030538/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kid-cudi-insano-1234948097/ |url-status=live }}

In an April 2016 interview with Billboard, Cudi said that he would no longer be releasing Man on the Moon III after Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven. He said that the response to the album "tore [him] up" and that its poor commercial performance led him to "[question his] fan base and if I even have one at all"; at the same time, he considered it to be "the best thing to happen" to him in 2015. The following month, Cudi claimed that the album was ahead of its time and believed its impact would be seen in at least five years. In 2016, Cudi released his sixth album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin',{{Cite web |last=Galbraith |first=Alex |date=December 1, 2016 |title=Kid Cudi Shares 'Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' Release Date, New Song |url=https://uproxx.com/music/kid-cudi-new-album-release-date-passion-pain-demon-slayin/ |access-date=February 25, 2025 |website=Uproxx |language=en-US}} which Uproxx described as a "musical mea culpa" for Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Aaron |date=June 8, 2018 |title='Kids See Ghosts' Is A Return To Form For Both Kanye West And Kid Cudi |url=https://uproxx.com/music/kanye-west-kid-cudi-kids-see-ghosts-review/ |access-date=February 25, 2025 |website=Uproxx |language=en-US}} Cudi later he revealed that the album was intended to be Man on the Moon III but wanted to "be in a better place" when he ultimately released the final installment of his trilogy, which arrived in 2020.{{cite web |last=Jefferson |first=Devon |date=December 17, 2022 |title=Kid Cudi Teases New Music, Reveals 'Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin{{'}}' Was Originally 'MOTM3' |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/kid-cudi-new-music-passion-pain-demon-slayin-motm3 |access-date=May 28, 2023 |website=HipHopDX |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528193852/https://hiphopdx.com/news/kid-cudi-new-music-passion-pain-demon-slayin-motm3 |url-status=live }} In 2022, "Confused!" and "Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven" were included in Cudi's first greatest hits compilation, The Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1.{{Cite news |last=ET Spotlight Special |date=July 8, 2022 |title=Kid Cudi releases ‘The Boy Who Flew To The Moon Vol. 1’, a compilation mixtape of his all-time hits |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/kid-cudi-releases-the-boy-who-flew-to-the-moon-vol-1-a-compilation-mixtape-of-his-all-time-hits/articleshow/92749251.cms?from=mdr |access-date=February 22, 2025 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810183108/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/kid-cudi-releases-the-boy-who-flew-to-the-moon-vol-1-a-compilation-mixtape-of-his-all-time-hits/articleshow/92749251.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live }}

All songs are written by Scott Mescudi; all songs are produced by Mescudi, except where noted.

{{Track listing

| all_writing =

| headline = Side A

| title1 = Edge of the Earth/Post Mortem Boredom

| length1 = 4:43

| title2 = Confused!

| length2 = 3:56

| title3 = Man in the Night

| length3 = 3:50

| title4 = Screwed

| length4 = 2:27

| title5 = Fade 2 Red

| length5 = 2:57

| title6 = Adventures

| length6 = 6:10

| extra6 = {{hlist|Scott Mescudi|Patrick Reynolds}}

| title7 = The Nothing

| length7 = 3:30

| title8 = Amen

| length8 = 3:04

| extra8 = {{hlist|Mescudi|Reynolds}}

| title9 = Handle with Care

| length9 = 3:45

| title10 = Judgemental Cunt

| length10 = 3:05

| title11 = Séance Chaos

| length11 = 1:53

| title12 = Fairy Tale Remains

| length12 = 3:06

| title13 = Wedding Tux

| length13 = 2:32

| title14 = Angered Kids

| length14 = 3:31

| extra14 = {{hlist|Mescudi|Reynolds}}

| title15 = Red Sabbath

| length15 = 4:38

| title16 = Fuchsia Butterflies

| length16 = 2:45

| title17 = Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven

| length17 = 4:34

| extra17 = {{hlist|Mescudi|Reynolds}}

| title18 = Embers

| length18 = 3:00

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 63:26

}}

{{Track listing

| all_writing =

| headline = Side B

| extra_column =

| title1 = Anomaly

| note1 = Rehearsal Demo

| length1 = 4:34

| title2 = The Return of Chip Douglas

| note2 = Demo

| length2 = 4:15

| title3 = Trauma

| length3 = 2:44

| title4 = Wait!

| note4 = Rehearsal Demo

| length4 = 1:58

| title5 = Insides Out

| length5 = 3:07

| title6 = Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven

| note6 = Acoustic Demo

| length6 = 3:24

| title7 = Worth

| length7 = 5:17

| title8 = Melting

| length8 = 2:37

| total_length = 27:56

}}

Notes

• All Beavis and Butt-Head interludes written by Scott Mescudi and Mike Judge.
• "Confused!", "Amen", "Wait!" and "Melting" are stylized in all caps.

Credits for Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven adapted from liner notes.

• Scott Mescudi – vocals, guitars, bass, production, executive producer, art direction, creative art
• Oladipo Omishore – bass (B4)
• Mike Moore – live drums (A2, A3, A5, A8, A11, A12, A14, B1, B4)

Production

• Patrick Reynolds – production (A6, A8, A14, A17)
• Dennis Cummings – executive producer
• Iain Findlay – engineer (A3–5, A9, A15, A18, B3–6), mixing (A18, B3, B4, B8)
• Anthony Kilhoffer – engineer (A1, A2, A6–8, A10–14, A16, A17, B1, B2, B7, B8) mixing (A1–17, B1, B2, B5–7)
• Gavin Lurssen – mastering

Studios

• Chalice Recording Studios – recording (A3, A5, A9, A15, A18, B4, B5, B7), mixing (A2, A5, A6, A8, A10, B7)
• Conway Recording Studios – recording (A1, A2, A10, A13), mixing (A1, A3)
• Henson Recording Studios – recording (A4, A8, A11, A12, A14, A16, A17, B1–3, B6, B8), mixing (A4, A7, A9, A11–18, B1–6, B8)
• Red Barn Recording Studios – recording (A1, A2, A6, A10)

Artwork

• Sandy Brummels – creative art
• Vada Mescudi – City Heart sculpture, Daddy portrait
• Kyledidthis – art direction

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kq1M-874GOzjenxyecv0_bjfwzVl0JDPY Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven] on YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

{{Kid Cudi}}

{{Beavis and Butt-Head}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2015 albums

Category:Beavis and Butt-Head

Category:Kid Cudi albums

Category:Republic Records albums

Category:Alternative rock albums by American artists

Category:Albums produced by Kid Cudi

Category:Albums produced by Plain Pat

Category:Wicked Awesome Records albums

Category:Grunge albums

Category:Indie rock albums by American artists

Category:Punk rock albums by American artists

Category:Lo-fi music albums