One of the defining songs of Kid Cudi’s early career, and frequently cited as his best song, the gloomy “Man on the Moon” first introduced Cudi’s notorious ‘Moon Man’ persona to the world. Released in 2008—before his debut album, the breakthrough and the fame—it was featured on Cudi’s first official mixtape A Kid Named Cudi.

The song is primarily about Kid Cudi being different not only in his music, but a different person in life. Kid Cudi’s ‘Man on the Moon’ reference is simply an exaggeration on him being such a different person that he’s out of this world. Hence he is that ‘Man on the Moon.’ Sampling Nosaj Thing’s “Aquarium,” the somber instrumental gives the song a palpably solitary feel.

Cudi would later go on and use the ‘Man on the Moon’ alias for his acclaimed album trilogy: Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), on which this song was included as a bonus track, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) and Man on the Moon III: The Chosen (2020).