Love him or hate him, Kanye West is here to stay. West has enjoyed success from the moment he arrived on the music scene as a solo artist with his debut album “The College Dropout” in 2004, followed by “Late Registration” in 2005. His latest release is “Graduation.” West has bragging rights with both “College Dropout” and “Late Registration,” as each received numerous awards, among them six Grammies.
Some would argue that West’s claim to fame came when he was crowned the newest member of Roca-Fella records as a producer. One thing is certain: both “Jesus Walks” and “Gold Digger” from his first two albums introduced West to the music industry as an artist to be reckoned with.
Whether you love or hate Kanye West, one thing is undeniable, every album is different. “Graduation” proves that West is not afraid to experiment with new beats and hooks. West attempts to fix the problems of his first two albums by not using skits along with better rhyming to create an optimum sound, and to no surprise to his fans, West succeeds in every way possible. The album has a tighter sound along with better production, including compilations with big name artist including Chris Martin from Coldplay, Mos Def, T-Pain, and John Mayer to name a few.
West lies that he doesn’t try hard. West, along with other artists in the music business, dreams of Grammies and good reviews from critics, he’s just afraid to come out and say so. But it is undeniable that West spent the better half of two years working on his new album in hopes of grabbing the attention of his faithful listeners along with his worst critics.
From the first song “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” to the last song “Big Brother” West will fascinate you with his pop sound that is anything but mainstream and his lyrics that represent his struggles in his rise to fame along with his not so humble attitude.
Although he has yet to perfect the smooth, cool sound of his mentor Jay-Z, West’s newest album is a testimony of his growth as an artist and a producer. “Graduation” premiered at number one on the Billboard charts, setting a career high in sales for West, with over 950,000 copies sold in week one.
