Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

On Sept. 11, Kanye West released his third CD titled Graduation.

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past seven years, Kanye West is a rapper that broke out onto the scene with his first single, "Through the Wire" in 2002.


Kanye, meaning "the only one" in Swahili, was made notorious not only for his rapping ability, but also for his producing skills and controversial political statements such as the infamous "George W. Bush hates black people" incident and his MTV boycott.

He gained fame by producing hit singles for major hip hop/R&B artists, including Jay-Z, Cam'ron, Paul Wall, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Eminem and many others.

West's style of production often uses pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments.

West seemed to have saved the best beats for himself. Graduation is the long overdue album where you can actually listen to it for longer than two weeks without being completely sick of it.

I knew when I heard his first single that was released that I had to own the CD. In a world full of bootlegs and illegal downloads I chose to actually purchase the album.

Unfortunately I no longer own the CD. After only two plays on my stereo speakers the CD was stolen from me. I guess that should speak for itself, the CD is so good that people are willing to do anything for it. But even though I only had it for a limited amount of time that didn't stop me from falling in love. The CD is magnificent.

Some say that West has built one of the strongest reputations in music. Graduation was one of the most anticipated and important albums of the year. I, for one, completely agree. It was not about whether the album would be good, but whether it would be his best.

With songs like "Stronger," "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Barry Bonds," "Drunk and Hot Girls" and "Champion" the CD seems to have a song for everyone. His songs and his talent in my opinion are unrivaled by anyone in the rapping industry so far this year.
"I wanted to make songs that are people's theme songs," West said in an interview. He also described Graduation as being "whiter" than his last two projects and "blacker" than his other works.



Not only is it great music but the purchase is well worth it if you're an art fan. In a 106 and park interview West talked about the artwork that comes with his newest album and said that "in a few years the artwork will be worth more than the album." The cartoonish drawing was done by, contemporary Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami. Murakami is well known for his application of the Japanese art form of Superflat which is inspired by manga and anime and critiques the downfalls of Japanese society.

This is the best CD that I have heard in a very long time. Thank you Kanye for your contribution to my generation's history and for making some kick-a** music.

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