Now some of you may know what a DIE-HARD Kanye West fan I am.... Shit I have even gone as far to say that he's my biological father. So I think it's only right for me to take a minute to go back to give yall the review of what I think is one of Kanye West's greatest works of art. 808's & Heartbreak. Some people were bashing it on twitter, and I usually take that type of stuff with a pinch of salt. However, for some reason, I couldn't just let that go. How could you not give props to music, music, MUSIC, so honest and open as 808's? Then, they have the nerve to ask for "old Kanye." Nah, I couldn't just let that slide. I had to speak up. Here's a review on what I think is one of the most slept on albums of all time.
His 4th studio album; the one that fans either loved or hated. I guess you could say I was the first of the two, but I know for a fact I could back up my reasoning waaaaaaay farther than anyone who was on the opposing side. See, 808's did for me what music is supposed to do. It struck emotion. And I know how dudes love to run and hide at the sight of those, so I can imagine the sound made em cringe even more. Pussies. Not all hip-hop has to be hard, about struggling, or about the come-up. If they took the time out to put aside any prior judgements, 808's is a spectacular album. One that has stood in its own lane of hip-hop ever since.
I think what it is, is that people were expecting Kanye to come out with another "look mama I made it" album to follow College Dropout, Graduation, and Late Registration. But with mama gone, and him going through that heartbreak with whats-her-face, Kanye made music to match his mood at the time. No it isn't a rap album, but it is very much so hip-hop. From his lyrics and substance matter to his beat selection, the track listing, even the album artwork. It was clearly well thought of and well put together. I don't see how people expected anything else from the album, which was very clearly titled. For shits-sakes, he used a deflated heart balloon as an album cover. How did anyone come into this expecting classic asshole Kanye? Did they not stop for a second and think, perhaps the man is human? Perhaps he is more dimensional than that? Nope. They just slept.
It's sad to me because every track consisted of some of Yeezy's best poetry. His words throughout the album were heartfelt and meaningful. On "Coldest Winter," he sings "goodbye my friend, will I ever love again?" true words that I'm sure have echoed in anyone's mind at 4 am, when they cannot sleep, thinking about their past lover. Kanye had the nerve to put aside the ego he had become so well known before, and his pride that people love to hate, to spit TRUTH..... And people didn't give it the respect it deserved... Ya'll sicken me. Then you wonder why he's rapping about lambourghini's and material bullshit now, because when he gave y'all SUBSTANCE, y'all cried pussy and tossed the album to the side. That's that ignorant shit you need, right?
"Say You Will," which is my favorite track on the album has very little use of words, on the other hand. On the contrary, the focus is primarily on the bass-heavy, robotic beat that could easily remind you of sound of a heart rate moniter. He speaks his piece, then finishes the song with the hook and two minutes of instrumental. I loved him for that. So many artists forget that their voices aren't the only thing that matter in a song. They bashed him for using autotune. Kanye created an instrument out of his voice with autotune. If that, in and of itself, isn't one of the most creative ways to make music, I don't know what is. He wasn't just using it to alter his voice, to make himself sound any cooler. No, he used it as a tool to add another dimension of emotion to the music. But people didn't hear that. Sometimes, you got to let the music speak for itself. And Kanye, being the renessaince man that he is, creates his own music. So you know that before we heard it, he heard it over and over in his head until he managed to capture his thoughts and emotions in sound and put it on an album and gave it to us.
You know what? I'm going to stop here. If you have the album, do me a favor and listen to it. If you dont, do me a favor, download it, and listen to it. Again. This time though, clear your mind first. Clear your mind, and then try to imagine that you are Kanye. Imagine that you are him, and listen to the album, from start to finish. Imagine that those were your words and you made those beats. Imagine that you are going through everything he was speaking about. Do that, then come back to me. You'll realize that even if you haven't gone through any of that, that you can relate to it as a human being. And hopefully, your appreciation for the album will grow that much stronger. Did you hear Pinocchio Story? Smh. You guys need to get your ears right.
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