Kanye West: Graduation
Monday, 10 Sep 2007 11:24
Kanye West: Graduation – A class above the competition
Roc-A-Fella, out September 10th, 2007.
In a nutshell…
Cockiest man in Chicago returns
What's it all about?
Kicking off with the evocative Elton John sampling Good Morning, it's immediately clear that the arrogance so central to Kanye's appeal hasn't deserted him, as he pays tribute to... well, himself, as "Mr Fresh, Mr... by his self he's so impressed". It's an intricate opening and a welcome indication that the tiresome skits that blighted his previous two efforts have been jettisoned.
Carrying enough coin to sample Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne, he predictably self-promotes on Champion, while global superhit Stronger merges the Euro-Disco throb of Daft Punk into a stomping anthem of West's irrepressible arrogance. Premiered during an appearance on hit US series Entourage, The Good Life is a soulful sampling of Michael Jackson PYT, with T-Pain adding some hard-edged wit. Though its production is disconcertingly uninspired, the lyrical ambiguities of Can't Tell Me Nothin' reveal a commendable honesty, with the rapper notably caught between ethics and excess.
An unfortunate interlude follows, with dull production hampering the already-mediocre Barry Bonds (not about the steroid-enhanced [allegedly] homerun hitter), before the album's nadir, Drunk and Hot Girls, drops. Even with the combined MC-ing mastery of West and guest rapper Mos Def, it's a tired tale of the formulaic rap cliches of blunts and bitches.
Thank heaven for the softly soaring backbeat of Flashing Lights, which pulls the album back into the first division, before West displays some unforeseen introspection on the beautifully layered Everything I Am. Sampling Laura Nyro, The Glory harks back to the updated soul production of his debut before Homecoming sees West top his mentor Jay-Z's "song with Coldplay", with Chris Martin adding sweet melodies about a return to a childhood sweetheart over a stadium-sized beat.
Though Stronger and The Good Life are undeniably the hottest singles on the album, Big Brother is the album's highpoint, an outstanding tribute to Jay-Z, with some superb wordplay and painfully honest admissions.
Who's it by?
Chicago's finest carved out a rep as one of the greatest producers in hip-hop, layering forgotten 70s samples over rhymes from Common, Mobb Deep and - crucially - Jay-Z, before a life-threatening car crash inspired his breakthrough single Through The Wire. The outstanding production value and lyrical intelligence of debut album The College Dropout brought swift global fame, while crossover success was earned thanks to West's middle-class upbringing and stark difference from hip-hop stereotypes.
Though overindulgence and bling entered the fray somewhat with the bombastic follow-up Late Registration, mainstream markets were still courted with smash hit singles Diamonds from Sierra Leone and Gold Digger and eight Grammy nominations duly followed. Now, following slots at Live 8 and on the U2 undercard, he returns with Graduation, masterfully demonstrating his PR nous by bringing its release date forward so as to coincide with 50 Cent's latest 'opus' Curtis. Early sales figures indicate that Fiddy will have to honour a promise to retire from solo recording if he was outsold by West.
As an example…
"I ain't saying we was from the projects/but every time I wanted layaway or a deposit/my Dad'd say 'if you see clothes, close your eyelids'" - Keeping it real on Champion
"Just last year Chicago had over six hundred caskets/Man, killing's some wack shit/Oh I forgot, except for when n***as is rappin'." - Momentarily shying away from self-obsession on Everything I Am
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
A near certainty. The dexterity of West's production touch has only improved, with a staggering array of samples - from Elton John through Daft Punk to German rockers Can - maintaining his ability to carve hip-hop gold from the unlikeliest of sources. Stronger has already dominated radio playlists worldwide and The Good Life and the Chris Martin-featuring Homecoming are undeniable smashes.
What the others say
"While it might not be as substantial a record as we're used to hearing from him, it is his greatest leap forward, and further proof that few are as skilled at tracing out the complicated contours of pride, success and ambition as he is." - Mark Pytlik, Pitchfork
"Every rapper needs a strong ego, and Mr West deserves his. But where he used to identify with everyday dreamers and strivers, now he seems happy to stay in his VIP zone: all dressed up and behind that velvet rope." - Jon Pareles, New York Times
So is it any good?
It's almost great, but the awful one-two punch of Barry Bonds and Drunk and Hot Girls is almost entirely at fault for the album's falling short of classic status. And as stunning as West's rhyming ability remains, it's a little disappoint to note that the social commentary and empathetic side evident on his first album and already fading by his second seems to have subsided, replaced by wholesale self-obsession.
Even so, his ear for a cracking beat is matched only by Timbaland and West is twice the lyricist and rapper than the former will ever be. The wordplay is jaw-droppingly stunning at times, Chris Martin's appearance adds some tenderness to a sometimes aggravating tone and the prime cuts are immediate and exhilarating. A flawed diamond.
7/10
Lewis Bazley
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