Man on the Moon III’s second half (composed of its final two acts) is much more lowkey, adhering to the classic Kid Cudi style that many of his fans may have been waiting for. While this section of the record still maintains Cudi’s patented atmospheric-euphoria, the trap and commercial hip-hop styles are left behind in favor of something slower. What is interesting about this part of the record is that though these are older styles in Kid Cudi’s wheelhouse, the themes of these two acts cover topics that are largely new to the rapper. “Elsie’s Baby Boy” acts as a flashback to Cudi’s past, something fans have not seen in this level of detail since 2009’s “Soundtrack 2 My Life”, and “Sept.16” focuses on Cudi’s present relationship and the love and support he gets from those close to him. The record’s final eight songs all focus on affection, perseverance, confidence, and resilience. Cudi even enlists indie-rock favorite Phoebe Bridgers for “Lovin’ Me”, a track about self-love and persevering through hard times. The album’s closer “Lord I Know” is a song full of self reflection, with Kid Cudi coming to terms with his imperfections, his past, and his faith - all while looking towards a brighter future. It is a moment that truly provides closure to a trilogy many fans have been invested in for years.
The strong points of Man on the Moon III are easy to observe. Kid Cudi comes back swinging after four years without a solo record. He can rap effortlessly with Skepta, he can ride a whole host of different and subversive beats, but he can also take it down a notch and sing over a guitar track with Phoebe Bridgers. He has mastered his 2013 Indicud braggadocio, and his pensive sensitivity. He masters vulnerability when acknowledging his own shortcomings, but he shows wisdom when knowing he is not alone or lost. Since there are two distinct styles at play on this record, it appears that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Most of all, this album feels like a colossal ‘Thank you’ from Kid Cudi to his peers and his fans for supporting him after all this time. Of course, the way he delivers this message is by assembling his dream team of Dot Da Genius, Plain Pat, and other contributors that have been with him since day one.
Despite these benefits that Man on the Moon III carries, it is not without its stale moments. There are trade-offs that come with having such a closed and exclusive circle, and the biggest one is that though the individual tracks were good, altogether it is hard to feel like I was not given the same two songs 8 times each. While I enjoyed this record, it would have been nice to add more contributing artists and producers without diluting the final product. Seeing production credits from E.Vax and Take A Daytrip was great, but I couldn't help but wonder why certain artists were left out. Kid Cudi spoke to Zayn Lowe about Travis’s influence, but he was nowhere on the record, and neither was Kanye, Pharrell, or any of the artists that Cudi has appeared with since PP&DS. It is known that Cudi is very against doing the same thing twice, and I enjoyed the four features included on the album, but I couldn’t stop wondering why they were chosen. It appears that it would have been more wise to turn this ‘love letter’ into a ‘celebration’ of MOTM by including the friends he had made along the way. This is ultimately a small complaint, as Kid Cudi has announced that he has a slew of new records on the way (WZRD 2, Entergalactic, KSG2, Project with Travis Scott), so it’s likely safe to say that we will get some more collaborative efforts sooner rather than later.
Though Man on the Moon III was exactly what I was hoping for from Kid Cudi, there is still a part of me that wishes he took more risks. He is a talented artist, and it’s sad to think that on the one solo record fans get every four years from him, the biggest risk he took was using styles that had developed since in absence. This is also a small complaint, as this is a final entry into a decade-old trilogy, so the conceptual space for risk-taking is admittedly small. Still, despite my enthusiastic enjoyment of this record, I would have loved to hear some tracks that made me double-take in the same way his music did eleven years ago. That’s not to say that “Tequila Shots” and “Dive” did not make me double-take, just for a different reason of course.
Man on the Moon III: The Chosen is a solid entry by Kid Cudi into an already impressive discography. Though my expectations were admittedly low, this album scratched my itch for classic Kid Cudi music, as well as for a more modern Kid Cudi style that he previously played with on Travis Scott’s 2016 banger “Through the Late Night”. Completing the MOTM discography, Kid Cudi managed to establish himself as an impressive rapper while also ending his 11 year narrative. In addressing both past and present, Kid Cudi leaves fans looking to the future (and the eventual deluxe of this record) for what new styles, colors, and scenes he will innovate towards. Whatever he decides to do, I’ll definitely be there.
Favorite Tracks
Tequila Shots
She Knows This
Sad People
Rating: 8
Listen to Man on the Moon III: The Chosen here:
