Thematically, Man on the Moon III is a concept album that finds Cudi in an internal struggle against his evil alter ego, Mr. Rager, in hopes to win back his peace and happiness.

It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, earning 144,000 album-equivalent units of which 15,000 were pure sales, marking Cudi's fifth top 10 album in the US.

[3] The album, which included the worldwide hit single "Day 'n' Nite", was divided into five acts and featured narration from Cudi's then-GOOD Music label-mate and fellow American rapper Common.

The significance in the release is it marks the first time all three had collaborated since Man on the Moon II (2010) and the disestablishment of their record label, Dream On.

The album features production from Cudi's longtime collaborators Dot da Genius, Emile Haynie, Plain Pat and Mike Dean, all of whom helped shape the sound for the first two installments of the Man on the Moon series.

[18] After achieving his first number one single in the US with "The Scotts", Cudi celebrated with the song's producers, Dot da Genius and Take a Daytrip.

Cudi subsequently went on to record two more songs with the producers, namely "Another Day" and "She Knows This", which went on to lay the foundation for Man on the Moon III.

[14] Cudi explained to Apple Music that he had been in a good place working on his animated series Entergalactic and on The Scotts, but he kept coming up with cuts that didn't fit either of those projects.

If anyone really pushed me to rap on this album it would be Dot, my girl Rocky, Dennis, my engineer Bill, my sister Maisha n Chip."

[20] In a January 2021 interview with Complex, Dot da Genius spoke on the creation of several tracks on the album: "'Solo Dolo III' was a beat me and Plain Pat did initially during the Entergalactic sessions that Cudi never recorded to.

The synths at the beginning are also the same as those on "Scott Mescudi vs. the World", the opening song of Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.

"[26] Holmes also wrote "songs like 'Another Day' and 'She Knows This,' Cudi layers his verses with ad-libs, and his vocals sound more distorted and robotic than ever.

"[26] "Show Out" is a drill song,[22][27] featuring a "distortion-heavy instrumental and the relentless flows that Cudi zings back and forth" with Pop Smoke and Skepta.

[30] It was designed by illustrator Sam Spratt, who was hired due to Cudi liking his artwork for Logic's album No Pressure.

Spratt stated that the artwork was meant to capture Cudi's feelings, while still being "something that would stand out in a Spotify gallery and steer the algorithm", calling it a "glorified piece of marketing".

[31] Cudi officially confirmed Man on the Moon III in October 2020, releasing a trailer with the caption, "The trilogy continues...

The range was made in collaboration with Cactus Plant Flea Market, and consists of short- and long-sleeve T-shirts, pullover hoodies, and sweatpants—all of which feature graphics that reference MOTM3 tracks.

His performance of "Sad People", made headlines as Cudi wore a dress as a statement against social norms much like his idol Cobain had done.

[40] In June 2021, Kid Cudi partnered with Amazon, to perform on their Prime Day Show event, which included three new alternate versions of songs from the album, namely "Tequila Shots", "Sad People" and "4 Da Kidz".

[41] The alternate versions of the songs were included on an extended play (EP) titled Prime Day Show x Kid Cudi, issued exclusively on Amazon Music, on June 17, 2021.

[42] On September 25, 2021, Cudi revealed he was preparing for an upcoming concert tour in promotion for Man on the Moon III, when he wrote on Twitter that he's "been bookin venues for months.

"[49] Skye Butchard of Loud and Quiet wrote that "Cudi finds his feet again on the back half of the project, allowing himself to wander into trippy and introspective songwriting".

[50] For Danny Schwartz of Rolling Stone, it has a more "half-baked" narrative compared to Man on the Moon II, which he said to contribute to the album's "faux-epic scope".

[51] In a positive review, Mason Meyers of Clash dubbed Man on the Moon III: The Chosen as Cudi's "best solo album to date", praising the production and modern influences.

[53] Will Lavin of NME said, "Kid Cudi gives us every part of himself, laying out his insecurities and inner demons in the hope that it might help someone else, his words etched into a vivid backdrop of intoxicating melodies and palatial riffs.

[27] Rowan5215 from Sputnikmusic enjoyed the album, saying, "This is a fun, sometimes moving project, extremely consistent and concise by the standards we apply to Kid Cudi since around 2013".

[52] Fred Thomas of AllMusic wrote, "Man on the Moon, Vol 3: The Chosen represents both a return to form for Cudi as much as a distillation of his most successful experiments with genre and delivery".

[51] Writing for Pitchfork, Alphonse Pierre found the album underwhelming, and commented that its second half is too reminiscent of Cudi's past works, naming his "lifeless hums" and "half-assed singing" as clichés.

He wrote that "[Cudi's] stories about how struggles with depression and loneliness affected his relationships were detailed enough to be personal but also vague enough to be easily applied to anyone's life.

[50] Man on the Moon III: The Chosen debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 144,000 album-equivalent units (including 15,000 pure album sales) in its first week.