Kanye West - Graduation

Shenron · Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:49 pm Post subject: Kanye West - Graduation

Artist: Kanye West
Album: Graduation
Label: GOOD Music, Island Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella
Release Date: Sept 11, 2007
Main Site: http://www.rapcentral.co.uk/kanyewest_Reviews_GRADUATION.html
Album Lyrics: http://www.rapcentral.co.uk/kanyewest_Lyrics_GRADUATION.html

Track listing:

1. Good Morning (Intro) (3:15)
2. Champion (2:48)
3. Stronger (5:12)
4. I Wonder (4:03)
5. Good Life ft T-Pain (3:27)
6. Can't Tell Me Nothing (4:32)
7. Barry Bonds ft Lil Wayne (3:24)
8. Drunk and Hot Girls ft Mos Def (5:13)
9. Flashing Lights ft Dwele (3:58)
10. Everything I Am (3:48)
11. The Glory (3:33)
12. Homecoming ft Chris Martin (3:24)
13. Big Brother (4:47)

WHY I CHOSE TO REVIEW THIS ALBUM

No matter how hard you try the whole 50 v Kanye album grudge has been
un-escapable for the past month or so. I couldn't help getting this
album after Kanye was officially declared the winner to let you guys
know exactly what i thought about this album and wheather it deserved
the hype surrounding it's release or not.

RAPCENTRAL REVIEW
College Dropout was a decent album by all accounts, before listening to
Graduation i did not anticipate for this album to be better, and i was
not suprised. If you thought that this album could not live up to all the
hype, then congratulations because you guessed correctly. The main purpose
of this album is simply to accompany the half-decent track ''Stronger''
which, lets face it didn't deserve to win anything compared to some hits
this year. To say that this album beat Curtis doesn't speak volumes for
50 cent either, and i'll be sure to listenin to Curtis in due time also.

So why did i not like this album ? well.. the song Stronger is only
entertaining with the video, i doubt many people appreciate it
for it's artistic values either. I was dissapointed by the fact Cassie
made an appearance on this video, simply to stand around and look pretty
while Kanye bust out some rather questionable dance moves. The fact
Cassie did not make a vocal contribution to this song is a real shame
as Kanye does not sound very good whilst singing (or rapping) in this
song.

As for the rest of the songs, i'll be nice and not say anything because
i found most of them barely tolerable to be quite honest. Lil Wayne once
again shows us why he's one of Hip-Hop's most disliked rappers. T-Pain
atleast got rid of the boredom, although Kanye did not give him much of
a chance to redeem the song, dominating most of it making it rather bad !
Some questionable singing from Kanye in his collaboration with Mos Def
in the song ''Hot and Drunk Girls'' which still leaves the question in
my mind.... yes, what about them Kanye ?

In conclusion, this album was as terrible as i assumed it would be, if not
worse. Kanye bragged that this is the ''album of his life'' but this
album is nothing compared to college dropout. And the publicity stunt
with 50 Cent just makes me sleep easier at night after giving this album
such a well deserves low rating. Kanye hogged the song in all of his
collaborations, with his rather annoying and repetative singing and rap
style. I expected much better when it comes to beats, and was also
dissapointed in that respect. You should save your money and not get this
album no matter how relevant you think it is to Hip-Hop and not encourage
an album full of fillers that this album is.

- Written by Shenron (Content : 391 Words)

TOP TRACKS

1. Stronger

RAPCENTRAL OVERALL RATING:

1.5/5 (Dont Waste Your Money)

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ALL MUSIC GUIDE REVIEW

Graduation's pre-leak talk wasn't as substantive as it was with Kanye West's first two albums.
As with just about any other artist's third album, it had to be expected. The College Dropout
was one of the most anticipated debuts of the early 2000s, while Late Registration had people
wondering why Kanye would feel the need to work so extensively with multi-instrumentalist rock
producer Jon Brion (the J Dilla of the chamberlin) and whether or not Kanye's hubristic tendencies
would get the better of it. With Graduation, there was Takashi Murakami's artwork, a silly
first-week sales competition with the decreasingly relevant 50 Cent, and chatter about synthesizers
running wild. That was about it, but it all seemed loud and prevalent, due in part to a lack
of high-profile rap albums released in 2007. Graduation is neither as bold nor as scattered as
The College Dropout, and it's neither as extroverted nor as sonically rich as Late Registration.
Kanye still makes up for his shortcomings as an MC and lyricist by remaining charmingly clumsy,
frequently dealing nonsense through suspect rhyme schemes: "I never be picture-perfect Beyoncé/Be
light as Al B. or black as Chauncey/Remember him from Blackstreet, he was black as the street
was/I never be laid-back as this beat was." The songs that are thematically distanced, introspective,
and/or wary — there are many of them — are, in turn, made more palatable than insufferable.
That his humor remains a constant is a crucial aspect of the album, especially considering that
most other MCs would sound embittered and hostile if they were handling similar subjects, like
haters new and old, being a braggart with a persistent underdog complex, getting wrapped up in
spending and flaunting, and the many hassles of being a hedonist. Those who have admired Kanye as
a sharp producer while detesting him as an inept MC might find the gleaming synth sprites, as heard
most prominently throughout "Flashing Lights" and "Stronger," to be one of the most glaring deal-breakers
in hip-hop history. Though the synthesizer use marks a clear, conscious diversion from Kanye's past
productions, highlights like "I Wonder," "The Glory," and "Everything I Am" are deeply rooted in
the Kanye of old, using nostalgia-inducing samples, elegant pianos and strings, and gospel choirs.
So, no, he's not dreaming of fronting A Flock of Seagulls or joining Daft Punk. He's being his shrewd,
occasionally foolish, and adventurous self.