{"id":1914,"date":"2021-01-05T09:48:19","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T14:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/?p=1914"},"modified":"2021-01-15T09:46:15","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T14:46:15","slug":"kid-cudis-man-on-the-moon-iii-smashes-expectations-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/05\/kid-cudis-man-on-the-moon-iii-smashes-expectations-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Kid Cudi&#8217;s &#8220;Man on the Moon III&#8221; smashes expectations- review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>By: Levi D&#8217;Amato<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>   There\u2019s nothing harder than fulfilling the highest of expectations as an artist or performer. There have been many examples of disappointments from fans after a lackluster final act of a trilogy or series. Think of \u201cThe Godfather\u201d trilogy. Going into <strong>\u201cMan On The Moon III: The Chosen,\u201d<\/strong> I was worried that my expectations would not be exceeded. After all, <strong>Kid Cudi\u2019s two previous MOTM projects have been arguably his greatest work<\/strong>. But Cudi smashed his barrier with his latest installment, and possibly put together one of the best trilogies in rap music. MOTM III is a beautiful project that wraps together his story and gives his cult-like fanbase everything they could have asked for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"alignfull wp-block-ugb-blockquote ugb-blockquote ugb-4bfd21d ugb-blockquote--v3 ugb-blockquote--design-plain ugb-main-block ugb-main-block--inner-center ugb--has-block-background ugb--has-background-overlay\"><style>.ugb-4bfd21d .ugb-blockquote__quote{fill:#eee !important;width:104px !important;height:104px !important;left:64px !important}.ugb-4bfd21d .ugb-blockquote__text{font-size:32px !important;color:#d66eeb}.ugb-4bfd21d.ugb-blockquote{background-color:#eee;background-image:url(http:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Lunar.jpg)}.ugb-4bfd21d.ugb-blockquote:before{background-color:#eee;opacity:0}<\/style><div class=\"ugb-inner-block ugb-inner-block--center\"><div class=\"ugb-block-content\"><div class=\"ugb-blockquote__item\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"ugb-blockquote__quote\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\"><path d=\"M10.3 24.8V26H20v16.9H0V26.2C0 13.4 6.6 7.1 19.9 7.1v7.1c-3.4.5-5.9 1.6-7.4 3.3-1.5 1.7-2.2 4.1-2.2 7.3zm30 0V26H50v16.9H30.1V26.2c0-12.7 6.6-19.1 19.9-19.1v7.1c-6.4.7-9.7 4.3-9.7 10.6z\"><\/path><\/svg><div class=\"ugb-blockquote__content\"><p class=\"ugb-blockquote__text\">I immediately thought of it as a <strong>\u201ctranscendental experience\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cudi divides his album into <strong>four parts<\/strong>, that could be left to interpretation. The first act,<strong> Return 2 Madness<\/strong>, gives us a look into Cudi\u2019s signature \u201cMr. Rager\u201d lifestyle. He almost mournfully laments how he has gone back to his partying lifestyle, that he worked so hard to escape. He is a damaged man and knows this. On \u201c<strong>Another Day<\/strong>\u201d, he repeats in the chorus that \u201c Ain\u2019t much change in me\u201d, recognizing his failure to leave the Mr. Rager persona behind. But he recognizes that he needs to change at the end, and the final part of the first act leads us to believe he is on the right track to healing. Interestingly, the second act seems to address the partying lifestyle in an even more hectic fashion, almost demonstrating a spiral out of control for Cudi. It is probably the weakest section of the album but also shows Cudi branching out into different styles. \u201c<strong>Show out<\/strong>\u201d enlists the late Pop Smoke for the chorus, and also features famed British rapper Skepta. It has a traditional grimy drill beat and shows us that although Cudi might not be as known for his rapping skills, he can perform on any type of beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/KC-702x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1975\" width=\"345\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/KC-702x1024.jpg 702w, https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/KC-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/KC-768x1120.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/KC-1053x1536.jpg 1053w, https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/KC.jpg 1251w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 345px) 100vw, 345px\" \/><figcaption>Kid Cudi himself<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The second half of this album is hard to describe in words. I immediately thought of it as a <strong>\u201ctranscendental experience\u201d<\/strong> of sorts. In short, this is Kid Cudi at his best. He captures his listener and we all follow him along his journey for salvation and happiness. Cudi is at his most vulnerable and gives us a glimpse into his outcast lifestyle. His father\u2019s death while he was young and his loneliness as a child let him down a path of drug addiction and depression. \u201cThe Void\u201d addresses how desperate he is to escape his depression. In the past, Cudi has remarked on the feeling he has gotten from making music and getting through to fans. This song is also for the fans, as he thanks them for helping him, while also reassuring them that everything will be ok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I liked the fact that there were only three songs with features because Cudi was able to take the spotlight completely. <strong>And all of the features were perfectly placed<\/strong>. Pop Smoke and Skepta were great at harnessing the rager lifestyle with their grimy lyrics. Phoebe Bridges served as a perfect complement to Kid Cudi\u2019s soft tone on \u201cLovin Me\u201d. And another Ohio native, Trippie Redd, was great alongside Cudi on \u201cRockstar Knights\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This was an important album and couldn\u2019t have arrived at a better time. 2020 has been a stressful year for everyone, and there\u2019s something about Kid Cudi\u2019s comforting hums and lyrics that make everyone more relaxed. \u201cMan On The Moon III\u201d was easily one of the best, if not the best, albums of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-lighter-blue-color has-very-light-gray-background-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-heading\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong> Final Rating: 9.5<\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: Levi D&#8217;Amato There\u2019s nothing harder than fulfilling the highest of expectations as an artist or performer. There have been many examples of disappointments from fans after a lackluster final act of a trilogy or series. Think of \u201cThe Godfather\u201d&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kid-cudi-motm3-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1914"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1914"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1985,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1914\/revisions\/1985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}