10 YEARS LATER: KID CUDI "MAN ON THE MOON"

Out the gate I was not a Kid Cudi fan. I thought the nigga was weird and goofy and I never gave him a chance. I don’t think I heard one song, I just dismissed him immediately. I seen him before I heard what he had to offer and that was the end of that. I was listening to Jeezy at the time. I had no fucking time for Kid Cudi. 

One day driving with my pops “Day and Night” came on the radio and he asked me if I listened to Kid Cudi and I said nah I think he weird I’m good on him and my pops was like “Nah you gotta listen to him. Just listen to him while you’re studying or cleaning your house and then see how you feel about his music.” 

I played Man On The Moon while I was cleaning and I was like “Well got damn (Shawty Lo voice) this shit is wavy as fuck. My dad was right. This shit was hella different but in a good way. The music was really progressive. MOTM was one of those albums that grew on you after every listen it was like the movie Friday. The more you watched Friday the funnier it got. I remember Cudi used to get FLAMED for wearing skinny jeans. I was one of those people doing the flaming. Now my closet is full of skinny jeans. Everyone was criticizing Cudi for his jeans while he was out here fucking 1000 bitches a week for sport. 

MOTM is one of those albums that soon as the first track hit you hit the blunt and then you start crying because you know a breakthrough is about to happen once it’s over. It’s just  a relaxing and soothing album and Cudi’s voice was very distinct. The hums get you every time. 

MOTM was an album that took the genre in a different direction and that’s why it’s one of music’s greatest debut albums ever. Remember what that one dude (who’s currently holding weird church services) album about dropping out of college did for the genre? Cudi’s MOTM did the same thing and it’s arguable that it’s more influential because a LOT of great artists were birthed from Cudi’s MOTM and they actually had staying power in the game. 

The older you get the more you realize how sad this album is. It’s extremely dark. I remember people dancing to Day & Night and I would think “Damn this nigga high key yelling for help.” He was literally telling us “Aye niggas I’m not okay.” During the time of this album I don’t think people understood how haunting this album was. It’s one of the most vulnerable performances on an album I’ve ever heard. The lyrics were very introspective and meaningful. It takes highs and lows and connect them seamlessly. Mind you he dropped this at a time where the majority would’ve advised against it. He took a risk by straying away from what was the “cool” thing to do. He wasn’t rapping about the usual shit. Like I stated he focused on his vulnerability. People didn’t know how to classify what Cudi created that’s how different it was for hip-hop. Like it’s a concept album but not a concept album at the same time because the songs individually tell their own story but they all still connect to each other. He fused a lot of different genres, put his own style on it and still managed to connect with people who normally want hip-hop to sound one way. 

I like how simplistic Cudi’s writing is on this album. Creating things in a simplistic manner is so difficult. It’s actually easy to create complex shit because it’s generally rooted in overthinking. It’s easy as fuck to overthink that’s why majority of society does it. When things are created simply, the place where the art is coming from is coming from a place of freedom and all inhibitions are lost. It felt like Cudi was holding on tight to something his whole life and on MOTM he finally let it go through his artistry and we received one of the most eclectic and artistic albums ever. It’s timeless. I go back and listen to it and think the songs could premiere next week and they’d be hits today. 

Looking back on this album in particular and how strangers feel about this album it’s always the same consensus. “Cudi saved my life.” “Cudi’s music got me through depression.” “My teenage years were rough but Kid Cudi’s first album gave me hope.” “This album helped me not commit suicide.” This album is still getting people through hard time today. It’s insane how many lives Cudi has saved with this album. He reminds me of John Lennon with his influence. A lot of people didn’t understand this album when they were younger but as adults they understand how real this shit was. He really is the most influential artist of this generation. 

After seeing the shit Cudi went through. The addiction. The depression. This album hits different because it puts it all in perspective for you. Everything he created makes sense. His music explains to you why life is worth living despite the pitfalls we experience. There’s someone reading this in the world who believes they will never experience happiness. There’s someone who’s putting on a smile just to hide their pain. Just play MOTM and don’t worry because one day that smile will be real. 

Thank You Scott.

Now I’m bout to go get high to hyyerr.

Peace 

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