Graduation [Explicit]

"kanye's album is brilliant, but is it hip hop?..we don't wear white shades around here. We're not into fashion, versace, gucci. nah"
-KRS

That quote sums it up for me. Production is great, but more of a pop album than hip hop. Almost all people that are blown away by Kanye's lyrics didn't follow rap in the mid-90's (esp 94). Yeah they're ok, but compared to the golden age they don't come close. Props on the innovation though it's good to see ppl like him doin his own thing after payin his dues

Kanye does. If you know someone who loves music, but doesn't love Graduation, their issue is with the artist, not the art. The art cannot be denied. Kanye flat out makes great music. It's been a lot of years since I heard a hip hop song and went searching all over to find the original song that was sampled. This CD has several songs like that. Take a welcome break from tough guy posturing and drug sales and just enjoy music for a while. You won't be disappointed.

Kanye is perhaps the only person in music who matters. Why is that? On "Graduation" he not only has something to say but he also gets his point across lyrically, poetically, artistically and brilliantly. The man is a genius disguised as an artist. Kanye reminds me of a young Stevie Wonder because his songs have so much life and passion. I hope he never stops and I hope he only gets bigger and bigger because Kanye is just what we need. IMO he should run for president. But he's probably too smart for that job.

"Tell me what it takes to be number one..."

Kanye West knows what it takes. He made loud noise a few years ago with his debut cd COLLEGE DROPOUT, and he hasn't really simmered down yet. And, really, Kanye may be an arrogant, self-serving so-and-so, but, damn, can the man back up his swagger! GRADUATION, his third release after the immense The College Dropout and Late Registration, comes at ya hard with infectious tunes that employ tight, well-articulated lyrics and that inimitable Kanye West attitude. With a dubious year for hip hop, I'd say that GRADUATION emerges as pound-for-pound the best rap album of 2007. And, as a bonus, it resoundingly kicks 50 Cent's simultaneously released Curtis to the curb.

Only 13 jams to this one, compared to COLLEGE DROPOUT's 20 tracks, and LATE REGISTRATION's 21. This probably helps to lend a more restrained feel to GRADUATION (compared to those prior two's excesses; and no skits in this one). GRADUATION hits you up with sweet joints and captivating beats. I'm not enough a creature of music to determine if Kanye's grown as an artist or not or if his stuff here is more mature or not(that "genius" label sure is touted around pretty liberally). But I do know what I like, and I like most of Kanye's songs here. He again lets loose the producer side of him, resulting in outstanding production values, rich, polished and intricate.

GRADUATION is soul and synth and samples, electronics and brass and strings, and sometimes nostalgic, often versatile; all adding up to a bounty of addictive hooks. Most of the tunes serve equally as either bangin' club joints or bob-your-head-as-you-drive music. The danceability factor is simply off the chain. The break out hits (so far) are the techno-funky "Stronger," "The Good Life," and my personal favorite "Flashing Lights" (which boasts the best, lushest hook in the cd).

Nicely sampling from the likes of Daft Punk ("Stronger), Steely Dan ("Champion"), and even Elton John ("Good Morning"), Kanye also collaborates with T-Pain ("Good Life"), Dwele ("Flashing Lights"), Cold Play's Chris Martin (the piano-driven "Homecoming"), Lil' Wayne (sloppy in "Barry Bonds"), and with one of my favorite dudes Mos Def (on "Drunken Hot Girls," which, along with "Barry Bonds," unfortunately constitutes the CD's sub-par stuff). "The Glory" is his catchy go-to-church gospel tune. And, although he'll "never be as laid back as this beat was," he still takes time to be reflective in the mellow and charmingly melodic "Everything I Am" and "I Wonder." Also worth checking out is the final track "Big Brother," which is Kanye's sincere ode to his mentor Jay-Z.

It's no secret that Kanye West has opinions. And you may find them grating at times (or maybe not), but dude at least is nothing but forthright. He's not shy about telling the world that he craves and deserves fame and wealth and Grammys up the yingyang. And yet, once in a while, this brash Chicago native throws a curve by pausing his rampant narcissism to pepper in bits of self-deprecation (see "Everything I Am" for an example). Mostly though, Kanye's agitated style is palpable; dude is vibrant in his neurosis, twitchy in his brazenness. Is it false bravado? Whatever it is, Kanye gives off a vibe unlike other artists'.

I may not agree with Kanye's verbal incendiaries much of the time, but one can't deny that you get more out of his music than from the typical hip hop album. Kanye again delves a bit deeper than the standard riffs on gangstas and guns, fancy cribs and shiny dubs, hard street reps and hot chicks (although "Drunken Hot Girls" kinda puts paid to that last one, huh?). I don't know if his lyrics are necessarily thought-provoking, but they certainly are blunt and honest. So respect to that. Kanye, I guess, will always be a polarizing figure. His music, on the other hand, is more a unifying thing. To go by his chart-topping status, Kanye West is decidedly (to quote my very hip grandma) the shiznit.

As the song goes, "Did you realize...that you were a champion in their eyes?"

Yes, he did.

The stuff on this album is ok, but it doesn't seem to be anything all that different or that much better than the hip hop or rap from the past. I guess he should get extra points for not promoting the thug life like many artists in his genre do. This sounds like compentent stuff, but I just don't hear anything that's blowing my mind here. Kinda makes me yawn when compared to the old school stuff. I mean, great for him that he's selling tons of records, etc. But so did Britney Spears, so obviously that's not a sure sign of artistic merit on its own.

I can only assume that those who continually use the word "genius" when talking about West are simply buying into his press hyperbole as much as he is himself.