Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager Album Review

Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is Kid Cudi’s sophomore album and sequel to Man on the Moon: The End of Day.  The creative Kid Cudi takes you into his world on this highly emotional adventure.  Man on the Moon II was released on Nov. 9th and sold 176,298 copies in its first week.

Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

1	Scott Mescudi VS the World feat. Cee-Lo
2	REVOFEV
3	Don’t Play This Song feat. Mary J. Blige
4	We Aite (Wake Your Mind Up)
5	Marijuana
6	Mojo So Dope
7	Ashin’ Kusher
8	Erase Me feat. Kanye West
9	Wild’n Cuz Im Young
10	The Mood
11	MANIAC feat. Cage & St. Vincent
12	Mr. Rager
13	These Worries feat. Mary J. Blige
14	The End feat. GLC, Chip Tha Ripper & Nicole Wray
15	All Along
16	GHOST!
17	Trapped In My Mind

(photo courtesy of wegotthiscovered.com)

Many songs from Cudi’s rookie album have become smash hits with mass followings of young people.  Songs like “Soundtrack 2 My Life” and “Pursuit of Happiness” were instant hits for their uplifting vibes.  Man on the Moon 2 is a very dark sounding album, especially in comparison to Man on the Moon I. There are not many pop sounding songs on this album, another stark difference from its predecessor.  Erase Me ft. Kanye West is the closest thing to a radio hit, and its creation was more of a  joke than a thought out single, as Cudi explained in a Complex magazine interview:

“Erase Me” was fun as f*** to make, but it’s just different. It was me f***ing around, just to show people I can do whatever. That’s my main goal now, just to show people no matter what I do, I’m going to make s*** that’s in good taste. Might not be your cup of tea, but it’s going to be authentic, it’s not going to be forced.

Tracks like “Mr. Rager,” “Mojo So Dope,” and “The End” are quality songs that omit that negative outlook on life, as Cudi was going through troubles as he was writing the album.  Sometimes the tracks sound too sad or too depressing for people’s likings.  Hiphopdx’s Edwin Ortiz writes of Cudi’s new album, “A tortured soul, yes, but one with ingenious capabilities, Cudi has taken his progressive style and turned it into a sound that no one would dare replicate”

However, tracks like “Ashin’ Kusher,” “Marijuana,” and “Scott Mecudi Vs. The World” have a more uplifting tone and  are catchy for all listeners.  For avid fans, the album is still phenomenal.  For the average hip hop fan, Man on the Moon II doesn’t quite do it, as Cudi goes a bit too far creatively and doesn’t delivery enough universal singles.

Wegotthiscovered.com gave it 8/10.

Hiphopdx.com gave it a 3.5/5.

I give Man on the Moon II 8/10