The vinyl version of Kid Cudi‘s Man On The Moon III: The Chosen has broken two US chart records.
The rapper’s seventh studio LP was originally released on December 11, 2020 as a digital album and via streaming services. Its CD edition arrived on June 18, 2021.
The album – which features the likes of Skepta, Pop Smoke, Phoebe Bridgers and Trippie Redd – was released on vinyl for the first time earlier this month, on December 17. This has helped the album score a new high on the US album chart.
Man On The Moon III: The Chosen has now re-entered the Billboard chart at Number Four, surpassing its previous peak of Number 10. In the week beginning December 17, the album sold 42,000 copies, 41,500 of which were on vinyl. According to Chart Data, this means the album has broken the record for biggest vinyl sales week for both a male artist and a rap album in Nielsen history.
Cudi responded to the news on Twitter, first writing, “Holy s_t whats happening”, in response to the album landing at Number Four on the charts. When he found out he had broken a chart record, he tweeted: “Holy F_K!!!”
Man On The Moon III: The Chosen has now sold 81,000 copies since its original release, across all available retail formats (physical and digital combined), in the US.
In a four-star review of the album, NME called Man On The Moon III: The Chosen a “cinematic masterstroke that electrifies the senses at every turn”.
Meanwhile, Cudi has revealed plans to drop two separate albums next year, saying he has some “tasty surprises”.
While performing as part of the California leg of the Rolling Loud festival for 2021, the rapper delivered a yet-to-be-released song titled ‘Freshie’. Elsewhere in the set, Cudi explained why he was teasing unreleased music during his set.
“As you know, I have Entergalactic coming in the summer,” Cudi said – referencing his long-teased album, first hinted at back in 2019.
“I wanna drop another album before that. I got some tasty surprises and I really am excited about all this new s_t; this new music to give to you guys. That’s why I’m teasing this s_t now, because it’s coming out soon. Tonight, record this s_t.”
The news of Cudi’s US success comes after it was revealed that vinyl record sales in the UK in 2021 were the highest they’ve been in 30 years, despite widely publicised issues with backlogs and delays.