Kid Cudi is back with the third part of the epitome of his early career ‘Man On The Moon’. ‘Man On The Moon III: The Chosen’ brings back what Cudi does best. With his nostalgia in mind with forward-thinking tracks, he lifts up the genre he once created. Often credit to be one of the best rappers the noughties created Kid Cudi uses his third instalment of ‘MOTM’ as a glorified therapy session.
His highs and lows are all presented in this record and together with several features, we seem to realise the depth of his character. The 36-year-old deals with his past neglect of what was wrong with him and that looking inside and celebrating your feelings either bad or good are worth investigating in order to grow as a person. In ‘Show Out’ we see him team up with Skepta and a posthumous Pop Smoke to let out his rage and make a drill infused track that lets out steam for him as well as everyone listening to it.
Throughout the 18 song record, we see the Cleveland native mix several combinations of genres which proves that even eleven years after the inception of his ‘MOTM’ series he has what it takes to stay on top and that it is not pure legacy that keeps him being relevant. The slight electro-pop backdrop that is heard on ‘Rockstar Knights’ which sees him team up with Trippie Red is in vast contrast to ‘Lovin Me’ that brings out the emo beats that combine perfectly with his introspective lyrics “I told myself I cannot grow without lovin’ me, lovin’ me but this is just the hell that lives inside” and features the emo-queen of 2020, Phoebe Bridgers.
The light synths and ad libs are part of his inaugural experimentation. No one can do it quite like Cudi as he isn’t just one of the most important rappers of the last two decades he has always been honest with his audience, perfected his craft and created a feeling of belonging to all of his fans. In ‘4 da Kidz’ that is dedicated to all “the kiddies”, the “real-life dreamers in the suburbs and the cities” and professes that he “won’t leave them alone”. His mix of personal vulnerability and acceptance creates an atmosphere so beautiful that elevates him from a musical sensation to a legend.
In ‘Man On The Moon III: The Chosen’ we have seen Kid Cudi return to a solo album after four years and it has been established to be worth the wait. As he has proven to be a man of many talents with his budding acting career, after this experience there can be no doubt left. Although he is made to excel in the entire entertainment business he has been put on this world to gift the world with his music because as the apocalypse, that is known as 2020 is raging into 2021, one thing has become apparent music will be our salvation and as the world is crumbling down Kid Cudi’s latest effort will save us from the downfall.
Text by: Lauren Dehollogne // Album cover by: Sam Spratt
GEM Magazine 