![]() If there was any doubt that Kanye West was a true rapper, "Barry Bonds" diminished it. KP, head of mixtape site DatPiff explains: "Records like 'Stronger,' 'Can't Tell Me Nothing' and 'Flashing Lights' were obviously the major commercial successes, but those three instrumentals became three of the top ever to be used by artists to 'remix' or 'freestyle' on the mixtape circuit." It's also another point where West was able to diverge from street rap while still providing the fundamentals of it. "I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven, when I awoke I spent that on a necklace," Kanye barks on "Can't Tell Me Nothing." Enlisting DJ Toomp on co-production with Jeezy samples for ad-libs, the song is both a nod to his current wealth while acknowledging there's room for more. "I noticed that elevated with the music," Freeway adds, "which is important when you're an artist." "It was a good vibe." On top of changing his sonic style, West's confidence was also evolving. "'Good Life' changed the scope of music," rapper Freeway says. Kanye's producer hat on "Good Life" allowed T-Pain to sharpen his brand, while making it work with Ye's own style as the two celebrate success. The year 2007 marked the rise of T-Pain and noticeable Auto-Tune. "You say I think I'm never wrong," Kanye raps. Kanye still chops up the samples with precision, as he attaches himself to his ego once and for all, tackling fame head-on. "I Wonder" boasts the keys of Jon Brion, with a whole string section in tow. "One thing I understood about Ye at the time: he was very musical," rapper CyHi The Prynce says. Kanye has also done a great job of making anthems for people to live their lives to." "I liked the way that brought a group outside of hip-hop and made hip-hop," says Sickamore, senior vice president of A&R and creative director, Interscope Records. The bright colors of the art coupled with the heavy synths of Daft Punk marked the hard left Kanye was taking in hip-hop. Staring into the Takashi Murakami-designed album cover while listening to "Stronger" is the heart of the synesthestic experience on Graduation. It's got all of the elements that the street records have." 3. "It has the swagger, it's got the grime, it's got the hustle. "'Champion' was the one thing that epitomizes the crystallization of the theory that Graduation was the album that took out gangster rap," writer/author Kris Ex explains. While Kanye sampled yacht rock pioneers and GRAMMY winners Steely Dan ("Kid Charlemagne") on "Champion," so much of his lyrics were rooted in the bravado of gangster rap, though sonically packaged for the mainstream. It was so different for everyone." - Aminé, recording artist 2. " Graduation was one of the few hip-hop albums where I saw my skate/indie friends talk about it with me. ![]() ![]() "It was one of the first times where I started to hear bright, positive, hip-hop." "'Good Morning' was a song that just made me feel good and I could still turn it on today," said rapper Aminé. ![]() The coos from the Elton John sample ("Someone Saved My Life Tonight") accent this both light and dark cut of Kanye graduating to the next phase of his career. "On this day we becoming legendary," West declares on the Graduation opener. While the whole is still greater than the sum of its parts, each song is a Polaroid in the life of the "old Kanye": budding megastar, future tortured genius. Perhaps that's why Graduation is regarded by most as the greatest West album to date. ![]() Many considered it the last pure moment of Kanye West before the effects of fame would seemingly muddy his spirit. 11, 2007, directly competing with 50 Cent's Curtis and later beating him by a gross margin - thereby declaring the death of gangster rap. West bumped his album up a week to release on Sept. It scored big at the 50th GRAMMY Awards, with a nomination for Album Of The Year and winning Best Rap Album, taking home two other awards for "Stronger" and "Good Life." Ten years ago, we would bid farewell to that West on his third studio album Graduation. It's a cheeky adieu to our first iteration of West: producer turned rapper turned demigod, whose ambitions and passions were bookmarked in the story of a man who just wanted to be heard. ![]()
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