Graduation Reviews

• I'm tired of hearing this album already

  
  By AVFUB5M7F7C50 on 2007-09-11
  What can I say about this album. I will never understand what the hype is about Kanye. I get tired of hearing how great his album is because he sampled some obscure band from the 80s. Lets talk about Kanye's rapping talent. The rhymes on Can't Tell Me Nothing remind me of some white kids "rapping" in their cafeteria. "I feel pressure, under more scrutiny, And I do, What act more stupidly?" Under more scrutiny, Kanye should work harder not to make whack rhymes. For an artist that's fan base talks about his humility and internal strife, Kanye does nothing but declare himself God and announce his greatness on the "hit" Stronger. I hope this is the last of the trilogy. Maybe now that Kanye is graduated his next contribution will be "Getting a Real Job."
  
  

• A more conscious and mature effort.

  
  By A1OT619F8F4HU6 on 2007-09-11
  Kanye West is thoughtful ("Everything I'm not, made me everything I am," he explains on "Everything I Am") and has a voice like honey and a breathtakingly broad musical palette.
  On his third album, West wants that acceptance on a big piece of paper, rolled up in a ribbon and presented to him in front of the applauding world. To make sure that everyone had the date in their diary, he pulled the release forward to clash with his nemesis, 50 Cent. But why bother? If anyone was going to get the prize for coming top of the class right now, it would be West.
  "Graduation" sums up the qualities that made West a star: smart sampling, funny pitched-up vocals, a new found maturity, sagacious rapping and a finely attuned ear for infectious beats and rhythms.
  There are also a couple of new ingredients: steely, electro synths from Daft Punk on "Stronger" and Caribbean lilts on "Good Life".
  He's even got rappers' favourite indie boy Chris Martin doing his best Gilbert O'Sullivan impression on "Homecoming".
  Despite all this, something about "Graduation" feels a bit cold.
  The goofy glamour of "Gold Digger" and "Touch the Sky" have been edged out by over-earnest, gratingly repetitive self-promotion and an underlying sense of isolation and paranoia. And for all his right-on credentials, "Drunk & Hot Girls" veers close to hip-hop's tired old misogyny.
  Kanye West is a 'conscious' rapper whose album samples Steely Dan and kraut rock beards Can; who muses on the stress of success; and who likes speeded up chipmunk vocals.
  "Graduation" will leave some fans cold (it's a pop album that takes hip hop further into mainstream dance culture).
  The album has magnificent moments (the Daft Punk-sampling "Stronger", the wonderfully upbeat "Good Life") but is weighed down by navel-gazing and pales in comparison to "Late Registration" and "College Dropout".
  And yet, the record is beguiling and addictive: you want to go back and listen again as all those shiny, unexpected layers reveal themselves.
  "Graduation" might yet to turn out to be as important as West thinks it is.
  
  

• Tasteless

  
  By A3N592SJXJZ02E on 2007-09-11
  Very tasteful of Mr. West to release his work on 9/11. I hope no one every tries to capitalize on his misfortune someday.
  
  

• Kanye Killed Hip Hop

  
  By A3IL42ZTH1ITK9 on 2007-09-12
  The most depressing thing about this album to me is the fact that people believe this is "real hip hop." Not that it is my place to in any way decide what is categorized as "real" and what is not but for one to make that decision I believe they must have a wide perspective of the genre. I have been in rap production for several years and I understand that sampling is as much a part of modern hip hop as anything else but there is a fine line between a sample and a remix. I think Kanye's work on "The Blueprint" was some of the best producing in modern hip hop, and it is clear he has headed in a different direction from that. With that being said most people, even his biggest supporters, will agree Kanye is in the "lower end" of rappers when it comes to his lyricism. Not that everyone should sound like a carbon copy of Blackstar, but to me Lyricism means putting meaning behind what you say. So when I look at this CD all I really see is a collection of over the top beats and mediocre rhymes.
  
  When alls said and done I believe this CD epitomizes the war cry of "hip hop is dead" because it shows fans with no perspective outside of what it thrown at them on MTV. If you like this CD that's great, I understand its catchy and easy to listen to, just please also listen to Illmatic by Nas, Reasonable Doubt by Jay Z, Ready to Die by Biggie or All Eyes on Me by Tupac before you grace this with five stars.
  
  

• 1 because i can't give it negative stars

  
  By A21C5ZF74HIEM2 on 2007-09-11
  or else it would be "-5 stars". This cd is ridiculously disappointing. I only half way like TWO of the songs. I should have spent my money on the 50 cd instead. This cd made me not like Kanye anymore.
  
  
• More drivel from this prep-school "dropout"
  By A1NCCXPM39F64O on 2007-09-13
  Boring, boring, boring. Is this really the best that the well-regarded "dropout" can do? Leave this snoozer of an album on the shelf, and go get some real music--NWA, Biggie, Tupac, Dre, Eminem in his thug days.
  
  
• So So
  By A1DB1C9IX6LQCM on 2007-09-14
  If you think hip-hop is only about some good beats and lackluster lyrics then go ahead and buy this album. Honestly some of the songs do make you wanna dance. Of course those songs are played on the radio ad-nauseum so why buy the cd for that reason. Big Brother is probably the only song that can be considered good based on it's CONCEPT but it's STYLE is irritating to me. I should have saved my money on this one.
  
  
• Pfffft, whatever get some real hiphop instead
  By A11JDE6I9KYU4D on 2007-09-13
  Its aight, some of it is really lame and pop techno BS, some of it is tight, all of it is "not that great" It is a shame that he is selling so many albums while so many real hip hop artists with more talent don't sell anywhere near this; go out and buy the new Pharoahe Monch album!
  
  
• Eh
  By A2X6H51CN469XK on 2007-09-13
  Pretty much only good with Chris Martin who actually has musical talent. Nice try Kanye, you should take some tips from real producers like Dre of Timbaland.
  
  
• No, I don't think so
  By A2NG313A8LTHS9 on 2007-09-10
  I just really get irritated listening to this cat throw down the rhymes. Stronger has one of the best beats this side of Public Enemy, but the rhymes are dumb and don't make any sense. Referencing Prince and OJ in the same set of rhymes? Come on now, that is silly. It's more versatile than most garbage in the game today, but still kind of lame. I would love to see rappers like Kool G Rap and Paris be more relevant today. They were good rappers that wrote about things that made sense to me. I've liked rap for years and front my own rap group called Frisbee Frank and the cranky gerbils. We do a lot of covers of the people mentioned above plus covers of BDP, EPMD and the Fat Boys. We also write our own stuff like "Gimme some club crackers you crazy woman". It's the biggest hit in rural Nebraska right now.
  
  Kanye is that bad which is pretty good but worse than the best that isn't too bad. He makes you dance some and think a minute or two about where your gas money is going. At the end of the day, he is average. I just booted average into the upper corner for another game winning goal.
  
  
• Everyone has the right to judge Kanye Wests rapping ability
  By A3IMRLI4RV1KUK on 2007-09-10
  Everyone has the right to judge Kanye Wests rapping ability because his production is tight but that does not make Kanye West a good rapper. To be honest I been listening to Rap/Hip Hop for 25 years now and the man has very little rapping skills.
  
  
• How? Why? Garbage.....!
  By A12UA5SJ0W1XXY on 2007-09-13
  Look no one cares what i'm about to say...but i'm ganna say it anyways. Hip Hop is dead! It really is. People are just not into classics anymore. This Kanye album is so horrible, but people love it. Why?...because it's pop-friendly...the new generation of Hip Hop fans just do not know any better because they've never grew listening to classics like Illmatic,36 chambers,straight outta Compton, Hell on Earth, Paid in Full,Ready to Die....etc. People are destroying Hip Hop....to Hip Pop....Kanye had an amazing first album...but this album is just not right....really I believe the 50 cent album is better, and i will say this because the beats are raw and hard hitting and lyris are grimey, catchy, and gangsta...not mellow and stupid like kanye...really i'm not hating...im just finding it hard to adapt to what people consider dope nowadays....to me the the new Dj Muggs is really dope, but of course the people will buy this album becuz they have no daft punk produced song like "stronger"...Hip Hop is dead....dirty south and repetative lyrics are in....why do u think our parents don't like our music?....they can't adapt....i can't adapt to this garbage and i'm only 24...nuff said...Hip Hop is Dead...and don't u forget it...thanks for all the pop fans who murdered it...RIP...Hip Hop
  
  
• Kanye is a better producer then he is a lyricist.
  By A3M2WCTAA7MNQX on 2007-09-11
  After two amazing solid hip hop albums just recently released this year, Common's Finding Forever and Talib Kweli's Eardrum, (both in which had an appearance with Kanye) one could only look foward to the next big album. This album was Kanye's Graduation. Unfortunately, this album was a mixed bag for me. As a producer, Kanye is one of the greats and he undeniably will be one of the best for some time to come. As a lyricist, I was definitely disappointed. Kanye is still better then most, but for this album I felt he didn't bring his A game. After hearing Common's and Talib Kweli's albums, this one seem very lackluster in the lyrical department. Either way, this is easily one of the best hip hop albums this year surpassing 50's Curtis.
  
  
• NOT AS GOOD AS YOU'VE HEARD
  By A211GVOHAF2V7 on 2007-09-12
  I believe that this album is a little over-hyped. In the late 90's people jumped all over Puff Daddy for sampling and not being original and rhyming very weak. Now in 2007, we have a new Puff Daddy. Seriously, on every song he samples another song, and then raps weakely on it. What's the difference? On this new album there are some songs that are darn right laughable. I will also admit that there are some good songs on this album as well, but this time around, the bad outweigh the good. I consider this a very average album.
  
  
• This album is just whateva!
  By ADH5E2OE07PAQ on 2007-09-14
  After taking a break from hip hop for a few months. I pick up this, Common album, and for some dumb reason 50 album. I'll get to his shortly. Overall, I did not really feel this album. I dont know who told Kanye he's a dope mc cause they lied to him. To me his flow is weak, his rhymes are average, his delivery & mic presence is just garbage. He lacks the energy to keep me interested in what he thinks he has to say. Lyrically I don't feel a single track on here.To me an mc should be able to paint pictures with words. He should have a demanding sound when he steps to the mic. I don't see that with him.
  
  The beats are ok. But nothing really special or memorable to me. Only three tracks stood out a little bit. Nothing memorable on this album to me. Just cause a rapper can spit a few tracks about some positive things doesn't automatically make him a standout rapper. Or the best out right now. Please. He calls this album "Graduation". I dont know what he graduated from, but it damn sure wasn't mc 101.
  
  
  
• It's Nothing New
  By A12AIAKZMXIHO on 2007-09-09
  I'm sure many of you, if not everyone has heard the phrase "if you heard one of them, you heard them all before." It's a good way to explain Kanye's third offering.
  
  Everyone knows about "the battle" of the two biggest selling hip hop artist by now, that being 50 Cent and Kanye West. Their albums are being dropped on the same day. And with that Fiddy also dropped a famous quote that most people know by now, creating the battle of who is bigger and better. That quote being "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 anymore solo albums."
  
  I am an unbiased listener and reviewer who buys both 50's and Kanye's albums, and respect both men. I have to say however that I know 50 Cent is the bigger artist and the better selling between the two. My predictions is that 50's third studio release "Curtis" will outsell Kanye's "Graduation". I had the opportunity to pick up both in Japan before they were released in the states because of the difference in time by 13 hours.
  
  My report is that while Graduation is a tight album, there is no singles or songs on the record that just jump out at me and leave me breathless. It's the same game that has been done before, and Kanye has nothing new to offer his listeners. The same sound production and delivery of lyrics. Kanye is still sampling songs, especially old skool soul.
  
  On the other hand 50 Cent comes at us fresh, working with a whole new team of various producers. I wasn't dissapointed enough with Graduation though to the point where I didn't want to buy the album, because it is a good purchase. Just don't get your expectations up too high expecting another "College Dropout" or better.
  
  
• It's hard to resisist : Kanye is way ahead of the pack.
  By A1MVYUABKWRHTR on 2007-09-11
  Even if you're hopelessly alienated from American rap and hip-hop, Kanye West is extremely hard to resist if there is a musical bone in your body.
  On this excellent record, he duets with Coldplay's Chris Martin on "Homecoming" and teams up with the young Grammy-winning blues guitarist John Mayer on "Bittersweet Poetry".
  What makes these collaborations so good is that Kanye West is obviously not looking for crossover acceptance, rather he is demonstrating how he can excel in such distinguished company.
  There's deft sampling of anyone who serves the cause, from Steely Dan and Elton John to reggae lion U-Roy and Daft Punk, and a new found maturity that ensures the swaggering but warm "Graduation": is that rarest of things: a keyboards-led hip hop album. It's tip top.
  It's mature, adventurous, addictive.
  With "Graduation", Kanye West proves once again that he is way ahead of the hip-hop pack.
  Album's highlights: "Drunk and Hot Girls", "Can't Tell Me Nothing", "I Wonder" and "Stronger".
  I'm loving it!
  
  
• LAME
  By AFQAADQYZF8Q4 on 2007-09-14
  This album was wack i copped that Curtis it was on Fire a couple club bangers and girly songs but that sells to the females go get Curtis it has way sicker flows then Kon G ay fest could come up with it definitly a bootlegger hahaha
  
  
• Incredible talent!
  By on 2007-09-10
  This guy is amazing. He actually steals other people's music and puts it over a repetitive beat and passes it off as his own! WOW! GENIUS!!
  
  
• very disappointed
  By A2DPFOT0WH9G7H on 2007-09-11
  this album is by far kanyes worst. yes, the beats are amazing as usually but kanyes flow and lyrics are absolute garbage. stronger is a good song but is ruined by the fact that he is rapping about klondikes. there are very few good songs on this album and none of them are even close to being college dropout material. once again, i cannot emphasize enough how bad the lyrics are. kanye should stick to producing.
  
  
• 3.5 stars all day long
  By A2WRWK0ARXOFSZ on 2007-09-11
  Kanye is back at it with his third effort. Creative rhymes and dope beats are what kanye has cooked up for the world to listen for his third attempt. Stand out songs like "everything I am", "good life", and "barry bonds" help to make this album a easy favorite in my cd changer. I give this album 3.5 stars due to the fact there are a few weak songs that I skip routinely. Like for instance "Drunk and hot girls and I wonder" are terrible songs to me. I don't like the energy nor the delivery of the rhymes on these songs. While this isn't a perfect album.....After listening to 50's album, Graduation comes off as a masterpiece.
  
  
• Majorly Disappointing
  By A1V2C9MW1BCNWC on 2007-09-12
  The College Dropout was the album that convinced me that hip-hop was worth listening to. "Last Call," "Get 'Em High," "Breathe in, Breathe out" and "School Spirit" had some of the best beats I'd ever heard--and Kanye's flow was at time spectacular as well, especially on the second verse of "School Spirit" and the first of "Get 'Em High." Not to mention that while I wasn't always a fan of the subject of his lyrics, Kanye's were often better and more introspective than most rappers' ("Jesus Walks," "Never Let Me Down" and "All Falls Down" especially).
  
  And then the best songs of Late Registration were just as good or not better. Where have you heard a better beat than "Heard 'Em Say," "Touch the Sky" or "Gone"?
  
  And then he produced this...I can't believe the general consensus is that these beats are good. These beats, for the most part, suck! I seem to be the only person who thinks the "Stronger" Daft Punk sample just doesn't work. I don't like "Champion"s beat, "I Wonder" at least has a good sample, but then the flow sucks. "Barry Bonds" and "Drunk and Hot Girls" are two of the worst songs I've ever heard! Kanye shouldn't apologize to Mos Def for "Breathe in, Breathe Out" he should apologize for putting him on this crappy song.
  
  The album's not THAT bad, I guess. I like "Good Morning" a lot, "Homecoming" is pretty good, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is okay, despite how "stupidly" he comes up with lyrics for it, "Flashing Lights" isn't terrible even though the beat kind of annoys me. I can't remember the name but I also like the song that rehashes "School Spirit" (the chorus goes "I'm a get on this TV, mama..."). And I also like the rap on "Stronger" despite it's weak beat.
  
  The beats are just weird on this album. On the first half of the album I feel more like I'm listening to a crappy Flaming Lips cover band with rap instead of the amazing Kanye West.
  
  It's just that College Dropout and Late Registration were two of the best hip hop albums ever made, and Graduation is, at best, mediocre. My eighth or ninth favorite song on College Dropout, "Two Words" would be my favorite or second favorite on this one (after "Good Morning"). That says a lot about how good College Dropout is, but also a lot about how mediocre Graduation is.
  
  
• Graduation
  By A5F1A9MI4BLFA on 2007-09-23
  Kanye West has never looked, sounded, or acted like anyone else in hip-hop, period. On "Everything I Am," West name-drops his contemporaries for their decadent lifestyles: "I never rock a mink coat in the wintertime like Killa Cam / Or rock some mink boots in the summertime like will.i.am / Let me know if you feel it man / 'Cause everything I'm not made me everything I am." Reluctant as I am to venerate diss tracks, he's right. Here is a rapper who risked his career to proclaim that President Bush hated black people on national television, who released an entire album produced by Jon Brion (producer/collaborator for Aimee Mann), and who started out life after higher education as a mid-level Roc-A-Fella producer who wore a polo shirt just to impress some sleazy record executives. Yes, he is known to sport jewelry and flashy clothing now and again, but no amount of bling can hide the sincere, vulnerable college dropout who kept on keeping on anyway.
  
  The allusion to school in West's discography strikes me as humbling in the rap game, where imperfection of any kind is verboten, but it's appropriate for an artist who spoke more about vying for the top than actually being there. Now he's attending his own Graduation, and fittingly enough, it's both his most confident and most subdued record, not to mention his leanest: Thirteen songs appear here, only two of which exceed five minutes. Graduation is also the least reliant on hip-hop clichés; the closest sonic reference point is Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, which didn't sound much like a hip-hop record anyhow. In the plasmatic, sparkling melodic backdrops plucked from a 1987 R&B smash, it's now possible to hear a Kanye West "sound"--previously obscured by guest producers--in full bloom.
  
  No Kanye West album would be complete without an opening salvo, and this time it's "Champion," a ridiculously self-assured manifesto that obliterates any doubt about whether West believes he's made it. It feels like the second half of a story that began with Late Registration's "Touch the Sky," in which West and Lupe Fiasco vowed that, someday, they would. But "Touch the Sky" is too loud, too blaring for West's attitude these days. Instead, "Champion" sports laid-back, sun-drenched keyboard lines that dare not to be catchy, and make great foils for West's verses celebrating modesty. "Stronger" is even more minimalist: Its melody is simply the vocodered parts of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" slowed down to syrupy speeds. By the time you reach the nearly all-piano "Everything I Am," the message becomes clear: The music is a support for the lyrics, track for track.
  
  Those lyrics are typical West, if a bit more unambiguous this time around. The one place you would expect him to flaunt his status, he backs off. In "Champion," he answers the call, "Did you realize that you were a champion?" with "Yes I did, so I packed it up and brought it back to the crib / Just a little something show you how we live / Everybody want it but it ain't that serious." He does loosen his collar a bit on "Stronger" and "The Good Life," though they're split by "I Wonder," a song in which he talks about his hip-hop tenure as a gift from God. On "Drunk and Hot Girls," West sings in defiantly slow speech, "We go through too much b******* to mess with these drunk and hot girls." When I heard this, I fell sideways out of my chair. He said what? Clearly, this song and several others aren't going to play in too many Escalades on the way to the club; Graduation is as mature as the event it describes.
  
  West hasn't struck out once after three swings of the bat, but Graduation is not a perfect album. It's front-loaded, and loses steam by its last third, but it really misses the boat in its treatment of guest artists. Coldplay's Chris Martin doesn't make "Homecoming" any less lame, and his rather anonymous contribution can't be worth what West paid for it. Butter-smooth crooner Dwele is woefully out of place on the nervy "Flashing Lights," especially in the context of his own jazz-tinged soul that's made him a quiet sensation. Mos Def--whose career seems to hit new lows with each passing year--actually sings on "Drunk and Hot Girls," and ignominiously embarrasses himself. I admire West's instinct to branch out, but he'd do well to look at El-P's stunning I'll Sleep When You're Dead as an exemplar of how to dexterously assimilate disparate guests into one devastating sucker-punch.
  
  In fact, it would have been most appropriate for Graduation to be a guestless effort, because West's stamp is all over it: in the glistening music, in his clear and deliberate flow, in the messages that always feel well-deserved and never didactic. Considering that Graduation is the dénouement of West's college-themed series (unless he releases a fourth album entitled Horror Stories from the Med School Library), it also sounds expectedly like a wave goodbye; "Big Brother" evokes rainbows and kids of all colors holding hands and singing "we are the children" in unison. Countless rappers would have used this opportunity to crank up the volume and pull out all the stops. Instead, Kanye West recorded his most definitive album, confidently strutting away from the limelight and smiling to us the whole time. It's an incredible way to bow out.
  
  
• marginal album
  By A9Q28YTLYREO7 on 2007-09-11
  i just don't feel this album at all. Kayne West is a Marginal Rapper and his beats and overall Grooves feel like alot of the Production and tracks that are getting played today which have a 80's feel. that works some times and other times it feels cold and leaves alot of soul out of the sound. Kayne Lyrically is a Pop reference style of rapper. he is catchy at times,but more often than not he just doesn't hold my attention for more than a few tracks. there isn't really a standout track to me,but more of a few catchy tracks than a actual song that knocks me out. this album feels in alot of ways as another part of the previous two for better or for worse.
  
  
• Kanye may have graduated, but I liked him better as a "College Dropout"
  By AGAMDS21PJZPK on 2007-09-11
  I was introduced to Kanye West when I found out that he was the producer on Beanie Sigel's "The Truth", which was one of my favorite tracks on Beanie's debut CD. From there, Kanye produced another favorite track of mine which was "This Must Be Life" which featured Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel and Scarface. One reason whay I liked the track so much was Kanye's use of the Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes classic "I Miss You". Since the song had a serious tone to it, the old school sample made the song even better, in my opinion. Kanye produced 4 tracks on Jay Z's The Blueprint: "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" which was the 1st single, "Never Change", "Heart Of The City (Ain't No Love)" and one of my favorite tracks on this CD, "Takeover", which was Jay Z's lyrical stab at Nas & The former Infamous Mobb Deep. Kanye also produced Talib Kweli's "Get By" and one of my favorite collaborations of all time, "Guess Who's Back" from Scarface's The Fix. The track was another song that featured Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel and Scarface.
  
  The first time that I ever heard Kanye West rap was on a track entitled "Champions" that was featured on the Paid In Full Soundtrack. The track featured Twista, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Kanye and Young Chris of the Young Gunz. Kanye held his own but I wasn't sure where it would go from there until I heard "Through The Wire". Kanye was in a bad car accident and what he decided to do was to show people how hungry he was to be a rapper and a producer. So while his jaw was pretty much still wired shut he sampled Chaka Khan's "Through The Fire" and created his official entry into the rap game. The next track that I heard was "Slow Jamz" which was a collabroation between Kanye West, Jamie Foxx & Twista. The track was clearly made for the ladies but it was so catchy that you couldn't help to like it especially with the sped up sample from the late, great Luther Vandross on "A House Is Not A Home".
  
  When The College Dropout came out I was impressed because I knew Kanye had the production skills but I would have never figured out that he had the lyrical skills to carry a full CD. My favorites included "Jesus Walks", "Never Let Me Down" w/Jay-Z and J. Ivy, "Two Words" w/Mos Def & Freeway, "We Don't Care", "Last Call" and "Spaceship" w/GLC and Consequence. "College Dropout" went on to go double platinum. A year later Kanye dropped Late Registration. It seems as if Kanye wanted to come right back out with another CD to capitalize off of the momentum from "College Dropout". My favorite tracks were "We Major" w/Nas, the remix to the first single, "Dimaonds From Sierra Leone" w/Jay-Z, "Heard 'Em Say" w/Adam Levine from Maroon 5, which was a beat that Common had turned down, "Gone" w/Consequence and Cam'ron and "Late", which was the last track on the CD. People can have debates on whether or not both of these CDs were classics but I know that I when I listened to the CDs, I could listen to every track, skits included, without skipping a track.
  
  This time around, Kanye West has returned with his 3rd Disc, "Graduation". If you have "Late Registration" there is a track entitled "Celebration" where Kanye seemed to be celebrating the success of his debut CD and all of the production credits he has received over the years. The reason why I bring this up is because this is what "Graduation" is all about. It seems to be a album that was made to celebrate the success of Kanye "graduating" and making it on his own terms. The 1st single, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was originally scheduled to be a remix to Young Jeezy's "I Get Money" which appeared on Jeezy's latest CD, "The Inspiration". The track featured TI and was produced by DJ Toomp who produced TI's classic "What You Know" from his "King" CD. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is really the street single in my opinion where "Stronger" is probably the official 1st single. "Stronger" was made strictly for the clubs. It's obvious that Kanye uses his clever rhymes throughout the track with lines like "You know how long I been on 'ya", since Prince was on Appolonia, since OJ had Isotoners, don't act like I never told 'ya". "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is the stronger track but I understand why Kanye would want to make "Stronger" the official single. The next single is "Good Life" which features T-Pain. The song includes a sample of Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" from his "Thriller" CD. The song is decent but compared to Kanye singles from the past it doesn't do too much for me. It follows the same celebratory path that Kanye intended to have for this CD. "Graduation" gets off to a good start with "Good Morning" which serves as the intro for the CD. Kanye gives us some nice bars to let you know that he is ready to introduce CD#3 to us. "Champion" is decent but I think the track suffers from a case of overproduction. Kanye West is a perfectionist in his own right but in my opinion he should simplify things at times. His lyrics are on point, but I have heard better from Kanye. I admire his shout out to Lauryn Hill when he says that he wishes that her heart was still into rhyming. The sample on "I Wonder" is just sick. However, Kanye takes too long to get things started. The verse starts almost 3 minutes into the song. However, the beat will help you overcome any shortcomings that you have about the song. "Barry Bonds" features Lil Wayne as most CDs do nowadays. I was floored when I saw that he was scheduled to be on Little Brother's new CD, Getback, on a track entitled "Breakin' My Heart". The CD is scheduled to be released on October 23, 2007. "Barry Bonds" is basically a nice beat from Kanye that features 2 verses from him and a nice lyrical contribution from Lil Wayne, despite what most people may think. I agree that Lil Wayne shouldn't be on 75 mixtapes and 125 guest appearances in 1 year, but you have to give hum his credit when its due. "Flashing Lights" features Dwele who appeared on Common's "The People" from Finding Forever. This track is easily one of the better tracks on "Graduation" as Kanye makes a track that talks about a girl who is going to far to attain the finer things in life. Just like Common was talking about on "Drivin' Me Wild". When I heard, "Feeling like Katrina with no FEMA....like Martin with no Gina", I thougt to myself that's the Kanye that I have come to respect and like. He wins with clever rhymes. My favorite track is easily "Everywhere I Am", which includes scratches from DJ Premier. The beat reminds me of Scarface's "My Block", which Kanye also produced. The track is really laid back and mellow. "Glory" is also a decent track and it reminds you of something that Kanye would have produced for Jay-Z on "The Blueprint". Someone has seemed to make Kanye upset, just as MTV did this past weekend and you can hear the anger in his lyrics. However, he still adds his playfulness on the last verse.
  
  I understand Kanye's concept for this CD but no track captures that better than "Homecoming" which features Chris Martin from Coldplay. My favorite song from Jay-Z's Kingdom Come was "Beach Chair" which also featured Chris Martin on the track. I may have to start checking out some of Coldplay's work. Anyway, you can tell by the end of "Homecoming" that Kanye has mentally walked across the stage and is celebrating the finest moments of his accomplishments. The problem is that some of the other tracks on "Graduation" don't achieve the same success. Kanye's tribute to Jay-Z on "Big Brother" is phenominal. When Kanye wants to he can create memorable anthems that you will want to hear for years to come. "Big Brother" is clearly an example of that. The honesty and realness of the track can't be denied and its right up there with "Jesus Walks" and "Last Call" with the effect that it leaves on you after you listen to the song.
  
  At 13 tracks, many people expected more from Kanye's "Graduation". Kanye is one of the few artists that I can accept skits from because they are always funny and they always fall in line with the sequence of the tracks. It would have been nice to hear more of that this time around. I thought that Kanye would have atleast included "Bittersweet" w/John Mayer and the remix to "Can't Tell Me Nothing" w/Young Jeezy. Also, I can understand cutting the guest appearances but I would rather hear Mos Def rap on "Drunk And Hot Girls" then try to sing like he did on "Umi Says", which is still a fantastic track 'til this day. In the end, most listeners will realize that "Graduation" is a nice CD but if you compare this CD to "College Dropout" and "Late Registration", this CD doesn't stack up to them. It's not as bad as some people are making "Graduation" to seem, but at the same time it's not as great as his previous work. "Graduation" was a concept album, however, so was "College Dropout" and "Late Registration". If you're making a concept album the overall quality of the project shouldn't be compromised. However, if you are a Kanye West fan, this is still a nice addition to your CD collection.
  
  James' Top 6
  
  1) Everything I Am
  2) Big Brother
  3) Homecoming w/Chris Martin
  4) Flashing Lights w/Dwele
  5) Can't Tell Me Nothing
  6) Good Morning
  
  Honorable Mention:
  
  The Glory
  Barry Bonds w/Lil Wayne
  I Wonder
  Stronger
  
  
• I'm not cool enough for Kanye
  By A1ZIYV4C796ZVS on 2007-09-15
  If you want an average CD, with minimal character in the lyrics, and some alright beats, you've found it. This album proves to me that it's time for Kanye to get back behind the tables and let the MCs do their thing and let him do his thing, which is produce. We will have to wait for Murs and Moka Only and Atmosphere to break onto radio before Hip-Pop can be a legitimate art form again and draw some market share back from country music.
  
  
• This was an awful album
  By A1RH126L5LJ4NL on 2007-09-15
  I was never a big Kanye West fan, but once I heard his hit song "STRONGER", I thought it that the album would be awesome. The music all sounded the same. I don't know how his album is beating out 50 Cents' album. People gave this him to much hype. I strongly encourage you to not buy this album. Go out there and purchase 50 Cents' album.
  
  
• Ego maniac
  By A2AW2EQTKK2M3J on 2007-09-17
  I gave it 3 stars since some of the song's have good musical arrangments that West should only stick to since his rap skills are somewhat... I dunno, not too good. This album and 50 Cent's are nothing spectacular, atleast this is somewhat creative compared to this whole "gangsta" "thug" image mainstream rap music pocesses. Brainwashing this generation into a bunch of materalistic, consuming drones, which is sad. Soulja boy? T-Pain? Lil Boosie? Mainstream rap/hip hop music is in a state of denial.
  
  
• Is there any excuse for more tired music like this?
  By A3SI0Z3I7QZRMG on 2007-09-19
  Another example of hype creating a space around this album like it is the best thing since sliced bread. It could have come out ten years ago and it would still have been tired. Lame.
  
  
• Will someone please give this so-called genius a hand
  By A30LOH7J2O4G59 on 2007-09-17
  And the winner between 50 cent & Kanye is neither: Both albums suck! Kanye's album is slightly better than 50 cent but that aint saying much. Well its now official, all the good hip hop is coming from the underground. The tagline for Graduation Day album should read: "An album so weak it needs help off of the turntable"
  
  BTW: You know what this album needed? More cowbell
  
  

• Curtis
• Finding Forever
• American Gangster
• As I Am
• Eardrum