Famed Cleveland rapper Kid Cudi (stage name for Scott Mescudi) has released a brand new music video for his track “Heaven on Earth,” directed by Nabil. The “Heaven on Earth” video is the second part of the two-part narrative short film for the rapper’s new concept album Man on the Moon III: The Chosen and follows the video for “She Knows This,” which was also directed by Nabil.
The “Heaven on Earth” video begins with a shot of Will and Jaden Smith appearing in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness before cutting to Cudi laid out on a stretcher in an ambulance. Eventually Cudi’s spirit emerges from his own corpse, dressed in a suit while rapping atop the speeding ambulance. The vehicle eventually crashes and we see the suited Cudi exit the ambulance, unscathed.
The video is a great display of Nabil’s directing chops and depicts a familiar yet invigorating performance from Cudi, who provides his signature storytelling and emotive verses over a stomping beat. Nabil is already a known as a formidable director in the music industry, having worked with marquee acts including Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean and Dua Lipa.
Man on the Moon III: The Chosen marks Cudi’s seventh full-length studio effort, all of which were released with Republic Records. The record is also the rapper’s third installment of his Man on the Moon concept album trilogy and first since 2010’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. As the final installment, the conceptual story behind Man on the Moon III follows Cudi’s internal struggle with his alter ego, Mr. Rager. The album boasts several big-name features including an appearance from famed singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers on the track “Lovin’ Me“. The new record closes prolific year for Cudi, who released new music with Eminem and announced an animated Kids See Ghosts series with frequent collaborator Kanye West.
Photo credit: Brett Padelford
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