Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
Encyclopedia
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is the second studio album
by American recording artist Kid Cudi
. The album was formerly known as Cudder: The Revolution of Evolution, before being renamed. The album was released November 9, 2010 by GOOD Music
and Universal Motown.
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 169,000 copies during its first week of release. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics.
compared Cudi's blending of sounds to B.o.B
's genre-bending album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
, stating "It’s a mix. It’s kind of some club stuff, some hip-hop traditional rap stuff, and then some rock-pop stuff. He’s goin’ everywhere." Cudi later said that Jonsin had misinformed fans about the new album, "I got mad love for Jim but he was misinformed. There is no Kanye
& Kid Cudi Duran Duran
song, I'd sample a 90s record before a 80s record anyday and when I worked with Jim, I hadn't even started sessions with Plain Pat and Emile yet so the direction of my album was yet to be determined."
addiction
on the album. Music critic Matthew Cole noted elements of rock music on the album and wrote that it "finds Cudi burrowing deeper into the black hole of spacey psychedelia, fusing the clinical, synthetic hip-hop of 808s & Heartbreak
with rock sounds derived from Hendrix
, Pink Floyd
, and Zappa
".
" featuring Kanye West was debuted on a Cleveland radio station June 30, 2010 and was officially released to Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 17, 2010. On August 24, 2010, "Erase Me" was officially released digitally on iTunes. On October 25, 2010 a promo single, "Mr. Rager" was officially released digitally on iTunes.
chart, with first-week sales of 169,000 copies. In its second week it crossed the 200,000 sales mark.
As of June 15, 2011 the album had sold 428,000 copies in the United States.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 70, based on 20 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Entertainment Weekly
s Simon Vozick-Levinson gave Man on the Moon II an A- rating and called it "a cohesively constructed concept album that will reward repeat listens". Chicago Tribune
writer Greg Kot
complimented Cudi's themes of "the stoned-and-alone rapper" and stated "the music is as consuming and intoxicating as the lifestyle Cudi describes". Sputnikmusic
's Channing Freeman gave the album 4 out 5 stars and stated "Cudi is flexing and stretching his skills, exploring untouched areas of his psyche and finding things to turn into songs". Charles Aaron of Spin
commended it for "boldly reshaping Cudi's sound – with vivid production" and stated "The dizzy friction between rap's grasping for control and rock's desire to lose it entirely give Cudi's confessions a dicey, volatile edge". USA Today
s Steve Jones complimented his "hip-hop and alt-rock leanings" and stated "it's Cudi's raw intensity that is so compelling".
The Washington Post
s Allison Stewart called Man on the Moon II "smarter, more diverse and more ambitious than its predecessor, though it's claustrophobic and often joyless". Dave Heaton of PopMatters
viewed that its "subject matter" is not "delved into as creatively as on the debut album" and stated "Sometimes [Cudi] seems to be falling into the typical trap of sequels: replicating instead of moving forward". Rolling Stone
s Jonah Weiner commended its "dramatic, breathtakingly stark production", but ultimately panned Cudi's performance and stated "he's grown rote in his self-pity and flat as a singer". Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
viewed that Cudi's rapping "wander[s] away while the track continues without him" and stated "In its utter self-absorption, the album teeters between fascinating and numbing". Nitsuh Abebe of New York
called it "a weary and sometimes beautiful catalogue of trying times and overindulgence [...] a melodic take on hip-hop that feels woozy and genuinely passionate, inviting you as deeply into his head as the lyrics. [...] But vulnerability loses its power when it’s calculated to sound dramatic and masculine".
Benjamin Boles of NOW
wrote that it "suffers and shines due to inconsistency. [...] brilliantly unique moments and lots of stoner stumbles", but viewed it as "a more solid album" than Cudi's debut album. Allmusic writer David Jeffries stated "you have to care quite a bit about this Mr. Solo Dolo character for Man on the Moon II to fully work its magic. [...] but just like on his debut, the soundscape is spacy and far-reaching, making this interstellar therapy session a much more interesting transmission. At its best, it’s fascinating". Slant Magazine
's Matthew Cole expressed that "the hybrid production style proves an atmospheric and eerie delight" and commended Cudi for his unconventional musical approach, writing in conclusion, "Pursuing genius at the expense of consistency might work out just fine for Cudi: I'm not convinced that he's a good rapper, but I'm pretty sure he's an important one". Mark Beaumont of NME
gave it a 9/10 rating and commended its "mainstream-bucking experimentation and innovation", calling it "a grungy, filthy record full of angels and demons". Pitchfork Media
's Jayson Greene called Man on the Moon II "a bumpy listen", but found it "more fully realized" than Cudi's debut album.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American recording artist Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
. The album was formerly known as Cudder: The Revolution of Evolution, before being renamed. The album was released November 9, 2010 by GOOD Music
GOOD Music
GOOD Music is a record label and management firm founded by music producer and artist Kanye West. "GOOD" is an acronym for "Getting Out Our Dreams".-History:...
and Universal Motown.
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 169,000 copies during its first week of release. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics.
Background
Jim JonsinJim Jonsin
James Scheffer, better known by his professional name, Jim Jonsin, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, songwriter, record executive, and entrepreneur...
compared Cudi's blending of sounds to B.o.B
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. , better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both...
's genre-bending album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray is the debut studio album of American rapper B.o.B, released April 27, 2010, on Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 and was handled by B.o.B, Crada, Dr...
, stating "It’s a mix. It’s kind of some club stuff, some hip-hop traditional rap stuff, and then some rock-pop stuff. He’s goin’ everywhere." Cudi later said that Jonsin had misinformed fans about the new album, "I got mad love for Jim but he was misinformed. There is no Kanye
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
& Kid Cudi Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
song, I'd sample a 90s record before a 80s record anyday and when I worked with Jim, I hadn't even started sessions with Plain Pat and Emile yet so the direction of my album was yet to be determined."
Music
Cudi stated that "Man On The Moon II is dark by nature and instead of bringing you into my dreams like my first album, I'm bringing you into my reality, good and bad. It will explain more of who I am as well as pushing the envelope musically." Cudi also stated he has scrapped the collaborative theme of Cudder for a project that is more personal. He also discusses his former cocaineCocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
on the album. Music critic Matthew Cole noted elements of rock music on the album and wrote that it "finds Cudi burrowing deeper into the black hole of spacey psychedelia, fusing the clinical, synthetic hip-hop of 808s & Heartbreak
808s & Heartbreak
808s & Heartbreak is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released November 24, 2008 on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii during...
with rock sounds derived from Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, and Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
".
Singles
The first promotional single titled "REVOFEV", which stands for Revolution Of Evolution, was released through Kid Cudi's website on June 17, 2010. It is produced by Plain Pat. The first official single, titled "Erase MeErase Me
"Erase Me" is a song by American hip hop rock artist Kid Cudi released as the first official single from Kid Cudi's album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. With a guest performance by Kanye West, the song debuted on a Cleveland radio station June 30, 2010 and was officially released to...
" featuring Kanye West was debuted on a Cleveland radio station June 30, 2010 and was officially released to Rhythm/Crossover radio on August 17, 2010. On August 24, 2010, "Erase Me" was officially released digitally on iTunes. On October 25, 2010 a promo single, "Mr. Rager" was officially released digitally on iTunes.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, with first-week sales of 169,000 copies. In its second week it crossed the 200,000 sales mark.
As of June 15, 2011 the album had sold 428,000 copies in the United States.
Critical response
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager received positive reviews from most music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 70, based on 20 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Simon Vozick-Levinson gave Man on the Moon II an A- rating and called it "a cohesively constructed concept album that will reward repeat listens". Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
writer Greg Kot
Greg Kot
Greg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
complimented Cudi's themes of "the stoned-and-alone rapper" and stated "the music is as consuming and intoxicating as the lifestyle Cudi describes". Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
's Channing Freeman gave the album 4 out 5 stars and stated "Cudi is flexing and stretching his skills, exploring untouched areas of his psyche and finding things to turn into songs". Charles Aaron of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
commended it for "boldly reshaping Cudi's sound – with vivid production" and stated "The dizzy friction between rap's grasping for control and rock's desire to lose it entirely give Cudi's confessions a dicey, volatile edge". USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
s Steve Jones complimented his "hip-hop and alt-rock leanings" and stated "it's Cudi's raw intensity that is so compelling".
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s Allison Stewart called Man on the Moon II "smarter, more diverse and more ambitious than its predecessor, though it's claustrophobic and often joyless". Dave Heaton of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
viewed that its "subject matter" is not "delved into as creatively as on the debut album" and stated "Sometimes [Cudi] seems to be falling into the typical trap of sequels: replicating instead of moving forward". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Jonah Weiner commended its "dramatic, breathtakingly stark production", but ultimately panned Cudi's performance and stated "he's grown rote in his self-pity and flat as a singer". Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
viewed that Cudi's rapping "wander[s] away while the track continues without him" and stated "In its utter self-absorption, the album teeters between fascinating and numbing". Nitsuh Abebe of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
called it "a weary and sometimes beautiful catalogue of trying times and overindulgence [...] a melodic take on hip-hop that feels woozy and genuinely passionate, inviting you as deeply into his head as the lyrics. [...] But vulnerability loses its power when it’s calculated to sound dramatic and masculine".
Benjamin Boles of NOW
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
wrote that it "suffers and shines due to inconsistency. [...] brilliantly unique moments and lots of stoner stumbles", but viewed it as "a more solid album" than Cudi's debut album. Allmusic writer David Jeffries stated "you have to care quite a bit about this Mr. Solo Dolo character for Man on the Moon II to fully work its magic. [...] but just like on his debut, the soundscape is spacy and far-reaching, making this interstellar therapy session a much more interesting transmission. At its best, it’s fascinating". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Matthew Cole expressed that "the hybrid production style proves an atmospheric and eerie delight" and commended Cudi for his unconventional musical approach, writing in conclusion, "Pursuing genius at the expense of consistency might work out just fine for Cudi: I'm not convinced that he's a good rapper, but I'm pretty sure he's an important one". Mark Beaumont of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
gave it a 9/10 rating and commended its "mainstream-bucking experimentation and innovation", calling it "a grungy, filthy record full of angels and demons". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Jayson Greene called Man on the Moon II "a bumpy listen", but found it "more fully realized" than Cudi's debut album.
Track listing
Sample credits- "Mojo So Dope" contains a sample of "Claustrophobia" by Choir of Young BelieversChoir of Young BelieversChoir of Young Believers is the musical project of singer, writer and guitarist Jannis Noya Makrigiannis from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band, which consists of Makrigiannis along with a rotating cast of supporting players, has had multiple No 1 hits in its home country and was named the "Best New...
. - "MANIAC" contains a sample of "The Strangers" by St. Vincent.
- "The End" contains a sample of "I Need Your Love" by Skip Mahoney & The Casuals.
- "GHOST!" embodies portions of "My Rainbow Life" by The Freak Scene.
Personnel
Credits for Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager adapted from Allmusic.- Jennifer Beal – Producer
- Blended Babies – Producer
- Ray Bradley – Guitar
- Sandy Brummels – Creative Director
- Chip Tha Ripper – Engineer
- A.E. Clark – Composer
- Mike Dean – Guitar, Organ, Piano
- R. Evans – Composer, Producer
- Dot Da Genius – Engineer, Mixing, Producer
- Larry Gold – Conductor, String Arrangements, Strings
- Leonard Harris – Engineer
- Emile Haynie – Composer, Engineer, Executive Producer, Keyboards, Producer, Synthesizer
- Ghazi Hourani – Engineer
- Matt Huber – Assistant
- Chuck Inglish – Producer
- Jim Jonsin – Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming
- J.P. Keller – Bass, Guitar
- Kid Cudi – Art Direction, Design, Director, Executive Producer
- Anthony Kilhoffer – Engineer, Mixing, Producer
- Brent Kolatalo – Engineer
- Anthony Kronfle – Engineer
- Ken Lewis – Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Woodwind
- Pamela Littky – Photography
- Nigil Mack – A&R
- Erik Madrid – Assistant
- J.N. Makrigiannis – Composer
- Robert Marks – Mixing
- Manny Marroquin – Mixing
- Graham Marsh – Engineer
- Sean McCoy – Assistant
- Vlado Meller – Mastering
- Christian Mochizuki – Engineer
- O. Omishore – Composer
- Rich Perry – Composer, Engineer
- Christian Plata – Assistant
- Kevin Porter – Engineer
- T. Randazzo – Composer
- Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds – Executive Producer
- Frank Romano – Composer, Guitar, Bass
- Mark Santangelo – Assistant
- F.N. Schjoldan – Composer
- Kanye West – Composer
- Ryan West – Engineer, Mixing
- Jason Wilkie – Assistant
- James Wisner – Engineer
- Andrew Wright – Engineer
- Anthony Wright – Engineer
- Billy Zarro – Product Manager
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
5 |
| UK R&B Albums Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
12 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
| US Billboard Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004.... |
1 |
External links
- Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...