Life > September 20, 2007

By Kara Peruccio | Contributing writer

Poor Kanye West. This summer, he had to deal with 50 Cent’s fighting words and getting snubbed at MTV’s Video Music Awards five times.

“That’s two years in a row, man … give a black man a chance. I’m trying hard man, I have the … No. 1 record, man,” West said following the show held Sept. 9.

West has a valid point as his latest CD fully deserves its No. 1 spot. However, he should look forward to the Grammys and next year’s VMAs. His third album, Graduation, shows West’s evolution as a singer, writer and producer.

His first single, “Stronger,” has been on my iPod for the past two and half weeks, and what first attracted me was the awesome beat. The lyrics catch your attention, and while West raps about a girl who’s not interested, he also stokes his well-known ego. “Does anybody make real shit anymore? ...You should be honored by my lateness,” West raps.

The second single, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” is interesting as West covers the divide between a moral life and the “secular,” rap lifestyle. He raps about materialism in our culture, makes allusions to AIDS treatment (“And you can live through anything if Magic made it”) and finding the way to God.

There are many recurring elements from Late Registration that West continues on the album. Like “Wake-Up Mr. West,” he begins the album with a “Good Morning,” and listeners are welcomed to “graduation” and asked to listen to the “the valedictorian” and his “dissertation.”

Another continuance on Graduation is home. On Late Registration’s “My Way Home,” West is unsure about going back to a city where he is surrounded by hatred. But on Graduation, he has changed his mind and finally makes his “Homecoming.”

As a “New York, New York” for Chicago, West pays homage to his hometown by describing his feelings for the city as a relationship with a girl named Windy. Many listeners will be able to relate to the earnest line, “I told her, in my heart is where she’ll always be.”

The best part of “Homecoming” is the backup vocals by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. As a huge Coldplay fan, I appreciate West working with musicians beyond the rap scene. It shows his appreciation for good music and creativity, and also how he is unafraid to take risks. I was most looking forward to this song on the album, and “Homecoming” does not disappoint.

The best song on Graduation is “Flashing Lights.” “Lights,” a collaboration with Dwele, has a fantastic string-opening that is unique for a rap song.

West wonders why life can’t be as easy as sitting around, reading a book, but instead must involve relationship issues.

He equates his feelings of sorrow to “feeling like Katrina with no FEMA.” While I appreciate and admire West’s outspokenness and concern for Katrina victims, I think it’s hard to equate a difficult relationship with the destruction and heartbreak of a hurricane. Despite his choice of words, “Lights” has a great sound and is a song you will want to listen to over and over again.

Graduation does contain some mediocre songs. “Barry Bonds,” “Drunk and Hot Girls,” “The Glory” and especially “Good Life” could be featured on any rap album.

These songs seem like West ran out of material and just covered the typical rap topics: women, looking hood and champagne. I expect more out of West, because he is one of the few rappers who continually tries to use fresh, new ideas.

Fewer of the songs on Graduation send messages about social issues than on his two other albums. One song that does is “Everything I Am.” While West raps about what makes him Kanye, he also throws in statistics about the hate and violence in Chicago: “I know people wouldn’t usually rap this/ But I got the facts to back this/ Just last year Chicago had over 600 caskets,” he raps. This is the West I like, and “Everything I Am” is another song that you should definitely download.

The rest of the songs cover a plethora of topics: his relationship with Jay-Z (“Big Brother”), becoming successful (“Champion”), pursuing dreams (“I Wonder”) and carpe diem (“Good Night”). The hidden track is “Bittersweet” featuring John Mayer which is a great song, especially if you like Kanye West and John Mayer.

Overall, Graduation contains some good tracks and some bad ones. West’s rapping continues to get better, and his beats sound as good as ever. While it’s not his best album thus far, it is one of the best rap albums to come out this year. I look forward to hearing his next album, because Kanye West is a prime candidate for his Ph.D.