Kanye West: Graduation

When you are in a league of your very own, which Kanye is in, you have every right to be smacking people upside their heads with an atrocious ego. Kanye West should be recognized as the front-runner in hip-hop, regardless of his temper tantrums directed at members of the Viacom family. Granted it is more like the behavior of a child we often see: flashiest clothes, finest jewelry, "my joint is better than your joint," it's all typical of schoolyard banter. But conceptually Kanye has most certainly graduated with this his third offering, Graduation.

Kanye should stay in the schoolyard and keep discovering and learning, because through his lessons he is teaching your average, and even your not so average, consumer that hip-hop has the ability to go beyond the boundaries that have been set. Even though the hype between Curtis (a.k.a. 50 cent) and Kanye was reminiscent of the Ali/Frazier fight, seeing two hip-hop heavyweights go head to head on such a notorious date was as entertaining as it was unnerving.

Graduation from start to finish is an exemplary piece of work, something Kanye has every right to brag about. There may be the tracks that just don't kick it to you the same way that "Stronger" and "Can't Tell Me Nothing" do, but you can't hide the fact that Kanye has put even more miles between himself and his contemporaries. Even big brother Jay-Z is going to find it hard to top lil brother's first week sales.

Being so involved with your album from a production standpoint, which Kanye always is, obviously contributes to the rhetoric flow that his trilogy has so far expressed. Joining him on this album, in a production capacity, is the man who made T.I.'s "What You Know About That," (the anthem of '06) DJ Toomp. Producer Nottz holds it down on "Barry Bonds," which sees Kanye spit alongside the voice of the South Lil Wayne. But no matter who he brings in to assist on his project, West is the star. His musical interpretation of cameras on the Dwele-backed "Flashing Lights" is a testament to how a visual can be represented by sound. If only other producers would experiment with sounds and samples like Kanye does.

For once we see Kanye with his defenses down on "Big Brother," an ode to his boss and labelmate Jay-Z. You can't help but wonder if the gist of the track is true. Did he speak out about Jay to others within the camp when it came down to the Chris Martin joint? Regardless if its true or not, West shouts out label execs, some of which have done him wrong. West shows that even beyond the boasting and self-praise, we have come to expect from him there is sensitivity sheltered by his ego.

"Homecoming" sees Chris Martin trade roles with John Legend, who Kanye recorded the track with originally, before Warryn "Baby Dub" Campbell added his expertise to it. As "cool" as having Coldplay on your album may be, it's a mystery why this joint is on the album when the lyrics have been used before. MCs recycle lyrics all the time, normally those of other rappers, but Kanye always has to be different.

Now that he has graduated, will Kanye stay on this side of the fence with his future endeavors? He continuously pushes himself and breaks the mold of what hip-hop has become. Let's just hope that he isn't moving too fast for the industry and his lyrics don't become lost in translation.

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