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I feel it deserves it's own thread considering it was easily the most anticipated hip hop album of the year.
I found it very disappointing considering the quality of his first two albums. here are some thoughts I posted on a different board
Quote:
I'm tired of hearing people talk incessantly about "production" as if it's some kind of ultimate trump. Production doesn't mean **** if the flow is weak (and it is), the samples are either tired or forced (and they are) and the concept of rapping over 15 year old Euro beats makes him sound like a really, really devoted fan of the KLF. Such a big deal was made about his forays into electronica...so does he use The Knife or Modeselektor or Ellen Allien? Nope...here's a 6 year old Daft Punk sample. He's also running low on the sped up 70's soul samples at his disposal.
One of the reasons his first two albums were great was because there was a real fight going on between the spoiled brat who made it big and the thoughtful kid who wanted to make a difference. Unfortunately, this album proves that it's the brat who won and tracks like "Everything I Am" come off dishonest after the onslaught of braggodocio that precedes it. Hey look! There's the pop collaboration with the Coldplay guy! The video basically makes itself. The album feels forced, lazy and probably worst of all for his genre, dated.
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Chris Martin wasn't added because Kanye absolutely needed THAT voice for the track. He was added because any single by "Kanye West (ft. Chris Martin of Coldplay)" means a radio-friendly single getting air on ACM as well as the hip hop and top 40 channels.
Aside from Drunk and Hot Girls, imo Flashing Lights is pretty much totally pointless unless it's some sort of absurd homage to Dimitri From Paris. Big Brother just another celebrity pseudodrama "revelation".
He's becoming just another rapper that cares first and foremost about sales (no need to even mention that whole weak beef with 50) and seems to be losing the capability to distinguish persona from person. Just another caricatured artifice relying on his production to differentiate him from the rest of the heap. There's no Jesus Walks on this album. There's not even a Diamonds from Sierra Leone (remix) on the album. Just a relatively inspired opening couple of tracks followed up by a flabby middle and maudlin end where the most insight you get is variations on mo' money mo' problems.
grade: c
I know jords is a big fan of the album. anyone else want to step to the plate and give some thoughts.
Pretty much agree with all of that. It's quite clear that where College Dropout and Late Registration were albums, Graduation is a random collection of singles meant for quick chart success. It has some enjoyable moments (mainly the opening of the album) but overall is nowhere near the quality of the first two albums.
I've only listened to it a couple of times but the first thing that struck me was that it just wasn't close to the standard of Late Registration and even further from the standard of College Dropout.
Something just doesn't sound quite right with it, it just sounds a little forced.
graduation 
Linear Mode
