Spring Break
Kanye's Graduation: a well-crafted hip-hop dissertation
Jeremy Kollie
Issue date: 9/18/07 Section: Entertainment
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Graduating is a celebratory experience. It's the culmination of the previous four (or five, in some cases) years of hard work, hard times and its rewards all captured in one event.
It comes as no surprise that Kanye West's new album, Graduation, fits that mold almost to a T. It's been four years since West first enrolled in the game with College Dropout, and he's showing signs that he might be leaving magna cum laude.
Graduation gives us a first glimpse into what West calls "stadium music," an idea he conceived after performing with U2 and realizing that there was no such longevity for artists in hip hop.
The often-controversial MC shakes his audience out of their sleep with the album's intro, "Good Morning." The song pairs an airy, angelic voice sample with thumping kicks that allows West to speak on his ambitious ways with clever lines like, "Good morning and look at the valedictorian, scared of the future while I hop in the De Lorean."
The skilled rapper-producer switches up the tempo with the uplifting "Champion" and the 80's-style throwback "Stronger." The former uses a reggae rhythm to craft a gem that easily becomes an anthem for depressed and downtrodden people who have hopes aimed toward the stars.
The latter samples electronic music duo Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" for a track that is sure to send listeners on a cyber-sonic trip that differs from anything heard in today's hip-hop environment.
West changes speeds with the introspective "I Wonder," where the five-time Grammy winner ponders "what it all really means" over sweeping violins and synthesizers that give this selection an ambience all of its own.
West then gets the party in gear with the T-Pain-assisted "Good Life." The dreadlocked R&B sensation aids the G.O.O.D. Music label head with his famous synthesizer voice effect, crooning the lyrics, "Better than the life I lived, when I thought that I was gonna go crazy / Now my grandmama ain't the only one calling me baby ," while West describes all the good things life has to offer.
It comes as no surprise that Kanye West's new album, Graduation, fits that mold almost to a T. It's been four years since West first enrolled in the game with College Dropout, and he's showing signs that he might be leaving magna cum laude.
Graduation gives us a first glimpse into what West calls "stadium music," an idea he conceived after performing with U2 and realizing that there was no such longevity for artists in hip hop.
The often-controversial MC shakes his audience out of their sleep with the album's intro, "Good Morning." The song pairs an airy, angelic voice sample with thumping kicks that allows West to speak on his ambitious ways with clever lines like, "Good morning and look at the valedictorian, scared of the future while I hop in the De Lorean."
The skilled rapper-producer switches up the tempo with the uplifting "Champion" and the 80's-style throwback "Stronger." The former uses a reggae rhythm to craft a gem that easily becomes an anthem for depressed and downtrodden people who have hopes aimed toward the stars.
The latter samples electronic music duo Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" for a track that is sure to send listeners on a cyber-sonic trip that differs from anything heard in today's hip-hop environment.
West changes speeds with the introspective "I Wonder," where the five-time Grammy winner ponders "what it all really means" over sweeping violins and synthesizers that give this selection an ambience all of its own.
West then gets the party in gear with the T-Pain-assisted "Good Life." The dreadlocked R&B sensation aids the G.O.O.D. Music label head with his famous synthesizer voice effect, crooning the lyrics, "Better than the life I lived, when I thought that I was gonna go crazy / Now my grandmama ain't the only one calling me baby ," while West describes all the good things life has to offer.
