The Resurrection of Scott Mescudi: How Kid Cudi Went From Rehab to Rebirth
Five years after hitting rock bottom, Kid Cudi is back on top and better than ever.
On October 4, 2016, Kid Cudi reached a breaking point. He was losing the battle against his demons — badly. Demons that had plagued his soul since he lost his father to cancer at the tender age of 11. Worried that the inner turmoil may consume him for good, he made a decision.
“Yesterday I checked myself into rehab for depression and suicidal urges,” he wrote on Facebook the following day. “I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me. If I didn’t come here, I wouldve [sic] done something to myself. I simply am a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions everyday of my life. Theres [sic] a ragin [sic] violent storm inside of my heart at all times.” He continued, “Im [sic] scared, im [sic] sad, I feel like I let a lot of people down and again, Im [sic] sorry. Its [sic] time I fix me. Im [sic] nervous but ima [sic] get through this.”
Cudi’s heartbreaking confession was applauded for its honesty, vulnerability and courage — qualities that have defined his career since he emerged with “Day ‘N’ Nite” in 2008. Yet the news didn’t necessarily come as a shock. The previous year, Cudi released Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, a mostly self-produced grunge album that gave us an unflinching glimpse into his downward spiral. “I might go losing it and drive off a cliff / Fall in the void / And if I blow my brains out, all over the scene / That’s madness curing sadness,” he sang on “Confused!”
Lyrics like these weren’t Cudi playing a character. “I was dealin w [sic] some real shit durin [sic] that album,” he shared on Twitter. “I just wanted to scream and yell and make angry songs. It was the only way I could express what I was feeling at the time.”
Although this wasn’t his first foray into rock — in 2012, he released WZRD with his long-time producer and confidant Dot Da Genius — Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven was a radical departure for the Cleveland, Ohio native. Some people loved its emotional rawness and artistic bravery, including fellow artists like Kanye West, Erykah Badu and André 3000, the latter of whom called it “the most recent thing that I think is really great” upon its release. Others hated it; the popular online music critic Anthony Fantano gave it a scathing 0/10. In any case, the album floundered commercially, selling less than 20,000 copies in its first week, a far cry from Cudi’s previous six-figure sums. (SB2H remains his lowest-selling album to date.)
Not long after he checked himself into rehab, Cudi’s label, Republic Records, oversaw the release of his follow-up album, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, which he recorded earlier that year. Perhaps swayed by the harsh critical reception to Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, he played it safer this time around. Reuniting with many of the producers who worked on his seminal Man on the Moon series — including Dot Da Genius, Plain Pat, Mike Dean and Anthony Kilhoffer — he injected new grooves into his cosmic sound while leaning into the soothing power of his signature humming.
Moving 49,000 units in its opening week, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ was met with a warmer response by both fans and critics, yet it felt like Mr. Solo Dolo was still rediscovering his form. Despite a number of underrated tracks and high-profile guests like André 3000, Pharrell and Travis Scott, the album didn’t quite possess the streaks of brilliance or buzz of excitement that propelled his earlier releases to success. Behind the scenes, Cudi admitted to still feeling “completely miserable” while making it; the brighter moments on the album were how he hoped to feel one day.
By the end of 2016, with his musical output failing to live up to his legacy, his commercial appeal dwindling and his demons threatening to get the better of him, it seemed that the Lord of the Sad and Lonely was down and out — perhaps for good.
Sometimes all it takes for an artist to catapult themselves back to the top is one record. It has to be a special record, of course. One that boasts serious star power. One that fans have been eagerly anticipating for a long time. And one that surges to the top of the charts while resonating deeply with audiences.
There was only ever one person who could provide Kid Cudi with all of these things: Kanye West.
It’s hard to understate the crucial role that Mr. West has played in Cudi’s career — and vice versa. In 2008, Kanye made Cudi an overnight celebrity (word to Twista) by featuring him on his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak, and signing him to his label, G.O.O.D. Music. That summer, Kanye heard Cudi’s debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi — lead by the lonely stoner anthem “Day ‘N’ Nite,” which was creating a buzz online — through his A&R, Patrick “Plain Pat” Reynolds, who had also started managing Cudi. Impressed, he summoned the 24-year-old BAPE store employee to Hawaii to work on 808s & Heartbreak, as well as Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3. (How’s that for an initiation?)
Cudi wasn’t just happy to be there; he ended up shaping the sound of the album. Still reeling from the double blow of losing his dear mother, Donda West, and breaking up with his fiancée, Alexis Phifer, Kanye sought to channel his heartbreak into his boldest album yet. And in Cudi’s vulnerable songwriting and somber melodies, he found the perfect vessel through which to articulate his pain. Cudi guest-starred on “Welcome to Heartbreak” while picking up co-writing credits on “Heartless,” “Paranoid” and “RoboCop.” (He also passed his audition for The Blueprint 3, singing the infectious hook on “Already Home.”)
The following year, Kid Cudi released his debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, which solidified his status as a rising star. Executive produced by Kanye and featuring hits like “Pursuit of Happiness,” “Soundtrack 2 My Life” and “Make Her Say,” the album soared to №4 on the Billboard 200 and has since gone double platinum. Its commercial success was perhaps surprising considering hip-hop had never heard anything like it before: the subject matter ranged from sadness and solitude to suicidal thoughts and psychedelic trips; the beats were spacey, cinematic and made you feel like you were in a dream; and the album was constructed into four acts, almost like a play, narrated by fellow G.O.O.D. Music rapper Common.
Combined with his charm, charisma and growing status as a style icon, Man on the Moon established a cult around Cudi, making him the voice of a generation of young hip-hop fans who dealt with depression and dabbled in drugs. Famous artists and actors like Travis Scott, Jaden Smith, Timothée Chalamet and Pete Davidson are among the army of devoted fans who say the album changed their life.
Together, 808s & Heartbreak and Man on the Moon: The End of Day shifted the trajectory of hip-hop. Through their emotional introspection, emphasis on melody and blurring of genres, they challenged the tough guy trope that had long dominated the genre and ushered in a new era where rappers could sing, wear tight-fitting pants and show their sadness. No longer did rappers have to be superhuman to be cool; they could be human.
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, released in 2010, was a much darker and more psychedelic affair, reflecting Cudi’s increasingly troubled personal life. After all, it’s hard to maintain the innocence of that first album after punching a fan and being arrested for cocaine possession and criminal mischief. (He allegedly tore his then-girlfriend’s apartment door off its hinges.) As Mr. Solo Dolo transformed into Mr. Rager, Cudi rapped about hard drugs and heavy drinking, adjusting to fame and being trapped in his mind.
MOTM II didn’t quite leave the same indelible mark as its predecessor, but it remains a beloved installment in the Man on the Moon series nevertheless. In hindsight, it also foreshadowed the darkness that awaited Cudi.
Kid Cudi and Kanye West remained prolific collaborators in the following years, appearing together on a slew of songs including “Gorgeous,” the Grammy-winning “All of the Lights,” “Christian Dior Denim Flow,” “G.O.O.D. Friday,” “Erase Me,” T.I.’s “Welcome to the World,” “The Joy,” “The Morning,” “Guilt Trip,” “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” and “Waves.” They also continued to push the boundaries of hip-hop style through kilts and crop tops.
It wasn’t all roses between the two, however. In 2013, Cudi left G.O.O.D. Music, insinuating that he felt under-used and under-appreciated. (He had a point: his presence on the label’s 2012 compilation album, Cruel Summer, was limited to the solo cut, “Creepers,” and a brief cameo on “The Morning.”) Although he claimed his departure was amicable, Cudi’s actions suggested otherwise as he went on to take sporadic swipes at Kanye — in songs, interviews and tweets.
“Everyone thinks they’re soooo great. Talkin top 5 and be having 30 people write songs for them… My tweets apply to who they apply. Ye, Drake, whoever. These n*ggas don’t give a fuck about me. And they ain’t fuckin’ with me,” Cudi wrote during a flagrant Twitter rant in September 2016, just months after he and Kanye moshed together at Ye’s The Life of Pablo listening party at New York’s Madison Square Garden. “I’ve been loyal to those who haven’t been to me and that ends now. Now I’m your threat.”
Kanye and Cudi eventually reconciled, much to the delight of their fans. In November 2016, shortly after he got out of rehab, Cudi joined Kanye on stage in Sacramento during Ye’s innovative yet ill-fated Saint Pablo tour, hugging him as he broke down crying in front of thousands of fans. It was a touching moment to witness: one man who was going through it being consoled by another man who’d just been through it. (Kanye’s tour came to an abrupt end later that night and he spent more than a week in hospital for his own mental health reasons.)
Soon after restoring their friendship, Cudi and Kanye renewed their creative relationship. Between December 2016 and the summer of 2018, in faraway locations such as Wyoming and China, they got to work on their long-awaited full-length collaboration, a self-described “spiritual” album that was to be titled Kids See Ghosts. If the slow trickle of photos of the pair working together didn’t send fans into a frenzy, the album’s official announcement certainly did. “me and Cudi album June 8th,” Kanye tweeted just weeks before its arrival.
Kanye’s tweet got almost half a million likes, significantly more than any of the other G.O.O.D. Music projects he announced that day (including Pusha T’s Daytona and his own solo album, ye). The anticipation for Kids See Ghosts was palpable. All of a sudden, it felt like people were excited about Cudi again — not just his die-hard fans. After all, who else could get the best out of Scott Mescudi but Kanye Omari West?
Thankfully, the music lived up to its lofty expectations. Released in June 2018 in the middle of G.O.O.D. Music’s summer takeover, Kids See Ghosts was a triumphant return for Kid Cudi. From his soaring hooks to his soothing harmonies, he sounded rejuvenated across the album’s seven songs as he rekindled his unique chemistry with Kanye. But more importantly, it found Cudi confronting his pain, exercising his demons and finding peace within. “I’m so, I’m so reborn / I’m moving forward / Keep moving forward / Keep moving forward,” he sings on “Reborn.”
Featuring a tender, melancholy beat and some truly magnificent humming from Cudi, “Reborn” quickly emerged as the cathartic centerpiece to Kids See Ghosts. It connected with audiences worldwide, becoming the album’s highest-charting song in the US, as well as across Europe. Evoking early hits like “Pursuit of Happiness,” “Soundtrack 2 My Life” and “Mr. Rager,” “Reborn” was the type of record that Cudi’s catalog had been missing for a while: simple yet poignant, vulnerable yet uplifting, deeply personal yet universally relatable. An anthem of healing and hope.
“I was thinking, ‘How can I let the world know [that I’m good]?” he said in a 2018 interview with Billboard. “I couldn’t have made a song like ‘Reborn’ until now, because I didn’t feel reborn yet.”
As for Kanye, Kids See Ghosts was easily the best release that bore his name that summer. Compared to the messy, underwhelming and seemingly rushed ye, his performances on Kids See Ghosts felt sharper and more lucid, with a burst of Yeezus-esque feral energy for good measure (see: his AK-47 impression on “Feel the Love”). Behind the boards, his production was more cohesive and immersive. With assistance from the likes of Mike Dean, Dot Da Genius and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, he crafted a Space Western soundscape brimming with psychedelic guitar riffs, prismatic synths and spectral energy.
The spree of summer releases failed to absolve Mr. West of the sins he committed around that time, though; the memories of him cozying up to Donald Trump, rubbing shoulders with right-wing commentator Candace Owens, rocking a MAGA cap, and saying slavery was “a choice” live on TMZ — all in the name of being a “free thinker” — still lingered bitterly in the mind.
Kids See Ghosts was indeed a rebirth for Kid Cudi — creatively, critically and commercially. The album took him back towards the top of the charts, debuting at №2 on the Billboard 200 after moving 142,000 equivalent units, his fastest-selling album since Man on the Moon II. It also ranked highly among the best albums of 2018 on many publications’ end-of-year lists.
Kids See Ghosts helped Cudi finally calm the storm that had been raging inside of him. “Working on that record saved me: at the time I didn’t know if I was going to continue making music or not, and Kanye was there for me, to help me get up,” he told Rolling Stone Italy. “At that moment I really needed it.
With the help of his mentor, the man on the Moon had his mojo back.
Kid Cudi carried this wave of momentum into the rest of 2018 and 2019, racking up victories not only in music, but in fashion and films. Just a couple of months after the release of Kids See Ghosts, he appeared on Travis Scott’s blockbuster album ASTROWORLD, lending his famed humming to the star-studded “Stop Trying to Be God,” which also featured James Blake, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey. He later popped up on songs with ScHoolboy Q and Jaden Smith, two more artists who worship at the altar of the Lord of the Sad and Lonely.
Cudi’s biggest impact in music during this time, however, was felt in the flesh. Mr. Rager was seemingly everywhere, bringing his newfound vitality to some of the biggest stages in the country. In the fall of 2018, he joined Kanye on Saturday Night Live to perform their ye collaboration, “Ghost Town,” before the duo headlined Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival from inside a unique glass box suspended above the crowd. More festival performances followed in 2019, including his first Coachella appearance in five years, a headlining slot at Rolling Loud Miami and a show-stealing performance at ComplexCon that boasted cameos from Pusha T, King Chip and Timothée Chalamet, who performed Common’s intro from Man on the Moon: The End of Day.
Amplifying his influence in the fashion world, Cudder launched his first collection with the French brand A.P.C. and later announced a partnership with Adidas, joining an esteemed group of rappers who rep the three stripes including Pharrell, Pusha T and, of course, Kanye West. He also put his good looks to use at Virgil Abloh’s debut Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week 2018, walking the runway alongside the likes of Playboi Carti, Dev Hynes and The Internet’s Steve Lacy.
Elsewhere, Cudi added to his already-respectable acting résumé (which includes Need for Speed and the HBO series How to Make It In America) with small movie roles in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Drunk Parents and Jexi.
The news that excited fans the most, however, was when Cudi announced a new solo album and Netflix series called Entergalactic. Created by himself and Kenya Barris (of Black-ish and Grown-ish fame), Entergalactic is described as “an adult animated series about a young man’s journey to find love,” with each song being accompanied by a 30-minute episode. “It’s the craziest thing in terms of TV. It’s the most ambitious thing,” Barris declared during an appearance on Complex’s Watch Less podcast. He added that the album is “amazing” and full of “bangers.” Ty Dolla $ign and Gucci Mane are just two names who are expected to appear on the record, which is due out in 2022.
Between his live performances, fashion partnerships and film and TV projects, Kid Cudi’s post-Kids See Ghosts run epitomized his multifaceted talents as an artist, actor and fashion influence while keeping the fire of his resurgence burning. But even his biggest supporters couldn’t have anticipated what was coming next.
Perhaps landing your first №1 single over a decade into your career is a subtle hint from the Universe that it’s about to be your year. In April 2020, Kid Cudi released his first solo song in four years, “Leader of the Delinquents,” a brooding, rap-heavy cut in which he asserts himself as the title of the track. (Leader of the Delinquents is just Cudi’s latest royal moniker, adding to a list that includes King Wizard, Mr. Rager and Lord of the Sad and Lonely.)
However, it was the song that arrived just 10 days later that would take Cudder to the top of the charts while introducing his new collaborative project to the world. On April 24, he teamed up with Travis Scott, one of the hottest rappers in the game, to release “THE SCOTTS,” the first single from their newly-formed duo of the same name.
Cudi and Travis are a natural pairing. Among the score of artists who’ve been influenced by Cudi, Travis is perhaps his biggest admirer (“this dude saved my life,” he told Rolling Stone) and undoubtedly his most successful offspring. In many ways, Scott’s astronomical rise has been guided by the trail blazed by his idol: he dropped out of college and moved to New York to pursue his dream; he aligned himself with G.O.O.D. Music out the gate and had a strong influence on Kanye’s sound (see: Yeezus); he’s borrowed stylistic elements (“Bad Mood/Shit on You,” “Drugs You Should Try It,” “Impossible”) and worked with many of the same producers (Mike Dean, Emile Haynie, Anthony Kilhoffer); he had a veteran rapper narrate his debut album (T.I. on Rodeo); and he most certainly shares Cudi’s passion for “raging” (although, it must be said, Travis has taken the ethos to explosive new levels).
Plus, Cudi and Travis already have four songs together: “Way Back,” “Through the Late Night,” “Baptized in Fire” and, of course, “Stop Trying to Be God.” A full-length project from the two Scotts promises more fascinating results.
Featuring epic production from Mike Dean, Plain Pat, Dot Da Genius and Take A Daytrip, as well as cover art from the legendary artist KAWS (who’s previously collaborated with Kanye, Clipse and Pharrell), “THE SCOTTS” landed with a bang. The track, which finds The Lonely Stoner and La Flame flexing over a beat that sounds like the final moments of a dying star, was debuted in the wildly popular video game Fortnite as part of Travis’ spectacular in-game virtual tour that was watched by almost 30 million gamers. The song itself proved to be wildly popular; it was streamed 7.45 million times globally on Spotify on its first day, one of the biggest debuts on the streaming platform that year.
“THE SCOTTS” subsequently debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, earning Cudi his first-ever №1 single (and Travis his third). He’d come close in the past — “Day ‘N’ Nite” peaked at №3 back in 2009 — but the combination of Travis’ popularity and Cudi’s continued momentum proved to be a winner.
“I’ve been in this about 12 years now doing this. To still be able to accomplish things like a number one record, it’s wild, man,” Cudi said. “It’s exciting ’cause the kids still want to hear me. I’ve still got their attention.”
That night, Cudi, Dot Da Genius and Take A Daytrip celebrated with tequila shots. With victory flowing through their veins, they reconvened to the studio where they’d make more magic.
Topping the charts only added fuel to Kid Cudi’s fire. Just a couple of months later, he joined forces with another hip-hop heavyweight, this one more unexpected. In July, he released “The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady,” his first-ever collaboration with Eminem. Having Marshall Mathers on your song may not bring the rap world to a standstill like it once did, but linking up with such a legendary lyricist was a major stamp of approval for Cudi nevertheless and served as the perfect platform for him to remind everyone about his most underrated skill as a rap artist: his rapping.
“That was me being like, ‘I want to be respected as an MC, yo! Who do I fucking get? Who do I fucking spar with? Who do I go bar-for-bar with? Eminem,’” he said in a recent interview with Zane Lowe. That May, Cudi tweeted at Em asking for “help!” — no, not in his DMs, but on his public feed, prompting many eyeballs emoji reactions from fans. Eminem was unaware of the tweet until, amazingly, Lil Wayne brought it to his attention a few days later during his appearance on Wayne’s Beats 1 radio show, Young Money Radio. Em swiftly responded to Cudi’s Bat-Signal.
“The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady” was met with a mix of bemusement and intrigue: here were two rappers whose music is so drastically different and whose output over the last decade had been frustratingly inconsistent — what would a Kid Cudi and Eminem collaboration in 2020 even sound like? That initial surprise, however, was soon replaced by nodding heads and scrunched faces. While Eminem delivered arguably his most meaningful verse since his 2017 lyrical assault on Trump, Cudi spit a tight, cocky verse that stretched for almost two straight minutes, holding his own against the Rap God. Mission accomplished.
Yet for all the bars on “The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady,” the line that got the biggest reaction came towards the end of the song when Cudi said, “The trilogy continues,” hinting at the one project his entire fanbase had been yearning for since the start of the previous decade. Could it be: Man on the Moon III?
As the excitement for a potential new Man on the Moon album grew, Kid Cudi’s winning streak continued in 2020, even in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Not only was his music firmly in our ears and his name back in the conversation, but his face was all over our screens.
In August, Cudi starred alongside Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in Bill & Ted Face the Music, another long-awaited conclusion to a cult trilogy. Following its release, he unveiled his first Adidas collaboration by bringing back the Torsion Artillery Hi, the OG basketball sneaker that was worn in the 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.
Then, in September, Cudi starred in the drama series We Are Who We Are, his second appearance in an HBO show that year following the premiere of Westworld season three back in March. Directed by Call Me By Your Name’s Luca Guadagnino, We Are Who We Are is a coming-of-age story that follows two teenagers living with their families on a US army base in Italy. Cudi plays Lieutenant Colonel Richard Poythress, the father of one of the main girls in the series.
The role was the biggest acting challenge yet for Cudi, who’s usually known for playing the goofy best friend or the stoner. Not only was he portraying a character much older than himself with high school-age kids, but this was a man who couldn’t be further from Cudi’s own personality. Poythress is a by-the-book soldier with seemingly complex anger issues. Complicating things further, he’s a Trump supporter; in one scene, he proudly dons a red MAGA cap, the universally-recognized uniform of bigots.
Cudi, who most certainly isn’t a Trump supporter, was able to put his politics to the side and played the role like a true professional, showcasing a new level of depth and range as an actor. “It’s the most powerful shit I’ve ever done and I’m so proud of it, because I have something like that in the Universe now,” he told Esquire. “I just want to do more of that. Because just like the music, I need to feel something.”
Later that fall, Kid Cudi signaled his ambitions behind the camera by launching his own production and music management company, Mad Solar (named after his Indicud album cut). Co-founded by his manager Dennis Cummings and Karina Manashil, Mad Solar is backed by Bron Studios, the film company behind 2019’s Joker.
While it remains to be seen which musical talents he’ll sign as management clients, Cudi’s plate as a Hollywood honcho is already filling up; in addition to his Entergalactic series, Mad Solar is set to produce the A24 horror film X (starring Cudi and Mia Goth) and an adaptation of Brandon Taylor’s coming-of-age campus novel Real Life, in which Cudi will also star. “That’s one of my priorities, to find more black storytellers,” he said. “Also to have a hub, a place where I can develop my own stuff for me to do as an actor.”
As 2020 drew to a close, Cudi had one last surprise up his sleeve. Up until a few months before its release, he had no plans of even making Man on the Moon III. For years, he had dashed fans’ hopes by saying the album was “not ever going to happen”; the pressure of following up those first two installments was simply too great. “That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t done Man on the Moon III for so long, because I was like, ‘There’s no way kids are going to honor this,’” he told actor John David Washington in a recent Wonderland magazine cover story.
However, the coronavirus outbreak turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Cudi. Being forced into lockdown helped him become more comfortable with being alone and allowed him to dial in creatively. While working on Entergalactic and THE SCOTTS with Dot Da Genius and Take A Daytrip, the production duo behind energetic hits like Sheck Wes’ “Mo Bamba” and Lil Nas X’s “Panini,” Cudi found himself accumulating material that didn’t quite fit either of those projects. It wasn’t long before the penny dropped. “After two or three songs, I was like, ‘Woah, this shit really feels like a Man on the Moon. This is what the Universe is telling me to make here,’” he told Zane Lowe.
Cudi and co. then dove into a recording spree, making roughly 12 of the album’s 18 songs in just two weeks.
To help him recreate the magic of the original Man on the Moon series, Cudi got the gang back together. In addition to the ever-present Dot Da Genius, MOTM III features production from Mike Dean, Plain Pat, Emile Haynie, Anthony Kilhoffer and Ratatat’s E*vax, all of whom were instrumental in shaping the sound of those first two albums.
This time around, however, Cudi had a more “open mind,” according to Dot. He welcomed new stars into his orbit, including young producers like WondaGurl, Teddy Walton, Finneas and, of course, Take A Daytrip. The album’s supporting cast is made up of entirely new (and, in some cases, unexpected) collaborations: London grime kingpin Skepta, Brooklyn street rap champ Pop Smoke (who was tragically shot and killed last February), indie darling Phoebe Bridgers and fellow Ohio native Trippie Redd, another descendant of Cudi’s melodic emo-rap.
The pressure remained: “This is the most important album of my career thus far. It’s 10 years of anticipation for this album. If this album fails, if this sucks, I’m over!” Cudi admitted, half-jokingly. Except now he was in the right space creatively and mentally to finally give his fans what they’d all been waiting for.
Released on December 11, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen takes us on an emotional journey, much like the first two Man on the Moon albums did. Across four acts (Return 2 Madness; The Rager, The Menace; Heart of Rose Gold; and Powers), it charts our beloved yet troubled protagonist’s descent back into the darkness, where his wild and self-destructive alter-ego Mr. Rager re-emerges, and his quest for peace, serenity and self-love. “I was going through some personal issues and I just threw myself into the music and wrote my heart out,” Cudi revealed.
Despite opening with those unmistakable chords from Man on the Moon II’s “Scott Mescudi vs. The World,” Man on the Moon III kicks off unlike any other album in the series (or any Cudi album, for that matter). The first half is made up of intoxicating, high-energy trap bangers featuring aggressive raps, nimble flows, thumping drums and Travis Scott-style ad-libs, a new tool in Cudi’s artistic arsenal. It’s the speaker-knocking soundtrack to Mr. Rager’s return. “Lotta shit is weighin’ on me, it’s a storm / Never thought I would be back here bleeding,” Cudi raps on the addictive, adrenaline-charged “Tequila Shots,” a guaranteed festival favorite when normal life resumes.
This new direction was deliberate. According to the album’s collaborators, Cudi was clear about wanting to up the BPMs, get back to the bars and showcase a dynamic new side to his traditionally brooding, downtempo sound. “I feel like he evolved,” Dot Da Genius told The Ringer. “He wouldn’t have rapped on beats like that maybe six years ago.”
Meanwhile, the second half of the album is more closely aligned with the original Man on the Moon sound. Songs like “Sad People” and “The Void” are classic Cudi hymns full of soaring melody and anthemic vocals, while the lonely and tormented “Mr. Solo Dolo III” is the true spiritual successor to MOTM’s “Solo Dolo (Nightmare).” It’s during this portion of the album where Cudi confronts his pain — including the gaping hole that his father’s death left in his soul during his formative years — and begins to find the happiness and self-love that has long eluded him throughout the Man on the Moon series. “And I’m feeling whole, who would’ve thought for me?” he whispers to himself on “The Pale Moonlight.”
After an 11-year journey that has been marked by stunning highs (in more ways than one) and suicidal lows, Cudi ends the Man on the Moon trilogy on a triumphant note: “Baby, I’m a warrior / Baby, I’m a warrior,” he rejoices on the closing song, “Lord I Know.” However, these aren’t the last words on the album; in the final moments, we hear his 10-year-old daughter, Vada, whisper, “To be continued.” Rest assured: the Man on the Moon series may be finished, but Kid Cudi certainly isn’t.
Man on the Moon III was an immediate hit. The album debuted at №2 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 144,000, outsold only by Taylor Swift’s Evermore. It also topped Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and placed 10 songs on the Hot 100, including the opener, “Beautiful Trip,” which holds the unique record of being the shortest song to ever appear on the chart at just 37 seconds long. Against all odds, Kid Cudi is perhaps more popular now than he’s ever been, and his commercial impact is finally reflecting his cultural influence.
Meanwhile, Man on the Moon III received largely positive reviews from critics, who praised its emotive songwriting, expansive production and conceptual storyline. It already ranks as Cudi’s highest-rated solo album on Metacritic, tied with the first Man on the Moon LP. Even Anthony Fantano gave it a “strong” 7/10. Clearly, Kids See Ghosts was no fluke, nor was Cudi’s artistic reawakening purely down to Kanye.
By all accounts, Man on the Moon III is a worthy successor to Man on the Moon I and II. Recapturing the cherished spirit of those original albums while ushering Cudi’s sound into the modern hip-hop landscape he has so heavily influenced, the album is a fitting conclusion to one of the most defining trilogies in hip-hop and the crowning achievement of Kid Cudi’s remarkable renaissance.
So, what’s his secret? How did Scott Mescudi climb out of the “treacherous bottomless pit” he was in five years ago and become reborn?
The first big change he made was taking a step back from music. Between 2008 and 2016, Cudi released eight projects, a prolific yet punishing run that was partly fuelled by the pressures of being a father. Since then, he’s dropped just the two. This slower pace has allowed him to achieve a much-needed balance in his personal life. “Doing this album-every-other-year, that changed everything for me. Like, everything,” he told Zane Lowe. “The whole flow of my life is so in tune with everything I want it to be. I’m solid with my baby mom, I’m solid with my mom, I’m solid with my sister, I’m solid with my daughter, I’m solid with my nieces. Everything’s in place, man, and I’m happy.”
One of the biggest takeaways from Man on the Moon III is that faith plays a bigger part in Cudi’s life these days. While he’s made references to God in the past (“Now won’t you please save Scotty, Lord?” he pleaded on 2008’s “Highs N Lows”), the album is littered with religious imagery: God and Lord, angels and demons, heaven and hell.
In fact, spirituality plays a pivotal role in its plot. As Cudi falls back into old habits and headspaces throughout the first half of the album, he turns to the Lord to watch over him: “All of this evil that’s in my way, I pray to God with open arms,” he raps on “Show Out.” Later, during “The Void”’s euphoric outro, he gives praise to the most high for guiding him to the light: “Oh God, oh God, thank you / You’ve been in my dreams, you’ve been in my dreams / Oh, I’m just trying to be the best man I can be / Thank you for listening / Thank you for never leaving me.”
“I always felt like I’ve had my own personal relationship with God,” Cudi revealed to Zane Lowe. “My moments of weakness, I’ve always talked to him and I’ve always seen the light. Through whatever darkness I was in, it was nothing that I couldn’t get out of. And I know that I got angels that are looking out for me every day, keeping me out of trouble, keeping me safe.”
His stint in rehab also helped. It forced him to confront his issues instead of numbing them and taught him how to manage them in healthier ways. “I had to give in to the pain because that was the only way that I was going to heal,” he explained. “I realize that you grow and you learn and you get these tools so that when you are in a similar situation again, you know how to handle it… This time around, I was dealing with things and I was able to handle them way differently than I might have four, five years ago.”
This newfound wisdom is reflected on Man on the Moon III: “Healing but I’m living with some things, shit’ll never stop,” he raps on “The Pale Moonlight.” Now 37 and having been to hell and back, Cudi has developed a deeper understanding of his demons: he’s learned that Mr. Rager will never completely go away, yet this very knowledge will help to keep him at bay.
Last but certainly not least, music remains therapeutic for Cudi, as cathartic now as when he poured his pain into the first Man on the Moon album. “I don’t feel so alone when I see the response and I see that it’s affecting so many people,” he said. “The music has always been one big S.O.S. out to the world to see who out there connects with what I’m saying, who feels the same way.”
With a plethora of exciting projects in the works, 2021 is likely to be another big year for Kid Cudi. He’s due to release a deluxe edition of Man on the Moon III called The Cudder Cut, which will feature a mix of brand new songs, album leftovers and “a few surprises.” According to Dot, Cudi cameos will be more common in the coming year, too; he recently appeared on Playboi Carti’s highly-anticipated Whole Lotta Red album, a fitting collaboration considering the Atlanta rapper’s most coveted song is known as “Kid Cudi.”
Away from music, Cudi looks set to reach new heights in Hollywood. In addition to the aforementioned Mad Solar projects that are on his plate, he has a role in Adam McKay’s upcoming Netflix film Don’t Look Up, in which he’ll share screen time with A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett and his good friend Timothée Chalamet. He’ll also star alongside Armie Hammer, Gary Oldman and Michelle Rodriguez in Nicholas Jarecki’s Crisis.
Meanwhile, on the fashion front, Cudi recently teamed up with BAPE for a 20-piece capsule collection, their largest-ever artist collaboration and Cudi’s third release with the Japanese streetwear brand, whose New York store he worked at before his music career took off. Adidas will no doubt look to build on an already promising start to their partnership with Mr. Solo Dolo, who released his first signature sneaker, the Vadawam 326, in December; the shoe sold out in 25 minutes. Beyond his high-profile collaborations, Cudi plans on forging his own path in the fashion world by starting his own clothing line. The first drop is set to arrive this summer.
2021 could also be the year we see Cudi launch his own podcast, All Love No Shit Talkin’, which he’s been teasing since last summer.
“Cudi’s been extremely good for a couple of years now. Happy, determined, hungry,” Dot Da Genius told The FADER. “He wants to accomplish everything in his career that he hasn’t accomplished yet.”
Right now, however, Kid Cudi has every reason to enjoy the present. Five years ago, he was in a deep, dark rut, so depressed he felt like ending his own life. Today, his career is at a new high and he’s happier and more at peace than he’s ever been. “I’m just really fucking happy to be here. I’m doing what I love to do and people love it and they respond to it, and it’s helping people in a major way,” he told Zane Lowe. “That’s the best shit ever.”
Cudi’s spectacular comeback is a testament to the deep and lasting bond that his music has forged with listeners. Early projects like A Kid Named Cudi, Man on the Moon and Man on the Moon II, in particular, cemented his place not only in the hip-hop pantheon, but in fans’ hearts. Through the creative misfires and personal challenges that have plagued the last decade of his career, his loyal followers always longed to see the Lord of the Sad and Lonely back to his best. With Kids See Ghosts and Man on the Moon III, their faith has paid off.
More importantly, Cudi’s return is a testament to his strength, courage, resilience, determination, ambition, purpose and self-belief. After all, this is the man who journeyed to the Moon, welcomed us into his dreams and nightmares, and influenced a generation of artists while endearing himself to millions of fans around the world by making them feel less alone. Seeing him go from rock bottom to the top of the mountain only makes his sermons of hope all the more inspiring.
“I think about all the mistakes and all the things I’ve been through… I want to be a role model now, more than ever. I want people to know that I’m here for good and that I’ve always wanted to help people,” he said. “I have problems and I’m human, and people know I’ve been going through it. But we survive, and I want people to know that I’m a survivor.”
