Man on the Moon III: The Chosen

Man on the Moon III: The Chosen is the seventh studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on December 11, 2020, by Republic Records. Announced on December 7, 2020, it is the final installment of Cudi's Man on the Moon trilogy of albums (which includes 2009's Man on the Moon: The End of Day and 2010's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager). The 18-track album features guest appearances from Pop Smoke, Skepta, Phoebe Bridgers and Trippie Redd. Production was handled by many high-profile producers, such as Cudi himself and Dot da Genius, who serve as executive producers, along with Plain Pat, Emile Haynie, and Mike Dean, all of whom contributed to the previous two Man on the Moon albums.

Musically, the album's theme finds Cudi fight against his evil alter ego, Mr. Rager, in hopes to win back his peace and happiness. As with the previous two installments, the album is split into four "acts": Return 2 Madness; The Rager, The Menace; Heart of Rose Gold; and Powers.

The continuation of Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon trilogy was first teased in his July 2020 collaboration with Eminem, "The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady", in which Cudi raps on the outro, "The trilogy continues". Cudi officially confirmed Man on the Moon III in October 2020, releasing a trailer with the caption, "The trilogy continues… soon". In November, he tweeted, "The music is coming. I promise". On December 7, 2020, he released a cinematic trailer, revealing the title, release date, tracklist, and the cover art, designed by Sam Spratt. Music videos will be released for the songs "Heaven on Earth" and "She Knows This", the latter a day before the album's release; both videos were directed by Nabil.

According to Cudi, the album is, as with all his releases, "nothing" like any of his previous works:
"My first 2 albums were meant to be untopped. I didn't even think Id live to make another record after motm 2… My point is, u cant top timeless. And that was what we aim for everytime".

In addition, the synopsis on the album's back cover reads:
"In the last 10 years, Scott Mescudi has been through hell and back. After feeling like his world was over, he found hope and overcame the darkness that was plaguing his life. But happiness isn't forever. What he thought was peace turns into a nightmare. He finds himself lost dealing with the same pain he had not felt in years. In one night, he must face himself again and fight to win back his soul from the evil Mr. Rager".

The album features production from Cudi’s longtime collaborators Dot da Genius, Emile Haynie, Plain Pat and Mike Dean, all of whom helped shape the sound for the first two installments of the Man on the Moon series. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Cudi explained that he was encouraged by his protégé, Houston-based rapper Travis Scott to be more lyrical and made a concerted effort to showcase his skill set as a rapper on this album since he feels he’s overlooked in that aspect of his artistry.