I wrote this review back when it first came out, but I'll post it again here:
A review of Kanye West's third album Graduation.
I know this is hella overdue, the album has been out for a week now, but after 10+ listens I feel like I have a good enough handle on it to write a somewhat decent review. I must first say that Graduation was the most anticipated album of the year for me. Kanye West got me into rap and to this day remains one of my favourite rappers. A lot has been made about the battle between 50 Cent's Curtis and Kanye's Graduation, I won't go into too much detail on that here, but Graduation speaks volumes upon that rivalry and its visible outcome. I've read multiple reviews over this past week all with plenty to say on Graduation's merits and flaws, but one line from a now forgotten source (I think "Blender") perfectly summed up my feelings on Graduation: "It's an album that you listen to once and like. The second time you love it, and by the third and fourth listen, you think it's the hottest shit ever".
note: I decided to write this review track by track rather than one big write up, it will make it much more concise and assessable.
1. Intro [Good Morning]: Kanye's use of Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" sets the tone for a new direction of production from the producer who is usually associated with helium induced soul. I like percussion loop in the background, but what really makes this track is the segway into of Jay-Z's "The Ruler's Back" from the Kanye produced Blueprint. Kanye declares "Good Mornin'" then Jay seamlessly chimes in "Hustlas that's if ya still livin', get on down". Classy.
2. Champion: One of the album's standout tracks also features the album's best sample. Once again, Kanye treads into new waters to flip Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" over a Timbaland-esque stickly sith. Also, Champion is one of Kanye's best lyrical efforts this time around "My dad'll say "when you see clothes close ya eyelids/We was sorta like Will Smith and his son/In the movie I ain't talkin' 'bout the rich ones/'Cause every summer he'll get some Brand new hare-brained scheme to get rich from/And I don't know what he did for dough/But he'd sent me back to school wit' a new wardrobe". Near the middle of the song there is a great vocal performance by Connie Mitchell which serves as a great bridge between verses without slowing down the tempo.
3. Stronger: I admit during my last few listens I skipped over Stronger. I've been bumping this track since mid July and to be honest I'm sick of it. I'm trying to remember my exact thoughts back when I first heard it. For one, Stronger sums up the idea behind Graduation. It's Kanye taking a step forward, embracing new genres and soundscapes. In fact the first three songs all feature prominent samples from non-hip/hop/soul/R&B songs. Stronger also represents Kanye's feelings upon his position in hip hop and his desire to stay several steps ahead of the competition. The Daft Punk sample is Kanye running full speed on a treadmill shouting over his shoulder "Come and get me bitches!"
4. I Wonder: A dreamy production effort and tempo changing flow had me uncertain during my first few listens, but I soon grew to appreciate this as one of Kanye's most honest efforts. There is just something incredibly haunting about the line "I wonder if you what it's like to find your dreams". Here Kayne address some of his more prominent criticisms of his career; his ego, his cry-baby attitude, hissy fits at awards shows, and his glaring materialistic worldview. The violins and 1/2 drums during the outro bring nice closure.
5. Good Life: The album's best track and the perfect cure to the Stronger saturation blues. Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." over sinth while T-Pain croons "I'ma get on this TV momma, I'ma put shit down" is glorious and impossible not to dance to. "Having money not's everything/not havin' is" is my favourite line. Perhaps most interesting is when Kanye quotes 50 Cent during the chorus "50 told me go ahead and switch the style up and if they hate then let them hate and watch the money pile up". Kanye obviously heeded this advice, which makes Graduation such and enjoyable and refreshing listen, compared to 50's "Curtis" which sees him play it safe and stick with the same old Dre beats G-life flow. You should heed your own advice fiddy.
6. Can't Tell Me Nothing: Another personal song in which Kayne confronts his demons and his P.R. stumbles. DJ Toomp collaborates and brings that smooth chill sound made famous by T.I.'s "What You Know".
7. Barry Bonds: At first I was trying to catch the steroids references, then I realized this song has nothing to do about Barry Bonds or performance enhancing drugs. Lil' Wayne doesn't quite live up to his newly minted legendary status but isn't terrible to listen to, and it's nice to see Kanye expanding his guests geographic scope.
8. Drunk and Hot Girls: Much as been made about Drunk and Hot Girls, "brilliant", "hilarious", "Is this even a song?". At first I hated it, it crawled along at a snail like pace and was about the most mundane topic. After a few listens I thought this has to be Kayne's attempt at satire, he has to be joking with this one. After a few more listens I thought perhaps I'm thinking to deep. Maybe he's just trying to have a good time and make people laugh. With this mindset I was able to enjoy the track a lot more, it became a lot funnier and the slow tempo seemed to fit (I really can't imagine how bad it would sound sped up). The "featuring Mos-def" label is a tease since he really only contributes a spoken word piece, which is disappointing since he always brings the ruckus.
9. Flashing Lights: A perfect blend of classic hip hop and 90's Euro electro. I can see myself in a club somewhere in Frankfurt sporting plastic rims and fitting Levis griding with some Euro hottie. Another stand out track with a somewhat weak lyrical effort: "I get flashed by the paparazzi/Damn, these n****'s got me/I hate these n****'s more than the Nazis". Although the "Martin" reference almost redeems him.
10. Everything I Am: More soul searching and doublespeak from Ye. The piano is nice and the soothing soul croons make this a real good slow jam, but it is often mired in more muddled self-reflection. Favourite line: "So say goodbye to the NAACP award/Goodbye to the In-di-a Arie award/They'd rather give me the ni-n****-please award/But I'll just take the I-got-alotta-cheese award".
11. The Glory: Classic Kayne, helium soul over trumpets and violins. One too many Louis V references though. Along with "Champion" and "Good Life" The Glory serves as a perfect upbeat song to shake your booty to, whether you be cleaning the house or driving to work.
12. Homecoming: It's becoming a staple now days for rappers to have at least one track with a lame white guy singing the hook. The piano beat is annoyingly catchy but somewhat cheesy (along with the whole "city as a woman" analogy). I would have preferred the iTunes bonus track "Bittersweet Poetry" with John Mayer over this one. Still this is a lot better than Chris Martin's collab with Jay-Z (see next item)
13. Big Brother: The most intriguing track on the album and a great closer. I must confess that I don't know much about the behind the scenes drama in rap, I didn't even know that things have been tumultuous between Jay and Kayne since the latter blew up. Toomp once again brings the fire, if there is such a thing as "arena rap" then Big Brother would be the standard encore (no pun intended).
After one week and dozens of listens, Graduation is one of Kanye's most accomplishes efforts. After a tremendous debut, and impossibly brilliant sophomore effort, expectations were enormous, but Ye didn't crack, he expanded his horizons, reached out to new people and dug deeper into himself to produce one not only the best rap album of the year, but one of the best period. Lyrically speaking, Kayne will never be as good as Jay Z or Nas, and Graduation is one of his weaker lyrical efforts, what counters this is that top-notch production. After "Stronger" dropped many people were expecting a more electronically geared album, others (including myself) figured Kayne would stick to the same ol' proven beats that won him praise as a producer and later as a rapper. But obviously he's much smarter than that. The recent battle with 50 Cent speaks volumes on this. 50 wants to be the King of Hip-Hop, a gorilla, King Kong. Whereas Kanye doesn't just want to be king of hip hop, he wants to be King of the World (and something tells me, even if he got that title, it wouldn't be long before he goes after King of the Universe). 50 played it safe and failed, he became tired of his position on top of the hill and sought to employ the very same tactics he used to get there. Kanye wins because he's not afraid to try new things, to expand horizons, to fight new battles. That's what makes him a Champion.
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