Kid Cudi’s first and arguably most influential project, Man On the Moon: The End of Day, is one that has created many artists we see today and changed the landscape of rap music forever. With it’s deep topics that were aside from the norm of rap at the time, it was a new light to the music scene and allowed for much diversity for years to come. 

         The first track, In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem), is a great intro to the album that really sets the tone for what’s to come. With a psychedelic beat and production that sounds out of this world, this track quite literally sounds like it comes straight out of a dream. The outro to the track gives a solid layout for Cudi’s vision especially when it’s said “A voice who spoke of vulnerabilities and other human emotions and issues never heard so vividly and honest.” The second track, Soundtrack 2 My Life, is when the album fully kicks off, and this is the track that really made me realise Cudi was an artist that I had to dive into more. This track is absolutely amazing with deep lyrics, a hook that is impossible to get out of your head, and a beat that sounds so uplifting on a track with lyrics that provide quite the opposite. This is what Cudi seems to do so well, which is to put very real feelings on a song that sounds like it would not be at all that. Track three, Simple As…, I must say, when I hear certain songs that are pretty solid and end up as one of my least favorites on an album, it really tells how good an album is. This song is one of those with it not being one I go back to a lot, but I do appreciate it, some of the highs on this track are its lyrics which seem to be a thing Cudi doesn’t have any issue ever and the hook which over the years has been one of Cudi’s most well recognized features. Track four, Solo Dolo (Nightmare), is another fantastic track with another hook that will be stuck with you for weeks upon weeks. What really got me with this track is how Cudi made a slow track with a relatively simple beat for the most part so different then a majority of stuff I have heard in my lifetime of music. The most impactful part of this track is it’s last lines where Cudi flips the hook on the song and says in the end, “When will I ever learn from the words in my songs.” 

            Track five is Heart of a Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music), and this track switches from a mostly sad side of Cudi to a happier track. Cudi once again just hits it out the park with the hook and really uplifts the listener on this track as the name of the track represents. Track six, My World (feat. Billy Craven), puts us in the perspective of Cudi as a kid. He states that one day all the haters, people that joked on him, and doubters would see the world become his. It’s almost like Cudi was born to be a star as he’s done exactly that, and it really puts this to light on another really nice track. Track seven, Day ‘n’ Nite (Nightmare), is one of the most popular songs off the album and rightfully so. With another catchy hook and subject matter that a majority of listeners can immediately relate to makes this the track what it is today, which is a fan favorite. Over the course of the album, and especially around this point, I realised Cudi was truly a master of creating hooks as each and every time they are nearly flawless and elevate each track to a whole new level. Track eight, Sky Might Fall, is another one of my personal favorites on the album as if I didn’t have enough. The beat on this song was made by a very good friend of Cudi’s and another incredible artist Kayne West which I think is what makes this track stick out that little bit more. 

          Track nine, Enter Galactic (Love Connection Pt. 1), dives into love, a topic which isn’t gone into a whole lot on the album. That’s not to say it made a difference in Cudi’s ability to make another great track, which he did without issue again. The track is very upbeat and catchy, really making it a simple and easy connection for most listeners. Track ten, Alive (Nightmare), switches the vibe of the album after a few more upbeat tracks with a darker but still fast paced and hypnotic sound. It continues a bit of what was left from the last track with the love aspect, but part of what I love about this track is the slow changes in the beat over the track which really add to the progression of the song. Track eleven, Cudi Zone, once again rises back to a happy sound on this track. It’s hard to describe an album after a certain amount of amazing tracks like this, but the only way I can really describe this track  is how it’s just Cudi really being in his zone as it’s one of the best rapping performances on the album, and vocally, he really reaches a new level. Track twelve, Make Her Say (feat. Kayne West & Common), is a pretty nice track which goes to a more traditional rapping track fully for the first time on the album. It also heavily uses a sample from the track Pokerface by Lady Gaga, which was pretty cool to see how it was incorporated in the track. Track thirteen, Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) [feat.MGMT & Ratatat], is hard to describe with the perfect words. This track is one of my favorites ever and is, dare I say, a perfect track. With a beat that is unbelievable, guitars that add a nice extra flavor to the track, and one of Cudi’s best vocal performances ever, this track is the most popular off the album and rightfully so, as who doesn’t believe once they find happiness life will be all good?

        Moving on to the final two tracks of the album starting with track fourteen, Hyyerr (feat. Chip Tha Ripper). If there was any track on this album that sounds like a song you drop your car top on a nice summer day and listen to it’s gotta be this one. This track is relaxing and puts you in a good mood all the way through, both Chip and Cudi really proved they mesh well together on this track too which would lead to more collaborations of the two down the line. Before the final track on the album there were three bonus tracks that were added at a later date being Man On the Moon, T.G.I.F (feat. Chip Tha Ripper) my favorite of the three, and Is There Any Love (feat. Wale). The fifteenth and final track Up Up & Away really feels like the perfect outro to the album with Cudi seeming at peace with himself. It’s another very upbeat track that just wraps things up on the right note which serves this album right. 

        This album is a classic and one of my favorites that I’ve heard in my lifetime. This album may have birthed a generation of artists and changed the music landscape forever. I give this album a 9.5/10 as it’s just an incredible piece of art that everyone needs to hear in my opinion to truly appreciate.