Kanye West Graduation Album Review

Kanye West "Glow in the Dark Tour"

2008-04-24T00:58:00.001-07:00

Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and N.E.R.D could fairly and accurately be described as the soundtrack to many Hypebeast readers' lives. Therefore, when whispers surfaced that Kanye was bringing his highly praised "Glow In The Dark Tour" to the United States, the anticipation and speculation among the Hypebeast faithful was at a fever pitch. Everything from Kanye’s clothing, N.E.R.D’s set list and possible special guests have been debated and discussed in the days leading up to the first show. The speculation can now be put to a rest, as Kanye and his supporting cast have commenced the first leg of the tour and have literally left fans as well as critics in awe.

Kanye’s show reportedly goes above and beyond all expectations. There is a bizarre space odyssey story line, cutting edge set design, vivid visuals on big and small screens and as to be expected, impeccable wardrobe. Also not to be outshined, Rihanna, Lupe and N.E.R.D are holding down their opening performances with a enormous amount of energy for the awaiting fans. Hypebeast readers are already gathering on the message boards and trading stories of their experiences. In all of its grand pageantry Hip Hop now has it’s equivalent to U2’s Zoo Tour. A jolt to the system and a intense rush of pleasure to all the senses. Completely out of this world.

HipHop's Third Renaissance: Taking Back the Music We Love

2007-09-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

HipHop's Third Renaissance: Taking Back the Music We Love
by iCON the Mic King

Hiphop is not dead. HipHop is on the verge of people-driven revolution. Commercial radio has hit rock bottom with songs so ignorant that none of us are interested anymore. There was a time when many of us would say "that's my joint in the club!" but even that value is beginning to wear thin. Many fans are turning to other genres while hiphop at its finest continues to further splinter into subgenres and incorporate elements that further legitimize its musicality. The ease of bootlegging has made the fans a much more powerful component in the music industry through their newfound ability to become educated consumers. The singles-based formula for selling records has rendered the recording industry's business model obsolete. The prophecy is that the Internet would one day level the playing field for the major and independent labels. Ladies and gentlemen, with HipHop's Third Renaissance on its way, that day is fast approaching.

It is no secret that HipHop sales are significantly down; as much as 21% from 2005 to 2006. In fact 2006 was a year where platinum hiphop albums could be counted on one hand and the first year in the past twelve where there were no rap albums amongst the music industry's top sellers. Much to the dismay of rappers like MIMS or Lil' Boosie, in 2007 the surprise lies in what is selling. It only took seven albums but legendary "backpack" rapper (I only use terms like this to help you identify easier) Common's "Finding Forever," fueled by electro-infused beats provided by Kanye West, debuted 1 on the Billboard 200 selling 155,329 copies in its first week. T.I.'s "T.I. vs. T.I.P." was a distant 6th selling 55,339 copies. Just this past week Talib Kweli's "Ear Drum" debuted at 2 on Billboard selling 60,479 while Swizz Beats' "One Man Band Man" driven by the inescapable radio record "It's Me Snitches" debuted at 11 selling 45,163 copies. The record industry takes notice when, in the words of Swizz Beats, "Talib outdid me without a hit?"

As the prophecy tells us, the sales of major and independent labels are going to equalize. However with music being produced at such high volume and such low quality, they are not going to equalize at diamond sales. This is the Information Age, there are children who don't know what it is to anticipate, purchase, and digest an album. Music has become such an expendable commodity and it is as much the fault of the artists who have created such awful "microwave music" for so long, the labels for not learning to market better product, and ultimately the consumer for enduring it. The consumer now has the power to fight back thus causing a domino effect amongst the other parties involved. The end result is the change we've all been waiting for. HipHop's Third Renaissance.

HipHop's First Renaissance undeniably happened in 1988. I don't claim to be old enough to remember the name of every group that left their mark in this period but I remember this is the era that begat many a classic album. This is the era when I went to my first hiphop show. It was at Penn's Landing in my hometown of Philadelphia and the headliners were EPMD and Public Enemy. Hiphop was young but it was finally coming into its own worldwide. It was fun, the music was good, at any given moment you could hear a dope song on Power 99 FM. This was before Radio One and Clear Channel synced playlists across the United States, back when a program director actually directed programming. More often than not the hiphop you heard in this era was good. This era is the same era that would inspire the rappers of the early and mid-90s, the era Nas, Wutang, and Boot Camp Clik reminisces upon.
HipHop's Second Renaissance happened in 1998. With commercial rap in its Ice Age HipHop dug its way underground and progressed. This was the Rawkus/Lyricis Lounge era. The focus was lyricism and a lot of rap's unsung heroes were able to stake their claim as true artists. This is the era that breathed life into the marginal careers of such legends as Pharoahe Monch and Common and would give birth to emcees like Canibus, Mos Def, Wordsworth, Talib Kweli and give us album's like "Black On Both Sides, " "Train of Thought," "Internal Affairs," "Funcrusher Plus" and many more. This is not to say that good music didn't come out of the commercial world, it's just that overall better music built from artistic integrity that represented the rebellious spirit hiphop was built from came from the independents in this period.

It wasn't until September 11th, 2001 when Jay Z released "The Blueprint" that our attention would be again captured by the capability of mainstream to create good music. Jay led the pack with Kanye West and Just Blaze in his pocket and together set the trend for soulful, emotive hiphop that was good music albeit laced with champagne splashing motifs. At this point the independents had begun to delve into things that just weren't good music and the natural progression was to go with the more accessible product. The mistake was expecting it would last.

Right now, it is 2007 and we are in our Prenaissance led by Common, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, and soon Kanye West. These musicians are laying the new archetype for soulful music created by those with actual lyrical ability in an era where the paradigm has shifted so much that Lil' Wayne is considered the new Rakim. The difference between these rappers and the rest of the marketplace is they make efforts to create timeless music rather than bombard you with "mixtapes" to maintain relevance. They don't over saturate the marketplace with microwave music; instead their efforts are few and far between as to prepare a quality product. Based on the new sales figures, it seems as though fans are responding accordingly.

As fans we have a lot of responsibility in making this movement move. In this, the information age, our modern classics may be lost in the shuffle through the new expendability and oversaturation of music. Gone are the days of purchasing and digesting an album. Remember when you bought a tape that may not have hit you immediately but you kept listening to it because you couldn't afford a new tape. You grew to enjoy that album because you gave it a fair chance. For me De La Soul's "Stakes is High" was that tape.

I'm not saying that you must brainwash yourself into enjoying the new Common album. What I am saying is that if you're going to download everything don't limit your listening experience by just giving each track an 8-second test and deleting it. Burn the album; listen to it several times in your car or at least listen to it on something without computer speakers. Then if you enjoy the album you should support the artist so he can continue to make the music you love. Look at those sales numbers, your contribution is no longer a drop in the bucket and your lack of contribution is a hole punched in that bucket.

With than said we also need legitimacy in our journalism. There are a lot of albums that getting undeserved praise and a lot of albums being overlooked. Furthermore there is an overabundance of writers that are reviewing albums under the same premise as those 8-second testers. I can't tell you how many times I've read reviews that were rewordings of the press junket that went out with the album. HipHop journalists need to recognize their power; they are tastemakers abusing the menu. However when I say "HipHop journalists," I would be remiss if I did not recognize that the people are taking over that position as well with the popularity of blogs. In HipHop's Third Renaissance it is everyone's responsibility to use their voice and spread the word on what is worth supporting.

Speaking of support, September 11th, 2007, ironically enough, marks a pivotal day in the coming of the Third Renaissance as it is the day Kanye West competes with 50 Cent in this turbulent market for sales supremacy. We couldn't have chosen two better people to represent the polarization of hiphop. In this corner you have Kanye West, the backpacker with money on his mind whose story of surviving a near-fatal car crash coupled with dramatic and layered productions launched him into HipHop royalty as the uber-every man. In the other corner is 50 Cent, the hustler turned rapper turned mogul whose death-defying legend and visceral lyricism matched with impressive business strategies both devolved rap and has had the industry in a stranglehold since 2002. In actuality the two are not as different as the media would like them to be. 50 Cent is a devout Talib Kweli fan with backpack producers on his payroll and Kanye West has many odes to misogyny with many post-Ice Age gangsta rappers. In other words Kanye West is not purely Pete Rock and 50 Cent is not purely Tupac.

I admire 50 Cent, this is not to say I am a fan of a lot of his music, but I admire his work ethic and business acumen. As a person who reveres Robert Greene's "48 Laws of Power" as one would the Bible, I admire 50 Cent's ability to manipulate people into inflating his relevance. We all know that he is going come out and create a conflict; we have watched him use the same archetype three times now. However his ventures continue to be successful and we continue to talk about his every move. With all that said, I'm not so sure what he is trying to accomplish in his constant belittling of Kanye West and his staged emotional reaction to the leak of his video with Robin Thicke. He's painting Kanye West as an underdog and Kanye is playing into it perfectly. It's as though 50 Cent is attempting to shift the paradigm back in the direction of better hiphop.

On the other hand I admire Kanye West and I am a fan of a lot of his music. I enjoy his arrogance, his passion for his music, his beats, and a lot of his lyrics (although there is always a line or two that makes me cringe). His heart is always in the right place, he uses his creativity to push his boundaries, and musically recreate himself every go round. He embodies the soul of what it is we loved about A Tribe Called Quest without emulating them. In short I am happy to see Kanye West stepping up and flourishing in his role as a leader of the new school. Throughout his career he has done the unthinkable, making masterful chess moves to blur the lines of what is "mainstream" and what is "underground." Before Kanye West who would think to put Jay Z on a song with Saul Williams or Mos Def with Freeway?

Much like Canibus in 1998, Kanye West is in a position to change the game significantly. I say this because if Canibus would have delivered a successful and critically acclaimed album in "Can-I-Bus" the labels would have looked for more rappers like him to release and the landscape of HipHop would be considerably different. Just as DMX begat the success of Ja Rule begat the success of 50 Cent, Canibus could have joined Eminem and Big Pun and helped beget a generation of superlyricists with major label deals. The difference is Kanye is two albums multi-platinum albums and a Grammy into his career and he is not an upstart losing himself in a war with an industry veteran. Thus, if Kanye West outsells major labels will have the final reason to fully begin to take more risks with progressive artists that think outside the box.

HipHop's 3rd Renaissance will come on the back of the next generation, lyricists who create music you can feel with a progressive sound. This is not the era to recreate WuTang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest records. This is not the recreation of the Rawkus era. This is a time for new blood with new ideas to take hiphop forward. This is not the time to keep playing "DWYCK," "Scenario," and "The Choice Is Yours" over and over. This is the time to breathe life into the new classics. HipHop's 3rd Renaissance will manifest itself through emcees like Lupe Fiasco as he is an exceptional blend of adept lyricism with soulful music that the average person can feel. Many emcees fit this description in different ways, each one with their own flavor. This is key in the progression of HipHop, embracing the dynamic qualities that each emcee brings to the table as well as the potential for musicality that Hiphop for so long left untapped. The 3rd Renaissance is about the evolution of this music that we leave in recreating the magic that is all but forgotten. That next generation includes emcees like Elzhi of Slum Village, Tonedeff, Yarah Bravo, PackFM, Emilio Rojas, Supastition, Dezmatic, and many more passionate, charismatic, and progressive emcees that I have yet to hear or meet. Most importantly, HipHop's 3rd Renaissance includes you.

Change in HipHop comes through change in us. Flashback to 1999 to "Fear Not of Man" the first track on Mos Def's "Black On Both Sides" where he said: "You know what's gonna happen with Hip-Hop? Whatever's happening with us." The time is now to effect change. Your voice matters, your vote counts. It is time to take back the music we love and lead it further. Respect and support this music and in soon enough the industry will be forced to respond to your voice. A vote for Kanye, Common, Pharoahe, and/or Kweli is a vote for HipHop's Third Renaissance. The power is yours, use it wisely. I'm using mine right now and you can find me standing in line at FYE on September 11th.

Peace and Respect.
-iCON the Mic King

Source: Drop Magazine

DJ A-Trak's "Stronger" Remix

2007-09-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

Download link:
http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Kanye%20West%20-%20STRONGER%20%28A-TRAK%20REMIX%29.mp3

Another Review: Kanye West - Graduation

2007-09-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Kanye West - Graduation
by Edwin Ortiz
08/31/07

“The hood love to listen to Jeezy and Weezy, and oh yeah Yeezy; I did it for the Glory.”

What’s left to do when your debut album was a breakthrough classic and your sophomore album avoids the slump to receive even more praise? Well, you graduate to the next level of course. Yet with a two year gap that occurred for Graduation to be complete, Kanye West shows it wasn’t as simple as passing classes and grabbing that diploma. And even with a shorter track list this time around (the first two were 21 tracks), Graduation packs a piercing punch.

With a hollowing welcome, “Good Morning” gives us the tantalizing new sounds that Ye’ has honed as of late. His lyrics give an outlook of a perspective that reminisces of the past and fantasizes of the future, De Lorean included (a tie to his Marty McFly lyrics in “Southside”). And if his added tagline from “The Ruler’s Back” doesn’t raise an eyebrow, you may need to dig into your iPod and throw it on.

The boastful accolades from Kanye didn’t go anywhere on tracks like “Champion” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” On the former, he raps “Last week I paid a visit to the institute, they got the Dropout keeping kids in the school” to vocalists singing “This is a story of a Champion.” For the latter and his first single, his arrogance warrants a hail mary, rapping “So if the Devil wear prada Adam n’ Eve wear nada I’m in between but way more fresher, with way less effort.”

DJ Toomp helped on the drums with “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” but it didn’t stop there. Kanye collaborated with Toomp as well on the bass pounding “Good Life,” with a chorus from the most popular fake voice on radio, T-Pain. If the title of this song doesn’t emulate Kanye’s lyrics better than any other track he’s done (think of it as Touch The Sky 1.5), and likewise doesn’t make you throw your hands up in the air (go ahead, wave em’ like you just don’t care), I digress.

Kanye’s sampling of Daft Punk’s synthpop-sound for his second single “Stronger” provides a more “futuristic” amplitude to his crateful of soul records. This same structural sound is seamlessly apparent in a few other tracks such as “Flashing Lights,” a string-swaying melody featuring Dwele on the vocals. In it Kanye paints a troubling picture of the girl that still haunts. Also on “I Wonder,” Mr. West pronounces his intimate thoughts through a synth-based beat, piano added for a more subtle approach.

If there was one signature detail Graduation couldn’t exist without, it would be that chipmunk sound we’ve grown to love. Kanye brings it back for us on “The Glory,” a catchy and soulful track that Common described it as “a raw street joint” when it was originally for his album. Kanye comes correct on the lyrics and with wordplay so confidently witty, he raps:

“While ya’ll was in limbo, I raised the bar up, I touched on everything, married to the game roc-a chain still the wedding ring you bridesmaids catch the garter. On nights when Ye’ romanced, camera’s flashed so much, that I gotta do that Yayo dance.”

The two collaborations found on the album, one highly anticipated, the other quite surprising, shine a rare light of disappointment for Graduation. Chris Martin’s chorus on “Homecoming” is inviting, but one cannot deny history. Kanye’s lyrics for this track match exactly to an unreleased track he did with John Legend called “Home” a few years back. Needless to say, both beats are immensely gratifying to hear, but it seems Legend’s soulful voice one-ups Martin’s mellow-toned vocals. And then on “Barry Bonds,” Lil’ Wayne spits a verse that has many scratching their heads. His word association vaguely etches an attempt, casting him as lazy.

If the comical title of “Drunk and Hot Girls” isn’t confusing enough on a Kanye West album, the lyrics emphasize an angry and frustrated man at the bar, trying to get laid. Now, it would make sense if this was maybe a fews lines on a track, but it’s the entire purpose of the song. And Mos Def singing? Stick with rapping, or going on the Dave Chappelle show (looks like you have no choice).

Ye’s enlightening tracks take a more mature stance to an astonishing career he’s had thus far. “Everything I Am” features scratches from the great DJ Premier with Kanye rapping about the naysayers who’ve got it all wrong. And paying homage to the ruler himself, Mr. West wraps up the album with “Big Brother” for president Carter. With an insightful hook, Kanye gets his chance to explain certain instances that happened in the past, and the admiration that has built up over time for Jay-Z. Forget the claims of a conscious rapper; Kanye’s lyrics on this track are just real talk.

Time and critics will decide if this album joins the same pantheon as his first two. The high standards and likewise anticipation may have killed off a few listeners, but Kanye knows this first hand; you can’t please everyone, especially to the fullest extent. And anyways, now that he has graduated, I guess he’s gonna have to go get that Good Ass Job.

PS: Let’s keep Hip-Hop alive, September 11th.

Source: http://www.kanyetalk.com/kanye-west-graduation-199.html

Review: Kanye West - Graduation

2007-09-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

Written by Samir Siddiqui
Kanye West
Graduation
Roc-A-Fella Records/Island Def Jam
4/5 Stars

Seemingly in an endless rut over the past few years, mainstream hip-hop can
recently be characterized by a complete disregard for originality and
change, something that has plagued a genre known in the past for excellent
variety and a willingness to push lyrical and musical boundaries. But for
one of the mainstream’s most noteworthy artists, Kanye West, resorting to
played themes and chasing the sounds of top 40 radio is just not an option.
In contrast to his worthwhile production work on Common’s Finding Forever,
West had no plan to build on his past sounds for his own album, Graduation,
as he branches off from the sonic treatments of The College Dropout and Late
Registration to create a soundscape that ventures into un-chartered waters
for popular rap music. Seemingly fueled by the endless pressure to not only
provide an album on par with first two projects, but to also provide
evidence that popular hip-hop can be good hip-hop, West’s strong effort on
his new album resonates almost throughout.

For people that have heard the album, post your thoughts on Kanye’s latest work.

Kanye gets things going with safe sweeping melodies and light drum taps on
the introductory “Good Morning”, before moving into the uplifting
“Champion”; Kanye’s promise to deliver “anthems” for the people comes to
mind here, as the signature soul samples mix with well-placed synths to
compliment West’s reflective lines: “When it feels like livin’ is harder
than dyin’, for me givin’ up is way harder than tryin’/Lauryn Hill said her
heart was in Zion, I wish her heart was still in rhymin’/'Cause who the kids
‘gunna listen to, huh? I guess me, if it isn’t you.” The Daft-Punk sampling
hit “Stronger,” reworked with harder hitting drums and blaring techno
synths, the T-Pain assisted, “Good Life,” a sure-fire hit, high-pitched
synths and all, and the memorable, dark-toned “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” make
for three of the more catchy moments on Graduation, and are examples of
West’s ability to make songs both radio-ready and artistically well put
together.

Unfortunately for West, the following two songs make for two very low
moments on an otherwise excellent album- “Barry Bonds,” the annoying Lil
Wayne collabo, is unquestionably one of Ye’s worst tracks to date, with
corny (even for West) lines such as “I’m doing pretty good as far as genius’
go, and I’m doing pretty hood in my pink Polo…top 5 emcees, you ‘gotta
rewind me…my head’s so big, you can’t sit behind me.” Needless to say,
Weezy doesn’t fair much better. The following number, “Drunk & Hot Girls,”
is saved from disaster only by the captivating vocals of Mos Def (on the
singing tip), and pales in comparison to the Dwele collabo “Flashing
Lights,” which sounds like it’s name, skittering club-synths being the
production’s essence.

“Everything I Am,” although having the distinction of being the most subdued
beat on the album, might also be the album’s most effective, with Kanye and
DJ Premier combining fitting piano loops and low key scratches to match the
technically- simple introspection of Kanye. As with many of the cuts, West’s
rhymes are simplistic in nature, and his only average mic skills become more
apparent with a lack of guest rappers, but he holds his own on the album’s
final two tracks, which are also arguably, Graduation’s best. “Homecoming”
is benefited by a smooth Chris Martin hook and a well-penned second verse,
but “Big Brother” is definitely Ye’s best lyrical performance on Graduation,
as West’s ode to mentor Jay-Z chronicles the sibling-like relationship
between the two industry heavyweights in a personal, yet accessible manner
with honest bars like, “On that “Diamonds” remix, I swore I spazzed, then my
big brother came through and kicked my ass/Sibling rivalry, only I could
see, it was the pride in me, that was drivin’ me/At the Grammys, I said I
inspired me, but my big brother was who I always tried to be/When I kicked a
flow, it was like, pick and roll, ’cause even if he gave me the Roc, it’s
give and go.”

Never one to back down from musical challenge, Kanye West admitted that he
recorded Graduation in an attempt to silence the backlash he received after
dropping hugely successful Late Registration, and musically, West destroys
his competition, crafting a set of beats rarely matched in hip-hop music
today. If anything, it is Kanye’s un-amazing lyrical skills as a rapper that
continues to hold him back from mastering his craft, as much of Graduation
relies on potent subject matter to make up for relatively simple, at times
forced rhymes. But for an artist who was always a producer first, emcee
second, that is unlikely to change anytime soon, and overall, Graduation,
like Kanye’s other efforts, is a very strong album that is sure to please
West’s fans, and help Kanye make some new ones along the way as well.

Source: http://realtalkny.rawkus.com/2007/08/topic/artists/kanye/review-kanye-west-graduation/

Kanye West - Stronger (Music Video)

2007-08-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

Kanye West's New Album Is So Good We Can't Even Come Up With A Dumb School-Related Pun

2007-08-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

AUG 30 2007
BY JESS HARVELL

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: If the sluggish/cheesy singles and the ubquity of their equally cheesy viral videos made you worry for that the full-length would be similarly disappointing, Graduation (once again) reveals that Kanye West loves to try and bury near-stunning albums with weak lead-off tracks and exhausting pre-release hype. But while his extra-musical excesses (much-discussed temper tantrums, pandering to rock hipsters in the online press, ridiculous beef with lesser talents) can be deeply embarrassing--and not even enjoyably over-the-top--they don't end up detracting from his talent at all. The albums end up doing huge numbers (either because of or in spite of these excesses), and the man does make great albums, rather than 18 tracks to be whittled into 10 or less on your iPod.

Graduation lacks the deep-burnt, Brion-assisted harmonic richness of Late Registration's more acoustic arrangements--notable exception: the "1940s Hollywood studio orchestra strings/rave Morse Code synth riff" beat of "Flashing Lights"--but makes up for that by covering more sonic ground than West ever has before. It's like he's trying to distance himself from those now totally irrelevant claims of being a '90s rap throwback by radically tweaking his presets each time out. The electronic tinge of "Stronger" is indeed present throughout--though more adroitly than on that Daft clunker--but there's also classic Kanye soul samples ("The Glory"), a stately piano-plunking Premier throwback with the man himself on the cut ("Everything I Am"), lifts from Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" ("Champion"), and a completely improbable and intoxicated-sounding interpolation of Can's "Sing Swan Song" (with the original running eerily underneath) that gets turned into a tongue-in-cheek tale of the perils of a night out--with a Mos Def coda. Even the much-dreaded Chris Martin collaboration is barely more than a hook that just happpens to be live rather than a sample, one where a subdued Martin (sounding vaguely like Police-era Sting) a lot less intrusive than on his similar turn with Jay-Z. Provided the lyrics (which I'm still digesting without the aid of that lyric booklet handed out at the listening party on Tuesday night in New York) don't reveal themselves on repeated listens to be the "woe is me, for I am famous and worse, a genius" claptrap that I've read disconcerting things about (on blogs which did get a lyric sheet on Tuesday night) or more howlers like the chorus to "Stronger," Graduation will be every bit the equal of West's first two records.

THE BEST TRACK: Amazingly, given my usual feelings about Kanye's choice of guest star here, I have to go with "Good Life," such a perfectly assembled (if you don't dig the way Kanye twists a potentially really obvious Michael Jackson sample into a squeaky hook [shades of "Right Here (Human Nature)" in its flippage] you will be summarily banned), looking good, feeling good, butt-loving, glossy, flossy pop song that feels totally of the moment without feeling like it's pandering to the charts. Even with my nemesis T-Pain on the chorus. If it's not the next choice for a single--according to Blender, where you can also hear the track, Kanye thought it was "too easy," which just proves egotistical, autodidact genuises aren't always the best judge of what the public really needs/wants--the label should sue Kanye for gross managerial incompetence. Oh, and it also has, in a deliciously dumb twist, a 50 Cent line as one of its hooks. Maybe it'll drop to radio the week after Kanye hopefully--and rightfully, on the early evidence of Graduation--serves Fiddy his walking papers.

Source: http://idolator.com/tunes/leak-of-the-day/kanye-wests-new-album-is-so-good-we-cant-even-come-up-with-a-dumb-school+related-pun-295194.php

Kanye's Graduation: Inside The NYC Listening Party For West's So-Called 'Comeback'

2007-08-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Kanye's Graduation: Inside The NYC Listening Party For West's So-Called 'Comeback'
Rapper draws a crowd (including Mos Def and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip) to check out cinematic new album.
By Shaheem Reid

NEW YORK — Welcome to the G.O.O.D. life, where being recognized as one of the world's biggest rap stars is just a stepping stone to planetary domination and everything you do is a movie. Kanye West hosted a listening session for his upcoming album, Graduation, on Tuesday night at Manhattan's New World Stages, and if you know anything about how 'Ye does at his events, he's going to give you something to talk about — especially with the tastemakers of the music industry in attendance.

Walking up to the door of the theater offered reassurance that West was going to deliver. Q-Tip of the legendary A Tribe Called Quest — a group Kanye has often said he channeled for some of his earlier music — was standing in the front, shaking hands and throwing "What's up"s to a few of his acquaintances. Yup, Kanye is making the night a movie. When you got inside, Def Jam employees were handing out special programs filled with all the lyrics from West's new LP as well as the cartoonish album artwork. Also included with the program were replicas of Kanye's white, retro shades from the "Stronger" video.

Attendees then got on an escalator going down, where banana and blueberry smoothies were waiting, as were bags of the beloved Garrett's popcorn. If you know anything about Chicago, Garrett's is an essential part of the city's cuisine, just as the Cubs are to the sports scene.

Inside, a bunch of people were mingling until the crowd was allowed to enter the actual auditorium, where a screen was planted on the stage and the seats quickly filled.

Kanye came out of the shadows and addressed his supporters.

"I feel this album is a comeback for me," he said. "I was dealing with a lot of backlash." He then went on to call Graduation the best album of his career and one of the top 10 best hip-hop albums of all-time.

"Thank you all for coming," he added, then he let the music play.

Graduation is one of the most anticipated and important albums of the year because, for one, Kanye — despite his talks of a comeback — has built one of the strongest reputations in music, period. And on the basis of the tracks from the album that have crept out so far, talk among the audience members was not about whether the album would be good, but whether it would be his best. Plus, let's be real: Kanye drops on September 11 (in case you haven't heard three million times already: see "Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent For Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other' "), so that means in a year when most fans can count on one hand (and probably have a finger or two to spare) how many extraordinary hip-hop albums came out, Kanye is one of our last hopes. Everyone is ready for a hip-hop album that they can listen to for months, not just a week or two.

"Stronger," "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Barry Bonds" and snippets of "Big Brother" and "Champion" had spoken volumes for the Chi-town native, hitting hard in advance of the LP. Kanye's in a good spot.

The listening started with "Good Morning," simplistic in its chorus — which repeats the song title time after time — but slick and aggressively keen in the verses. The track includes lines like: "I'm like the fly Malcolm X, buy any jeans necessary/ ... Good morning, look at the valedictorian/ Some are scared of the future while I hop in the DeLorean." Meanwhile, scenes of "2001: A Space Odyssey" played on the screen while lights flashed, going along with the thump of the beat. You almost felt like you were at a concert.

The celebratory "Champion" followed with sentiments of inspiration flooding the house: "Did you realize, that you are a champion?" On the track, West samples from Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne," riding the loop of the phrase "their eyes" as if it were an instrument itself.

"I wanted to make songs that are people's theme songs," Kanye would say later in the night, referencing records such as "Champion" and "Can't Tell Me Nothing." "What are you going through?"

Throughout the night, Kanye showed his many inspirations — from Japanese anime to "Tron" to Jay-Z — on the screen while the music played.

"Drunk and Hot Girls," with its slow, carnival sideshow bounce, features one of the few guest cameos on the album (Mos Def, who was also in attendance) and finds Kanye looking for some shorties, but he finds more than he bargains for, pleading with one not to vomit in his vehicle, and in the end, his hookup lasts longer than he would have liked.

Kanye said "I Wonder," with its heavy strings, is his version of U2's "City of Blinding Lights." He said he was inspired by watching Bono open stadium tours every night to incredible ovations. He concentrated on speaking volumes without using too many words on that one. West also said that throughout the album he simplified some of his rhymes, because he would be on tour with the Rolling Stones and couldn't always rock the crowd with his most complex lyrics.

"I'd be saying my super raps, and this 50-year-old white lady would be looking like, 'I can't wait till the Rolling Stones come on,' " he laughed. West also described Graduation as being "whiter" than his last two projects and "blacker" than his other works. His range on the album definitely is undeniable. He goes from giving the girls a club anthem on "Flashing Lights" to vintage Kanye soul loops on "The Glory" ("While y'all was in limbo, I raised the bar up," he rhymes on the record) to his next single, "Good Life," on which the lyrics go from boastful to comical.

"Well f---ing done," one man sitting in the front row kept yelling as the album came to an end and West came back onstage.

Kanye closed by explaining that his music was neither negative nor positive: It's reality. And he also likened MCs to men of the cloth.

"Rappers are like the modern-day preachers of our time," he said. "Songs are like proverbs."

Well, the applause he was getting sounded like an "Amen."

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1568459/20070829/west_kanye.jhtml

Will Kanye West's Graduation Be In The Top Ten Rap Albums In History?

2007-08-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jackpot aka H.D. aka HDottt aka Desckabaisses aka
August 29, 2007
SOHH.com

Nope! At least in my opinion. It may not even be this year's best rap album.
Common's Finding Forever has that locked for now. During his listening session at NYC's New World Stages last night, Ye declared that Graduation had just bumped an LP off hip-hop's top ten greatest album of all time.

So depending on your personal Top Ten, that means it has to be better then one of the following albums. Nas' Illmatic, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Million To Hold Us Back, Kanye West's College Dropout, NWA's Straight Outta Compton, A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders, De La Soul's Three Feet High And Rising, Erik B & Rakim'sPaid In Full, Biggie's Ready To Die, Life After Death, Tupac's All Eyez On MeIce Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted, Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded, Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Wu-Tang Clan's 36 Chambers, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, Run- DMC's Raising Hell, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Outkast's Aquemini, The Fugees' The Score, Ghostface's Supreme Clientele among many others.

In all fairness, no albums should be reviewed after one listening. This is just my initial impression. Off the first listen, I don't see it. The verdict is out on a few of those tracks, especially "Drunk And Hot Girls" featuring Mos Def. The good thing is I can see one or two of these tracks grow on me. I didn't like "Stronger" off the first listen and now I love it, so who knows. I definitely need to hear this again.

Let's not get it twisted, the album is still pretty good, I just expected more. I'll tell you one thing though, no one does it quite like Kanye. The record was played in a movie theater inside New World Stages. Every attendee received a booklet with the songs' lyrics as well as a pair of Kanye shades.

Ye let the album play through while listeners were treated to an assortment of visuals on the screen like "Tron," some anime porn and a few other visuals.

He then answered questions towards the end. Obviously, 50 came up. Peep some of his quotes.

"If 50 didn't have the 'I Get Money' record, I wouldn't have come out the
same day. There wouldn't have been a fight there." -Kanye

"That's why I got the number one song in the hood with some tight jeans on." -Kanye

Oh, and when asked how he felt about being on stage with everybody (50 Cent, Jay-Z, T.I., Diddy) at Madison Square last week.

"It would have felt better to be on the stage with me and Jay like we planned."

I'm still buying my copy on September 11th.

Graduation Track Listing

1. Good Morning
2. Champion
3. Stronger
4. I Wonder
5. Good Life feat. T-Pain
6. Can't Tell Me Nothin
7. Barry Bonds feat. Lil' Wayne
8. Drunk And Hot Girls Feat. Mos Def
9. Flashing Lights Feat. Dwele
10. Everything I Am Feat. Scratches By DJ Premiere
11. The Glory
12. Homecoming
13. Big Brother

Shout out to DJ Parler for the Kanye pic.
Were any of you there? If so, what did you think of the LP? Speak on it.

Source: http://blogs.sohh.com/on-the-scene/2007/08/is_kanye_wests_graduation_in_t.html

Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent For Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other'

2007-08-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent For Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other'
By Emil Wagenius
August 22nd, 2007

Kanye West thinks his much-hyped rivalry with 50 Cent surrounding the September 11 releases of his Graduation and 50's Curtis is bringing out the best in the A-list stars.

"I think we push each other," Kanye said backstage at the V Festival in Stafford, England, on Saturday. "I feel I wouldn't have some of the tracks on my album if it wasn't for 50, and he wouldn't have some of the things he had if he wasn't up against me. In the last couple of years, people have been putting out albums aimlessly. Nas used to talk about Biggie and Jay and Wu-Tang going up against each other, but now it's like there hasn't been that competition in rap. In New York, [West's] 'Can't Tell Me Nothing' is the #2 song [on the radio], and [50's] 'I Get Money' is the #1 song. They're neck-and-neck, so it's exciting to people."

Don't get it twisted. Just because West told MTV News a few weeks ago that he wouldn't be upset if he came in second to 50 Cent on September 11 doesn't mean he's not confident he'll sell more records.

"Please, 50, don't retire once my album sells and beats your album," Kanye joked to the host of British talk show "The Friday Night Project" on Friday. Kanye was referring to 50's recent claims that he will not make any more solo records if Kanye sells more than him.

50 said he has had little to smile about in advance of Curtis. He's pleased with how the public has accepted his latest two singles, "I Get Money" and "Ayo Technology," but that's been overshadowed by mishaps such as the leak of his video for "Follow My Lead", which he blames on Interscope.

Meanwhile, Kanye's promotion of Graduation seems to be going smoothly. He leaked a record called "Barry Bonds," featuring Lil Wayne, that has been well-received. And during his trip to the U.K., he's been debuting even more material from Graduation, including the songs "Champion" and "Big Brother." The latter talks about his love and admiration for the Big Homie himself, Jay-Z, while also revealing some minor friction between the two.

"I told Jay I did a song with Coldplay/ Next thing I know he got a song with Coldplay," Kanye raps on "Big Brother." "In the back of my mind, I'm like, 'Oh, wait'/ Translate Español, no way, José/ ... I should have talked to you like a man, I should have told you first/ But I went and told somebody else and that's what made sh-- worse/ ... My big brother was B.I.G.'s brother/ Used to be Dame and Biggs' brother."

On Monday night, the Chicago native performed a secret show with Rihanna at U.K.'s Westminster Central Hall. "Big Brother," "Stronger" and, of course, "Gold Digger" were all on the set list.

Kanye has just wrapped up production on Graduation. One of his last bits of business was working with Timbaland to redo the drums on "Stronger." He knows with stiff competition from 50 Cent and others on September 11, he has to be even more perfect that usual.

Source: http://www.hiphopdefined.com/news/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1187816409&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1,16,17&

Kanye West And Lil Wayne Counting On 'Barry Bonds' For A Hit Single

2007-08-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Kanye West And Lil Wayne Counting On 'Barry Bonds' For A Hit Single
By Emil Wagenius
August 15th, 2007

OK, so Kanye West has had a change of heart - there will be one rapper on his upcoming Graduation LP after all. Lil Wayne has made the final cut and will appear on a track called "Barry Bonds," Roc-A-Fella/ Def Jam confirmed Tuesday (August 14).

Bonds - Major League Baseball's controversial, newly crowned home-run king - is apparently a metaphor for how big West thinks the record will be. The chorus goes, "Here's another hit, Barry Bonds."

As he's been doing on "Can't Tell Me Nothing," its remix and "Stronger," West uses "Barry Bonds" in part to proclaim his continued evolution as one of the top lyricists in the game.

"You should go 'head and bow so hard that you knees hit your fo'head," he raps over slow synths. "And the flow just hit code red/ Top five MCs, you ain't gotta remind me/ Top five MCs, you gotta rewind me/ I'm high up on the line, you could get in behind me/ But my head's so big, you can't sit behind me."

Weezy F. Baby does his usual stylized guest-vocal spazz outs. "My teeth and my ice so white like Shay Day/ The ice in my teeth so reee-frig-er-ated/ I'm all about my Franklins, Lincolns and Reagans/ Whenever they make them."

"Barry Bonds" isn't the next official single from Graduation, however - that'll be "Good Life," which features singer T-Pain. Kanye samples Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." and speaks up reveling and celebrating. Chris Martin of Coldplay has also been announced by Roc-A-Fella/ Def Jam as a collaborator on "Homecoming."

Graduation - despite some Internet rumors to the contrary - is still dropping September 11 and will face off against 50 Cent's Curtis LP.

Source: http://www.hiphopdefined.com/news/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1187193665&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1,17&

"If Kanye Sells More Records... I Won't Put Out Any More Solo Albums"

2007-08-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

"If Kanye Sells More Records... I Won't Put Out Any More Solo Albums"
By Emil Wagenius
Saturday, August 11th, 2007

50 Cent recently bet his rap career that he'd outsell Kanye West when their albums drop next month.

Despite holding a more successful track record, skeptics are questioning whether 50 Cent's Curtis will outsell Kanye West's Graduation on September 11. Ask 50 and he'll tell you there's no way he'll come in second. In fact, he's ready to wager his career on it.

"They would like to see Kanye West give me a problem because I've worked myself into a space where I've become the favorite," Fif told SOHH exclusively. "Everybody roots for the underdog when he goes against the favorite."

"Put it like this," 50 said. "Let's raise the stakes. If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I'll no longer write music. I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out any more solo albums." [Listen to the audio here]

"And I bet this, when Kanye West's sales come in, he's gonna have a 70% decrease [the second week] 'cause Def Jam is gonna buy records to keep him closer to 50 Cent," the Queens rapper added. "So watch the first week and then watch the second week. Watch his @#* drop off the planet. We keep our angles covered before we make a decent bet."

As previously reported, the two superstars spent time in the studio together working on Fif's LP, but SOHH has learned that the material they worked on isn't scheduled to appear on the album's final version.

"We worked together on an actual record to try and create something," 50 said. "I went in with Kanye, I went in with Swizz Beatz, I went in with will.i.am, I went in with Polow [Da Don] just to see if they had something that I didn't, to create a new direction for me that I couldn't get my hands on. I mean these guys are popular producers [and] have a higher consistency than a guy that's unknown, but a lot of times they may have music planned that doesn't fit the project that you're working on."

50 Cent's Curtis is scheduled to hit stores September 11.

Source: http://www.hiphopdefined.com/news/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1186851035&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1,16,17&

Kanye Shoots Down Live TV Debate With 50 Cent

2007-08-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Kanye Shoots Down Live TV Debate With 50 Cent
By Emil Wagenius
August 8, 2007

Rapper Kanye West has shot down a proposed live "presidential style" debate with rapper 50 Cent over their upcoming albums Graduation and Curtis, both due in stores on September 11.

The idea of a presidential debate was posed to 50 Cent during a live appearance on BET's 106 & Park. Hosts Terrence J and Rocsi asked 50 Cent if he would debate Kanye on who has the better album, 50 Cent quickly accepted the challenge.

West shot down the idea of a debate last night (August 7) during a special edition of MTV's hit countdown show TRL [Total Request Live], which served as the platform to announce the nominees 2007 MTV Video Music Awards taking place in Las Vegas on September 9.

"I don't have beef with anyone," West said. "What am I going to debate about? I'm going to go in the studio and make music. When I heard the thing about the debate, I thought that was the stupidest thing."

West, who was nominated for five awards, made it clear that in the end, the fans would ultimately benefit from the friendly rivalry, no matter who tallies the best first week sales.

"When my album drops and 50's album drops, you're gonna get a lot of good music at the same time," West said.

West's latest video "Stronger" earned him a nod for Video of The Year, while three other Kanye songs ("Stronger," "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Classic") earned him a nomination in the Male Artist of the Year category.

West was nominated in a new "Quadruple Threat of the Year" category, which honors artists who conquer multiple industries, including fashion, music, business, acting, etc.

He also earned nominations Best Director and Best Editing.

Other artists nominated include Justin Timberlake (7), Beyonce (7), Amy Whinehouse (3), T.I., Akon & Eminem, Lily Allen, Fergie, White Stripes and others.

"We may not own Las Vegas yet, but for one weekend the VMAs will rock this town," said Christina Norman, President, MTV. "From Justin to Rihanna to the Foo Fighters, the sheer amount of star power and talent is tremendous and will no doubt blow the roof off The Palms. And, seriously, this is just the beginning."

The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Sunday, September 9, 2007 at 9PM.

Source: http://www.hiphopdefined.com/news/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1186588981&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1,16,17&

History of the Album

2007-08-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

On August 5, 2006, at San Diego's Street Scene and on August 20, 2006, at Indiana's State Fair, West performed a cappella two verses which he said are from songs on the album.[1] West also performed a couple of verses from an unnamed song which will be on the album during his September 3, 2006 performance at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle.

On January 16, 2007, West stated the following about the upcoming album:
“ I can say, idea-wise, I got 10 ideas. I go back and work on ideas and tweak them. I can't say I'm halfway done. There's a lot of people I want to work with, a lot of rappers. But I don't want to give away what I'mma do. I look at music as a gift. So I'mma just keep everything under wraps until it's time. You remember, you didn't find out about the Nas joint ("We Major") until real late? I waited till the last listening session a couple of weeks before the album came out. I played it in a room with 300 people and Nas' voice hit the track and it was like, ‘Ah, man.’ Another surprise might be there might not be anybody on it. There are a few rappers I really love and I would love to work with, but I'mma figure out what I'mma do for my album.[2] ”

On May 11, 2007, West's mother, Donda West, announced to MTV that Graduation will be released on September 18, 2007. Donda West also mentioned that Graduation is her son's best album ever, musically, as well as lyrically.[3] Kanye West also mentioned that he and Hype Williams shot two videos for two songs from Graduation.[3]

Although West's mother stated that the album was going to be released on September 18, 2007, the release date was changed to September 11, 2007.[4]

While touring in Malaysia, West stated that he is finishing up Graduation, and it will be released in late August.
“ I just want people to know that it's going to be crazy. I don't want people to read the entire plot of the movie and then go see it and go ‘oh, he's about to do this’, you know? I'm all about surprises; I want people to feel it and experience it without having any preconceived notion. That's just not my style... I'm finishing up the new album right now.[5] ”

"Can't Tell Me Nothing", the album's first single, was released on May 29, 2007. On June 26, 2007, the video of West's second single, "Stronger", was premiered on MTV Germany, during the daily Total Request Live show. Then, on June 28, 2007, the video premiered on MTV in the United States. "Stronger" will be released on August 21, 2007. The third single will be "Good Life".[6] The song has no confirmed release date as of yet.

West performed a live version of "Stronger" to over 63,000 music fans, and a global television audience in 140 countries worldwide, when he performed a seven minute set during a concert remembering Princess Diana at Wembley Stadium in London on July 1, 2007.

West's decision to change the album's release date from September 18, 2007 to September 11, 2007 means that Graduation will have the same release date as 50 Cent's Curtis. This means that Graduation and Curtis will compete against each other for better album sales. 50 Cent later stated that he will stop releasing solo albums if Curtis will not sell more copies than Graduation.[7] However, 50 Cent later stated that he will continue to release solo albums even if West were to sell more albums than him.[8]

On August 14, 2007, West confirmed that rapper Lil Wayne will be featured on a track called "Barry Bonds", which was also confirmed by West's label, Island Def Jam.

Souce: Wikipedia.com