By now, many of you have already streamed Kid Cudi's Man On The Moon III: The Chosen. A core goal for Cudi on this project was to showcase his lyricism; something that he was motivated to do following a conversation with Travis Scott while they were recording the collaborative single, "The Scotts." Cudi recently spoke with Zane Lowe about his latest project and said he chose to drop more bars this time around because he doesn't feel he gets respected in the industry as a rap artist.
"I felt like, in Hip Hop, I'm slept on as a rapper," said Cudi. "As a lyricist. I really wanted to elevate my whole sh*t on that front on this project. I did that with the rapping and the singing. Everything has kinda evolved and the added little sprinkle of ad-libs. Something I've never really done before, either. I was able to do it in my own little way so it remains authentic."
MOTMIII boasts a collaboration with Skepta and the late Pop Smoke on his track "Show Out." It is the first time Cudi has had a posthumous appearance on one of his albums. "It was powerful," Cudi said. "I talked to Steven Victor about this when he first recorded this song. He had thought of me on it. Steven had thought of me on it." After hearing the track, Cudi knew that he needed the song because it's a sound the world had never heard him tackle as an artist. "Skepta sounds amazing, Pop Smoke sounds amazing. This would be so unexpected. I think I can be on this and I could hold it down and do my thing."
Check out Cudi and Lowe's must-watch interview below and listen to Cudi, Pop Smoke, and Skepta's "Show Out."