The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady

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"The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady"
Single by Kid Cudi and Eminem
ReleasedJuly 10, 2020
Length4:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kid Cudi singles chronology
"The Scotts"
(2020) 		"The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady"
(2020) 		"Transparent Soul"
(2021)
Eminem singles chronology
"Godzilla"
(2020) 		"The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady"
(2020) 		"Those Kinda Nights"
(2020)
Lyric video
The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady

"The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady" is a song by American rappers Kid Cudi and Eminem. It was released as a stand-alone single on July 10, 2020. The song was produced by frequent Kid Cudi collaborator Dot da Genius, along with J Gramm and co-production by Eminem.[1] The song's title refers to Cudi's moniker the "Moon Man" and Eminem's alter-ego Slim Shady.[2]

Background[edit]

On May 7, 2020, Kid Cudi tweeted "rap god. Help!", sparking speculation about what it might mean.[3][4] Rapper Lil Wayne had Eminem on his Apple Music show "Young Money Radio" on May 8 and informed Eminem about Cudi's tweet, of which Eminem said he had been unaware.[5] Then, on July 3, Kid Cudi tweeted again, this time writing "7/10/2020", which some publications speculated might be referring to new music.[6] The song was announced on July 8, when Kid Cudi posted a video of his daughter teasing the song.[7] Eminem confirmed his involvement the following day and Kid Cudi released the cover art.[8][9]

Kid Cudi reacted to Eminem's verse, saying "Yo bro, you fucking destroyed this shit". NME then ran an article, in which they quote Cudi as implying that he was unhappy with Eminem's verse. Cudi later responded to the publication, saying he never meant anything negative: "Never said this and im not sure how yall came up w [sic] it. I was clearly excited about my feature. Never once said I was unhappy about it nor did my energy suggest that. So to NME, get ur shit together and stop spreading LIES".[10]

Composition and lyrics[edit]

"The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady" is backed by ambient synth sounds,[11] a hip hop drum beat, a low bass line and orchestral-style strings.[12]

Vulture's Chris Murphy said "Although the title suggests equal billing between the two rappers, technically it's a Kid Cudi song featuring Eminem, and it sounds like it. Cudi takes the first half of the song, before Eminem takes the back half.[13] In Kid Cudi's verse, he raps about his jaunts and his "stint in rehab".[14] In Eminem's verse, he references the COVID-19 pandemic, the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery,[15] while criticizing anti-maskers, police brutality, and Drew Brees.[16][17][18][19] Eminem also raps about his sobriety, name-dropping known cannabis-smokers Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg.[11] At the end of the track, Kid Cudi delivers a line in reference to a future continuation of the Man On the Moon series to complete the album trilogy, which he has previously announced over the years.[14] The referenced album, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, was released by Cudi on December 11, 2020.[20]

Critical reception[edit]

Consequence of Sound's Matt Melis named it the song of the week, calling it an "adventure that feels too hot to have been given much time to cool off". Melis commended the artists for bringing their individual talents to the song, noting Cudi's established "authenticity" and producer Dot da Genius' production that "allows Cudi to pause in reflection but never come to a full stop, creating a momentum where principle and purpose feel more important than perfection".[2] Billboard's Mitchell Peters called the track "fiery".[21] Josh Stewart of Dancing Astronaut praised the song, stating it "does what many collaborations or features cannot, pulling off a true artistic amalgamation of the two styles while concocting something fresh along the way".[22] Robin Murray of Clash magazine said the "rap heavyweights" deliver "a huge piece of stadium level hip-hop".[23] Conversely, Jonathan Robles of Variance called the song "somewhat of a dud", although stating that Eminem "naturally" grabs the spotlight over multiple lines.[24]

Music video[edit]

An animated lyric video was released along with the song, in which Kid Cudi and Eminem appear as crime-fighting comic superheroes, Moon Man and Slim Shady.[22][25]

Charts[edit]

Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[26] 90
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[27] 20
Ireland (IRMA)[28] 30
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[29] 5
Scotland (OCC)[30] 15
UK Singles (OCC)[31] 44
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 22
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[33] 15
US Rolling Stone Top 100[34] 19

References[edit]

  1. ^ Oladipo Omishore [@dotdagenius] (July 8, 2020). "😁" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Melis, Matt (July 11, 2020). "Song of the Week: Kid Cudi and Eminem Get Real on "The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Kid Cudi sparks Eminem collab rumors following a mysterious tweet". Southpawer. May 7, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Johnson, Zoe (July 10, 2020). "Kid Cudi and Eminem Drop "The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady": Listen". XXL.
  5. ^ "Lil Wayne Helped To Connect Eminem With Kid Cudi". O4L Online Network. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  6. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (July 3, 2020). "Kid Cudi Appears To Be Teasing Something New Coming Next Week". UPROXX. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "Kid Cudi Announces New Eminem Collab Is Dropping This Week". Complex. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Marshall Mathers [@eminem] (July 9, 2020). "Me and Moon Man @KidCudi got something coming tonight!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Scott Mescudi [@kidcudi] (July 9, 2020). "SINGLE ARTWORK FOR "THE ADVENTURES OF MOON MAN AND SLIM SHADY" DROPPIN TN" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Zidel, Alex (July 14, 2020). "Kid Cudi Responds To Report He Was Unhappy With Eminem Collab". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Wallis, Adam (July 10, 2020). "Eminem, Kid Cudi drop new song 'The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady'". Global News. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  12. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (July 10, 2020). "Eminem references George Floyd and coronavirus on new Kid Cudi collaboration". The Independent. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  13. ^ Murphy, Chris (July 10, 2020). "Kid Cudi Teams Up With Eminem on New Song 'The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady'". Vulture. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Legaspi, Althea (July 10, 2020). "Hear Kid Cudi, Eminem's New Song 'The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady'". Rolling Stone.
  15. ^ Strauss, Matthew (July 10, 2020). "Kid Cudi and Eminem Share New Song "The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady": Listen". Pitchfork.
  16. ^ Aswad, Jem (July 10, 2020). "Eminem Slams New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees, Police in New Single With Kid Cudi (Video)". Variety.
  17. ^ Ryan, Patrick (July 10, 2020). "Eminem slams Drew Brees, people who refuse to wear masks in new Kid Cudi song". USA Today.
  18. ^ "Eminem says 'F*** Drew Brees' in new song". WWL-TV. July 10, 2020.
  19. ^ "EMINEM New Track ... 'F*** DREW BREES'". TMZ. June 10, 2020.
  20. ^ Murphy, Chris (December 11, 2020). "Kid Cudi Returns to Outer Space, Drops Man on the Moon III: The Chosen". Vulture. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  21. ^ Peters, Mitchell (July 11, 2020). "Kid Cudi Credits Lil Wayne for Helping Land His New Eminem Collaboration: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Stewart, Josh (July 10, 2020). "Kid Cudi and Eminem unveil animated new single 'The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim Shady'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  23. ^ Murray, Robin (July 10, 2020). "It's Eminem. It's Kid Cudi. It's A Brand New Single". Clash. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  24. ^ Jonathan, Robles (July 10, 2020). "Kid Cudi & Eminem have finally made a song together". Variance. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  25. ^ Kim, Allen (July 10, 2020). "Eminem slams people who refuse to wear masks in new song with Kid Cudi". CNN. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 20 July 2020". No. 1585. Australian Recording Industry Association. July 20, 2020. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  27. ^ "Kid Cudi Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  28. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  29. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  32. ^ "Kid Cudi Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  33. ^ "Kid Cudi Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Songs, July 10, 2020 - July 16, 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
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