Saturday, September 29, 2007

Kanye West's Graduation debuted at #1

Graduation

Kanye West


Released: September 11, 2007


Charted: September 29, 2007


Peak: 11 US, 13 RB, 11 UK, 11 CN, 2 AU


Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.6 UK, 6.06 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: rap


Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Good Morning
  2. Champion (3/8/08, 99 RB)
  3. Stronger [with Daft Punk] (8/11/07, 1 US, 30 RB, 1 UK)
  4. I Wonder
  5. Good Life [with T-Pain] (9/22/07, 7 US, 3 RB, 23 UK)
  6. Can’t Tell Me Nothing (6/9/07, 80 US, 20 RB)
  7. Barry Bonds [with Lil’ Wayne]
  8. Drunk and Hot Girls [with Mos Def]
  9. Flashing Lights [with Dwele] (11/10/07, 29 US, 12 RB)
  10. Everything I Am [with DJ Premiere]
  11. The Glory
  12. Homecoming [with Chris Martin] (1/19/08, 69 US, 9 UK)
  13. Big Brother


Total Running Time: 51:23

Rating:

3.960 out of 5.00 (average of 23 ratings)


Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

Kanye’s first album, The College Dropout “was one of the most anticipated debuts of the early 2000s.” AMG On Late Registration, his second release, he worked “extensively with multi-instrumentalist rock producer Jon Brion” AMG and people wondered If “Kanye’s hubristic tendencies would get the better of it.” AMG

“With Graduation, there was Takashi Murakami’s artwork, a silly first-week sales competition with the decreasingly relevant 50 Cent, and chatter about synthesizers running wild. That was about it, but it all seemed loud and prevalent, due in part to a lack of high-profile rap albums released in 2007.” AMG

Graduation is neither as bold nor as scattered as The College Dropout, and it’s neither as extroverted nor as sonically rich as Late Registration. Kanye still makes up for his shortcomings as an MC and lyricist by remaining charmingly clumsy, frequently dealing nonsense through suspect rhyme schemes: ‘I never be picture-perfect Beyonce / Be light as Al B. or black as Chauncey / Remember him from Blackstreet, he was black as the street was / I never be laid-back as this beat was.’” AMG

“The songs that are thematically distanced, introspective, and/or wary; there are many of them are, in turn, made more palatable than insufferable. That his humor remains a constant is a crucial aspect of the album, especially considering that most other MCs would sound embittered and hostile if they were handling similar subjects, like haters new and old, being a braggart with a persistent underdog complex, getting wrapped up in spending and flaunting, and the many hassles of being a hedonist.” AMG

“Those who have admired Kanye as a sharp producer while detesting him as an inept MC might find the gleaming synth sprites, as heard most prominently throughout Flashing Lights and Stronger, to be one of the most glaring deal-breakers in hip-hop history. Though the synthesizer use marks a clear, conscious diversion from Kanye’s past productions, highlights like I Wonder, The Glory, and Everything I Am are deeply rooted in the Kanye of old, using nostalgia-inducing samples, elegant pianos and strings, and gospel choirs. So, no, he’s not dreaming of fronting A Flock of Seagulls or joining Daft Punk. He’s being his shrewd, occasionally foolish, and adventurous self.” AMG

Resources and Related Links:


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First posted 12/24/2008; last updated 4/30/2022.

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