The album’s crown jewel lays at the feet of ‘Mr. Other producers who lend their services include E*vax (Evan Mast of Brooklyn electronic duo Ratatat) and WondaGurl, while Cudi even manages to pull Finneas away from work on the burgeoning uber-producer’s sister Billie Eilish’s new album for the dreamy love ballad ‘Sept.

The fabulous five’s fluorescent soundscapes, airy dimensions and emotive medleys couldn’t be more Cudi if they tried. Over the track’s warped synths and distorted organs, he finds some solace in the memories of better days.Ĭudi reunites with his key production team for much of the album: Dot Da Genius, Take A Day Trip, Plain Pat, Emile Hayne and the incomparable Mike Dean, the latter known largely for being Kanye West’s music director. On the terse opener ‘Tequila Shots’, Cudi raps: “ Nights my mind is speedin’ by, I’m holdin’ on / Asking God to help ’em, are you hearin’ me?” He conveys his struggle to comprehend that he’s back fighting an internal war he thought he’d left behind on previous albums. The record’s key takeaway: just because no one else can rid you of your inner demons, it doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Much like its predecessors, the third and final (supposedly) instalment in the ‘MOTM’ series comes off as therapy of sorts, the 36-year-old’s multiple personalities facing off in a battle for spiritual supremacy. And now the Ohio rapper is back with his first solo album in four years. A pioneer of openness and vulnerability, he blazed a trail so that the likes of Drake, Logic and Childish Gambino could prosper with their signature brands of emo-rap. This is precisely what makes Kid Cudi one of the most important artists of the past 15 years. Heroes don’t always wear capes some of them just wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Kid cudi man on the moon album poster