Graduation still motivates listeners to get up and dance
By Lillian Yost ‘23, staff writer
Kanye West, otherwise known as “Ye”, is a man of many talents as he is a rapper, songwriter, producer, and fashion designer. He was born and raised in Chicago and he is 45 years old. He is one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop musicians of all time. West started his career as a music producer and made beats for other artists in the late 90s and early 2000s. Ye has released 11 studio albums ever since his debut album drop in 2004. Kanye’s third studio album Graduation is a personal favorite of many. Graduation was released on September 11, 2007 and has been a fan favorite since.
Graduation is the best selling album and it has sold over 6 million copies. Ye won four grammys for his songs on the Graduation album. The style of Graduation is different from his other released albums. It is more pop and indie than his past songs and it has a more upbeat tone. The songs on this album put people in a good mood and make them happier. West uses his critiques from the last album Late Registration to improve his style.
There are only two “skips” on this album to be honest. “Drunk and Hot Girls” and “Barry Bonds” have lower ratings than other songs on the album. However, the higher reviews on the other 12 songs make up for it. Songs such as “Good Life” and “Stronger” just make you want to get up and dance. His songs on this album also tell a story. “Homecoming” featuring Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, tells the story of where he grew up. He personifies Chicago in a way that most people don’t realize; West is talking about a city and not just a girl named Windy.
The beats and instrumentals in this album are spectacular. The song “I Wonder” starts off as a piano playing and turns into a hip-hop beat. Another song with a piano instrumental “Everything I Am” is more relaxed and soulful than other songs by West. However that doesn't mean that the more hype rap songs are bad either, the song “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” gives listeners a confident feeling when they hear it.
In West’s song “Big Brother” he talks about his relationship with Jay-Z. Jay-Z was like a brother to him and helped him improve his career; however, Ye wanted to become better than him and one-up him. In the song he accuses Jay-Z of stealing his idea of doing a song with Coldplay. This song was most likely the reason the partnership became more unstable. Ye has been very controversial over the years and been involved in a lot of public arguments, particularly recently. However, the one thing that cannot be controversial is how amazing this album is.