Man On the Moon III: The Chosen / Kid Cudi / December 11, 2020
- Joshua Yoo
- Dec 13, 2020
- 2 min read
The third installment in the “Man On the Moon” series comes after a long, long 10-years since the previous, with 5 studio LPs filling the gap and receiving quite a wide range of critical success. And just like the previous two, ‘Man On the Moon III: The Chosen’ is conceptually sharp. Kid Cudi pens an immersive and emotionally gripping narrative on his psyche, creating a shared experience for listeners to sonically empathize with both the lows and the highs of his personal journey.
Broken into four different acts, the album starts with the Act 1’s descent to reckless behavior, as Cudi follows the melodic trap rap lane of his contemporaries faithfully and relatively smoothly on this act, albeit arguably derivative and safe (“Dive”). Act 2’s darker and heavier themes of addiction and depression are crushing. The stirring vocal lines and atmospheric synth waves on “Mr. Solo Dolo III” ably portray the weight of Cudi’s sense of isolation.
Act 3 stands out not only thematically in its more uplifting focus on love, family, and happiness, but also sonically, seeing Cudi with some of his sharpest writing and instrumentation. The anthemic balladry of Cudi and Bridgers’ performances on “Lovin’ Me” is spectacularly uplifting, and the immersive production on “The Void” seemingly transports listeners to a completely different headspace. The final act closes the album with a sense of victory and optimism, with tracks such as “Lord I Know” serving as a lyrically-deft message of hope.
With this project, Cudi seems to be in full control of his artistry: the journey from start to finish is heart-rending, impactful and undoubtedly fulfilling.
Best Track(s): Lovin’ Me, Rockstar Knights, The Void, Sept. 16, Mr. Solo Dolo III, Lord I Know
Lowlight(s): Dive, Heaven On Earth
SCORE: 8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGJc9c3WLJM
Comments