Kanye West Entertainment Art "Graduation" (Roc-A-Fella) Released September 11, 2007

Until now, Kanye West has been most well known for his beats and for making instant hits/club-bangers that are guaranteed to get played on the radio 50 times a day. The fact that he started out as a producer affects the way people listen to his music, and the beat is the first thing we pay attention to. The reason why “Graduation” is such a big deal is that it’s a lyrical album. The beats are still hot, but that’s not what it’s all about this time.

There was a lot of hype leading up to the release of this CD because of Kanye and 50 Cent releasing on the same day and everyone wondering who would sell more; on top of that 50 said that he’d retire if Kanye beat him in first-day sales, so “Graduation” was a big deal before it even came out. Then it turned into a bigger deal when Kanye ended up winning the same-day-release competition. A lot of hype like that is great for promoting an album and guarantees big figures when it comes to sales, but at the same time it can take the listener’s attention away from the quality of the artist and the music. So, now that the hype is behind us, let’s talk about the music.

As a whole, the message I got from “Graduation” was that Kanye knows exactly where he stands in the hip-hop industry and he’s not afraid to brag, but he’s also not afraid to say what’s on his mind and you can take it or leave it because it doesn’t change his standing: he’s already made it. ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’ is (obviously) a perfect example, but it’s not the only track that delivers that vibe because a lot of them do. The intro, ‘Good Morning’, is the perfect opener because it’s strong; there’s no other way to describe it. My favorite song on the album is ‘I Wonder’ simply because it has the perfect combination of everything: old- and new-school, lyrical depth without being too sappy, and a consuming, simple beat that your whole body just automatically vibes to. It was because of that song, along with ‘Everything I Am’, that I wanted to pay closer attention to the lyrics in all the other songs.

I hate to say anything negative about “Graduation” but I have to address one issue that several people, not just I, had with the CD: ‘Drunk and Hot Girls’. It’s not a bad song at all; it just doesn’t fit in right with the other songs. It’s all surface, it’s shallow, and that’s not what we would expect from Kanye normally, so it sounds out of place and weird when you look at it in comparison with the whole album. On the bright side, if you listen to the lyrics and what the song is about, you will laugh because it’s funny and it’s true, which gives it bonus points. So don’t write it off completely until you’ve had a good laugh thinking about dumb drunk chicks.

The best way to summarize and describe “Graduation” is as such: this album will separate the true, knowledgeable Kanye fans from the ones who bought his CD because they liked his hit song on the radio. If you feel this album, relate to it, and get it, then congratulations, you can consider yourself a die-hard. This CD wasn’t made to gain an audience because he already had it; it’s simply Kanye speaking his mind and that’s what makes it a great album.

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