Maps of Music

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' (2016)

Where the lyrics of Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' take you, and where it was really made.

Kid Cudi's sixth album was originally going to be released as Man on the Moon III, but he chose not to use that title.

Key places

Main recording location in North Hollywood (2016)

Recording site Schnee Studio — Most tracks on the album are credited as recorded at Ameraycan in North Hollywood, except track 5. The point marks the city center, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Strings recorded at Capitol Records Building (2016)

Recording site Capitol Studios — The album credits list this Hollywood landmark as a recording location for the strings on tracks 7, 10 and 14 to 16. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Conway Recording Studios (2016)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — The album credits list Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood as a recording location for track 19. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at EastWest Studios (2016)

Recording site EastWest Studios — The album credits list EastWest Studios in Hollywood as a recording location for track 9. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Sixth studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi
• Released December 16, 2016 through Wicked Awesome Records and Republic Records
• Follows the alternative rock album Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven (2015)
• Guest appearances from André 3000 (under his real name André Benjamin), Pharrell Williams, Travis Scott and Willow Smith
• Production by Cudi himself with Plain Pat, Mike Dean, Dot da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mike Will Made It and Pharrell Williams, among others
• Double disc album whose track list is split into acts, as in the Man on the Moon series

Background

• On May 11, 2016 Cudi revealed the title through Instagram, amid rumors of a Man on the Moon III release
• Cudi later said the album was originally going to be released as Man on the Moon III, but he opted not to
• He made that choice because he wanted to be in a better place when releasing the final part of his trilogy
• On June 1, 2016 Cudi announced two albums for 2016, one for summer and one for fall
• In October 2016 Cudi revealed on Facebook that he had checked into rehabilitation for depression and suicidal urges
• The singles 'Frequency' and 'Surfin'' were released on September 30, 2016

Recording

• On May 1, 2016 Travis Barker revealed recording sessions with Cudi and André 3000
• On June 1, 2016 Travis Scott was confirmed as the only featured artist on the album at that point
• On June 3, 2016 Dot da Genius was confirmed as involved in the album
• On June 9, 2016 a video of Willow Smith singing in a recording booth was shared
• On June 29, 2016 Cudi teased a collaboration with Pharrell Williams

Cover

• Cover art was unveiled on September 26, 2016, the same day as the track list and release date
• Design by Ryan Rogers; photography by Pamela Littky

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, was born January 30, 1984 in Cleveland, Ohio.
• He began rapping in 2003 and moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a music career.
• His song "Day 'n' Nite" gained online attention in 2007, leading Kanye West to sign him to GOOD Music in 2008.
• His debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi was released in July 2008.

Career

• Debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) reached commercial and critical success and received quadruple platinum certification.
• Second album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) received platinum certification.
• Formed the rock band WZRD, whose 2012 debut topped the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.
• Album Indicud (2013) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
• Formed the duo Kids See Ghosts with Kanye West in 2018.
• Single "The Scotts" with Travis Scott (2020) became his first number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Released Man on the Moon III: The Chosen (2020) and Entergalactic (2022).
• Acted in HBO's How to Make It in America, Need for Speed, and Bill & Ted Face the Music, among other works.
• Won two Grammy Awards and has sold over 22 million units domestically.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Reviews from critics were generally positive
• Metacritic average of 70 based on 11 reviews
• AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.6 out of 10 based on critical consensus
• AllMusic's Neil Yeung wrote that the album adds gravitas to Kid Cudi's discography and hints at recovery
• Complex's Chris Mench wrote that Cudi recaptured the heart of his music, though not perfectly
• Pitchfork's Matthew Strauss noted the long length and redundancy but said Cudi sounded as focused as since Man on the Moon II
• Drowned in Sound's Kellan Miller said the record demands repeated listening and is more accessible than his earlier records
• Exclaim!'s Anya Zoledziowski said the album is loaded with hits and shows Cudi's renewed sense of self
• HipHopDX's Alex Bell said the 19 tracks and 86 minutes sprawl to a fault but stick to the branding
• Consequence's Karas Lamb said the album seems concerned with keeping up appearances
• The Observer's Bernadette McNulty noted support from Pharrell Williams and André 3000 and the strangeness Willow Smith adds
• PopMatters' Tanner Smith said the sound is repetitive rather than redundant and the work is not particularly deep
• XXL's Chris Gibbons said the album's biggest issue is its length

Records

• US Billboard 200 debut at number 11 with 49,000 album-equivalent units
• Second best-selling digital album of the week, with 24,000 digital copies
• 35 million streams in the first week
• XXL ranked it among the best 50 hip hop projects of 2016

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Willow Smith was shown singing in a recording booth in a video Cudi posted on June 9, 2016, captioned with the album title.
• The music video for 'Frequency' was directed by Cudi himself and released on October 13, 2016.
• Hours before release the album was postponed over sample clearance issues, and two singles were released instead.
• 'Baptized in Fire' was the instant gratification track for iTunes pre-orders from December 1, 2016.
• The 'Surfin'' video from October 31, 2016 includes cameos by Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, King Chip, ASAP Nast and ASAP Rocky.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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