It's been a loooooong time since I've gone outside the sports' realm for a Blog Post and I wasn't expecting to do this but fuck it, I have to do this on here instead of flooding the Twitter timeline with a giant thread nobody will read. It's time to instantly react to Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, Kid Cudi's seventh studio album and third album as part of the Man on the Moon trilogy, a project he hasn't really contributed to (although Kids See Ghosts certainly felt familiar) in ten years. As the lonely stoner who seems to free their minds at night population grew in this year of staying indoors, now seems to be the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot for Scott Mescudi. Let's see what we have here...
ACT I: Return 2 Madness
1. Beautiful Trip - It doesn't get much more hype than hearing the four "Here In My Dreams" notes that immediately brings me back to the MOTM1 era.
2. Tequila Shots - Old Cudi but with more autotune? I can vibe with this. Take A Daytrip has won me over as a production duo, this fits into the trilogy well.
3. Another Day - Not as memorable as his first HEAVILY sampled collaboration with Nosaj Thing on "Man On The Moon (the Anthem)"
4. She Knows This - Definitely a headphones song (am streaming on Spotify through my television). First thing I notice is Cudi has dramatically improved his flow as a rapper. This is some Kids See Ghosts shit that isn't clicking with me right away (These are truly INSTANT reactions) and this is a grower.
5. Dive - The most Travis Scott-like song thus far, hardcore banger. Too short in my opinion but, there wasn't much for Cudi to say either. A solid track that gets the job done, will chart, am buying stock in this one.
ACT II: The Rager, The Menace
6. Damaged - Is the autotune tainting the legacy of MOTM? I say no, it seems like a natural progression of Cudi adjusting and appealing to all those he's inspired since his come-up. In some ways, this is a tip of the cap to the Travis Scott's of the world. Another solid track worth buying chart stock in.
7. Heaven On Earth - A hint of violin? The production on this album is pretty slick and technically immaculate so far. He's leaning into the "I've made it big time, now what?" narrative like there's clearly this guise of Cudi living the rockstar life like his first two albums and it feels very MOTM2 in terms of subject matter but, I'm ready for more development and will be paying closer attention over the remainder of this project. This has Migos vibes but, the rare topnotch Migos that we've been missing for a few years now.
8. Show Out (ft. Skepta & Pop Smoke) - I'm a fan of Skepta and he fucking kills it here, 10/10 Skepta intro. I've made the mistake of completely overlooking the tragically late rappers of 2020 like Pop Smoke, King Vonn and Mo3 so I'm unfamiliar with Pop Smoke's work to this point (will prepare in time for Grammy season). I dig the voice though.
9. Mr. Solo Dolo III - The midway point, much like the opener, is a very direct reminder that this is a part of a trilogy of albums and goddamn, does this bring back memories of those middle school nights where I listened to nothing but MOTM, 808s, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Metric's Fantasies. Tremendous shot of nostalgia and the saddest, strongest lyrical showing from Cudi so far. Haven't heard too much humming up until this point and it still gets me like I'm sure it does everyone. Kid Cudi's humming is unmatched.
ACT III: Heart of Rose Gold
10. Sad People - I sort of zoned out through this song, will need more listens for sure because again, it fits with the tone of the album and works sonically.
11. Elsie's Baby Boy (flashback) - FINALLY, he institutes some of the left-field indie-rock samplings that made MOTM1 and MOTM2 so revolutionary for me, personally. This is Cudi's best song in a decade. Good god is it heartbreaking. Maybe a tad repetitive but shit, this instrumental and outro are highlights for me on the album so far.
12. Sept. 16 - Finneas is listed as a producer and it shows through in a clouded instrumental that goes for the hazy bedroom vibe when it could have had dancehall potential (not a bad thing). We're back on the autotuned Cudi after a short detour through early Cudi material. Another heartbreaker, this one is hitting different (shoutout to SZA).
13. The Void - A 5-minute long track? Ambitious. This is a beautiful second half of the album. Could have absolutely been an album closer. Cudi communicating with the listener through his autotuned warbling at the end is super touching. This man is a legend.
14. Lovin' Me (ft. Phoebe Bridgers) - Cudi and I have similar music tastes (see: MGMT, Kanye, St. Vincent, Band of Horses, Kendrick features) so of course he has a Phoebe Bridgers feature on here. He's directly addressing his depression and the effect it's had on his persona in the past, it's a very open and honest piece of work like pretty much everything he's done but it's hidden behind less drugs, overproduction and masks. Phoebe's contribution isn't really needed but her own depressing lyricism fits with the Cudi vibe, only a few years younger now. I consider this a passing of the torch.
ACT IV: Powers
15. The Pale Moonlight - For pure "real rap" fans that enjoyed his song with Eminem earlier this year (I did but c'mon, nobody's heard that song in months), this might be the one for them as it pulls us out of the haze of the third, strongest act and into a more mainstream finale.
16. Rockstar Knights (ft. Trippie Redd) - Ok, scratch my opinion on track 15. Maybe that was the oldhead "real rap" song and this is for the younger "real rap" fans? I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. Trippie Redd does well here. I hope he does more shit like this and less of whatever it is Trippie Redd has been doing.
17. 4 Da Kidz - The distorted chorus reminds me of a poor man's Pursuit of Happiness along with the twinkling outro. Oh shit, Tom Hanks! Castaway is a great movie. Kid Cudi has created fire with MOTM3.
18. Lord I Know - The album closer. Readyreadyreadyreadyready? I was not. His flow and intensity in delivery are topnotch here, even in comparison to a majority of this album. It's almost like I didn't hear enough flaws to make it a truly outstanding Cudi record but, this is another welcome addition to a randomly shuffled MOTM playlist that I should start working on immediately. I liked this a lot. Wait a minute... To Be Continued!!??? awww shit, let's do this again in 2030.
Final Grade: A-. Again, this is based on my initial listen and I will revisit this in the coming days like everybody should but this is damn good and a worthy addition to the Man On The Moon "trilogy". Of course, I did not catch all of the lyrics and probably missed a ton that will move it up in my grading scale but even sonically, this is as spacey as it needed to be without trying too hard like some of the tracks on MOTM2 may have been guilty of. I can't wait to truly vibe out to this without reacting INSTANTLY. Along with his role on HBO's We Are Who We Are, Scott Mescudi had a pretty good year in the year of isolation, something he's always related to.
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