''The Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1'' is the first

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

by American musician

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...

. It was released on July 8, 2022, by

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

and Cudi's Wicked Awesome imprint. The

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

includes tracks from seven of his previous studio albums: '' Man on the Moon: The End of Day'' (2009), '' Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager'' (2010), ''

Indicud ''Indicud'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the third studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on April 16, 2013, by GOOD Music, Wicked Awesome Records, and Republic Records. It was the first album of Cudi's solo career to not be ...

'' (2013), '' Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon'' (2014), ''

Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven ''Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Kid Cudi. The album was released on December 4, 2015, through Republic Records and Cudi's Wicked Awesome Records Imprint. The album is a complete departure from his pr ...

'' (2015), ''

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' ''Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. The album was released on December 16, 2016, through Wicked Awesome Records and Republic Records. It succeeds Cudi's alternative rock album ''Speedin' Bullet 2 ...

'' (2016) and '' Man on the Moon III: The Chosen'' (2020). Also included are songs from his rock band, WZRD's eponymously titled debut album (2012). The album concludes with a re-mastered version of his 2015 non-album song "

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

", as a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

. ''The Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1'' anthologizes songs by Cudi since his major-label debut, including those released during his joint deal with

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

and major-label Republic.

Background and promotion

In June 2022, Cudi announced his first arena tour with

To the Moon World Tour The To the Moon World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American musician Kid Cudi. The excursion, which was his first tour in five years, also served as his first arena tour. The tour began in Portland on August 18, 2022 and concluded in Mil ...

, set to begin in Vancouver on August 16, 2022, and conclude in Milan on November 22, 2022. On July 4, 2022, Kid Cudi took to Twitter to announce the release of his first "

best-of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

" album, along with the re-issue of his debut mixtape ''

A Kid Named Cudi ''A Kid Named Cudi'' is the debut mixtape by American rapper Kid Cudi, released on July 17, 2008, by New York City streetwear brand 10.Deep, in conjunction with independent record label Fool's Gold Records. Considered his breakout project, the ...

'' on July 15 to digital streaming platforms (DSP). He revealed the compilation would be released on July 8. On July 5, Cudi unveiled the compilation's

album cover An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to either the printed paperboard covers typically used to package sets of and 78-r ...

, which features Cudi on a New York City rooftop wearing black

Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragrance ...

The North Face The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. Founded in 1968 to supply climbers, the company's logo draws inspiration from Half Dome, in Yosemite ...

overalls. The following day, July 6, he revealed the track listing. Later that day he announced plans to release volume two of the collection at the end of 2022.

Content

''The Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1'' consists of 18 tracks spanning 14 years of music from Kid Cudi's career, including collaborative work with

André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi. B ...

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

and other artists. Three tracks come from '' Man on the Moon III: The Chosen'', the most to be featured from one album. "

Day 'n' Nite "Day 'n' Nite" is a song by American rapper Kid Cudi. The song was written and produced by Cudi alongside his longtime collaborator and friend, Brooklyn-based producer Dot da Genius. It was issued as Cudi's commercial debut single on February 5, ...

", Cudi's breakout single represents the oldest material on the compilation, having originally been recorded in 2007 for his debut mixtape ''

'' (2008). The second track on the compilation, " Pursuit of Happiness", appeared on Cudi's 2009 major-label debut album ''Man on the Moon: The End of Day''. The compilation also features "The Dream Time Machine" and "Upper Room", album cuts taken from '' WZRD'', the debut album of Cudi and Dot da Genius’ collective

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize a ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band WZRD. Also included are "

Confused! "Confused!" (stylized in all caps) is a song written and recorded by American musician Kid Cudi, taken from his fifth studio album ''Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven'' (2015). The song was officially released on August 1, 2015 as the album's lead singl ...

" and "Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven" the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

s from Cudi’s punk rock/

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

-inspired fifth album ''

''. The song "Love", which appears as the bonus track, contains a sample of "Sunblocks" as performed by American

electronic rock Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrume ...

duo

Ratatat Ratatat ( ) is a Brooklyn-based electronic rock duo consisting of Mike Stroud (guitar, melodica, synthesizers, percussion) and producer Evan Mast ( bass, synthesizers, percussion). History Beginnings and first album, ''Ratatat'' (2001–200 ...

and was originally recorded in 2013 during the ''Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon'' sessions, however had been officially unreleased due to

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

clearance issues.

Critical reception

Neil Yeung of ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' gave it a 4 out of 5 rating, writing “packaged together, this compilation provides a fascinating peek into both Cudi's evolution and artistic scope, presenting a figure that maybe doesn't get enough credit for the creative leaps he's taken and the inspiration that he's provided to contemporaries and up-and-coming artists alike.”

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer

Charts

Personnel

Credits for ''The Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1'' adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. *Denzel Baptiste – composer *André Benjamin – composer, primary artist *David Biral – composer *Peter Brown – composer *John Bruce – composer *King Chip – primary artist *Thomas Cullison – recording *Dennis Cummings – executive producer, producer *Emile – producer *Rusty Evans – composer *Iain Findlay – mixing, recording *Daniel Fornero – trumpet *Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer *Dot Da Genius – drums, executive producer, guitar (bass), keyboards, mixing, percussion, piano, producer, recording *Noah Goldstein – mixing, recording *Mick Guzauski – mixing *Emile Haynie – composer, producer, recording *Ken "Duro" Ifill – A&R *Alex Iles – trombone *Kid Cudi – drums, executive producer, guitar, keyboards, percussion, Primary Artist, Producer, Programmer, Programming *Anthony Kilhoffer – mixing, recording *Anthony Kronfle – recording *Joe LaPorta – mastering engineer *Mike Larson – recording *Nick Littlemore – engineer *Cesar Loza Assistant – rngineer *Erik Madrid – mixing assistant *Manny Marroquin – mixing *Evan Mast – composer, recording *Jim McMillen – horn arrangements *Vlado Meller – mastering engineer *Scott Mescudi – composer, executive producer, producer *MGMT – primary artist *Christian Mochizuki – recording *Mike Moore – drums, programming *Finneas O'Connell – composer, producer *Oladipo Omishore – composer, executive producer, producer, recording *Brent Paschke – guitar (Electric) *Victoria Pike – composer *Plain Pat – producer *Christian Plata – mixing assistant *Teddy Randazzo Composer *Ratatat – Primary Artist, Producer *Patrick Reynolds – composer, producer *Raphael Saadiq – guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals (Background) *Mark Santangelo – Mastering Engineer *Robert Schaer – Trumpet *Bradford Smith – mixing assistant *Luke Steelen – engineer *Mike Stroud – composer *William J Sullivan – engineer *Take a Daytrip – producer *Doug Tornquist – Tuba *Steve Trapani – Trombone (Bass) *Mike Steven Velez – mixing Engineer *Ryan West – recording *Charles Wiggins – composer *Pharrell Williams – composer, Primary Artist, Producer *Charles Worth – composer *WZRD – Primary Artist, Producer

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1, The 2022 greatest hits albums Kid Cudi albums Republic Records compilation albums Compilation albums by American artists Alternative hip hop compilation albums Alternative rock compilation albums Albums produced by Kid Cudi Albums produced by Dot da Genius Albums produced by Emile Haynie Albums produced by Pharrell Williams Albums produced by Plain Pat Albums produced by Take a Daytrip Midwest hip hop compilation albums