936 Kanye West - Graduation (2007)

 936 Kanye West - Graduation (2007)

Studio Album - Hip Hop




About the Act:

Rap artist, husband to Kim Kardashian, highly successful, highly decorated, highly regarded. Currently running for president of the USA.


There is so much more I could say, but it you want more, head over to Wikipedia, his page is pretty huge.


About the Album:

This was Kanye's third studio album


My History with this Album:

As I was listening to it, I realised I recognised some of the songs. Well what do you know?  In my library I have a copy of this. I'm not sure where I acquired it from, but I must have listened to it at least once, and I remembered some tracks.


Review:

I am guilty of huge prejudice. Before listening for this review I was predisposed to dislike this album. For a start it is rap. True, in earlier reviews I have found some rap that I could get on with, but as a general rule I am disinclined to give rap a try. Add to that the fact that Mr West is married to Kim Kardashian. Well, all I really know about her is that she is involved in the reality program "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" which is, to my mind, some of the worst kind of TV. Actually, I say that, having never seen it. More prejudice.  What else? Well he's a hugely successful celebrity. This tends to make me unkindly disposed towards him. This is something I have tended to do for as long as I can remember - too much fuss and I get sceptical. Finally, he has announced he is standing as a republican candidate for president of the USA.

None of this has anything to do with the music on this album. Well, the fact that it is rap does. Id better knuckle down to business - description followed by opinion.

Description:

Well it's hip-hop, rapping over a beat, with some musical background shich sounds predominately sampled. The actual rapping is easier to follow than some (aparently this was deliberate, to make it more accessible at concerts). It doesn't have the charm or humour that B.I.G. had, or the gritty horribleness of Raekwan. It's a mixture of self-depricating and macho posturing. The music used is predominantly soul, but there is a sample from Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes. Some of it is obviously memorable enough for me to remember it from having heard it before.

Opinion:

Meh.


5/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4SZko61aMnmgvNhfhgTuD3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXR4OlatIg5Fpc8HaoBlznnCGXMVJC9Ql

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduation_(album)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots ...
Read more

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop ...
Read more

843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967)

Image
 843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967) Studio Album - Psychedelic Soul About the Act: The Chambers Brothers are an American Psychedelic Soul band from LA, who were formed in 1954 and are still going. They were at heart four brothers, but I think they have now all left the band.  About the Album: This was their debut album (12 years on from forming as a band), and it spawned their most successful single Time Has Come Today. My History with this Album: None. I had never heard of the Chambers Brothers before this list. Review: I am not an American, nor a Social Historian, but I think I can accurately claim that in 1960s America there was a certain separation between the Black community and other communities. As a result of this, and for marketing reasons, the idea of music that was created with a Black audience in mind was an actual thing. I'm not sure if today we would be quite so sure about what constitutes "Black Music", but then, I think, they were generally q...
Read more