Kanye West
808s & Heartbreak (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreaks (Roc-A-Fella) should not receive any praise because it’s different. Rappers-turned-singers have been here before. Lauryn Hill's Unplugged and Andre 3000's The Love Below come to mind. But unlike some MCs who turn to crooning after growing bored with hip hop, Kanye is not engaged in a narcissistic exercise of different for difference’s sake. What makes 808s & Heartbreak worthy of adulation and applause is that it’s made by an artist who carries with him no other agenda but to make him and those who listen to him feel something.
808s & Heartbreak is Kanye using music as a cathartic exercise – the work of a man not just trying to get something off his chest, but also trying to push something through it.
Not many artists start an album off with a ballad, but Kanye does with the melancholy “Say You Will”. And when Kanye isn’t sad, he’s really pissed off as demonstrated by “See You In My Nightmares”, featuring Lil Wayne. Over rich synthesizers that are locked into pounds of bass drums Kanye and Weezy screech and howl through their Auto-Tune machines about women who’ve done them wrong. It’s what Doomsday might sound like.
Subject wise, Kanye abandons the themes he has rapped about on previous albums. 808s has no songs about chasing stardom's flashing lights while remaining socially conscious. This album is largely about the loss of his mother (the most important woman in his life), and another lost love (or is it loves?), who remains nameless throughout. “Street Lights” is beautiful, balls-to-the-wall emo pop about the journey to peace of mind, and “Welcome To Heartbreak” is a dark and heavy realization that material things are now meaningless. And while most of the album sounds like a fight for the middle ground between these two songs, there are moments when Kanye attempts to conjure the old Yeezy.
The clunky piano punches and throbbing bass line of second single, “Heartless” are the sound bed to the best rap break up song since Big Brother’s 2001 “Song Cry.” But the album’s true triumph is “Amazing” featuring Young Jeezy. With drums reminiscent of HBCU marching bands and haunting chants, Kanye bridges the gap between his love for pop and hip hop, while keeping his musical integrity intact. A moment so good, even Jeezy has to give his boy props when he rhymes on a brief, but memorable verse, “They like, ‘Oh God, why he go so hard’/look what he’s been through/he deserves an applause”.
What’s both sad and incredible about 808s & Heartbreak is that Kanye’s fourth album veers from his previous three album not only in sound, but in conception, too. Kanye has said his fourth album would be titled Good Ass Job, adhering to the school and career theme of The College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation. But in 2008 Kanye struggled through tragedy so great that it forced him to go left. And ironically, at his darkest hour, Kanye has created his greatest album to date. Good ass job, indeed.
808s & Heartbreak hit stores 11.24.08
Track Listing for 808s & Heartbreak1. Say You Will
2. Welcome To Heartbreak (feat. Kid Cudi)
3. Heartless
4. Amazing (feat. Young Jeezy)
5. Love Lockdown
6. Paranoid (feat. Mr. Hudson)
7. RoboCop
8. Street Lights
9. Bad News
10. See You In My Nightmares (feat. Lil Wayne)
11. Coldest Winter
12. Pinocchio Story (Freestyle Live from Singapore)
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Comments
1.
Chayse says:
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You guys need some "credible journalists" writing your reviews. This album is average at best. It's bad enough Kanye already scared you away from giving scores to albums, but come on, Heartless is the only song on this album worth mentioning.
It's like anything can get a good review in Vibe except for good albums. If you want a good CD that's different go buy NERD's Seeing Sounds or Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple...
Shaking my head at you guy because you call T-Pain wack, but his album has better production and is a better listen than this, pay me back for the money I spent subscribing...
December 12, 2008 at 11:26 am
2.
realmusiclvr says:
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ok all of you are way off base giving a sell out like kanye west the ego boost that buying this peice of audio barf will give this insignifigant individual. he has not made a good beat let alone record sine "gone" on his second CD. he has gone way off base from what people loved about him from the begining and that is his good beats, awsome lyrical content ,an the staright anger an agression he brought. but he has lost track of that as the years have gone on ,an accepted sup-par sh!t from him. this cd is nothing but a poorly made CD to cash on all of your's ignorance. if you like stupid music like T-pain, Akon and others buy all means ,buy this CD enjoy and sit there and wonder where your life has failed you cuz the moment you drop money to buy 808's and Heartbreaks you should be shot. enjoy your crappy life with crappier music .
November 26, 2008 at 12:34 am
3.
MackN2U says:
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808’s & Heartbreak just may be the definitive album of Kanye’s career – sentimental, confused, and strong yet vulnerable. This is Kanye’s most personal, introspective and most reflective album to date. He raised eyebrows when he sang the album’s introductory single Love Lockdown at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, and raised them again when it was revealed that the entire album would be sung with the assistance of the Auto-Tune device. Contrary to the popular school of thought, it works quite well on this project as the themes and overall sound of the entire album are structured around the device creating a balance that gives his music that signature Kanye characteristic – boldness. In the wake of his mother’s tragic death, his breakup from his ex-fiancée, and a string of media stunts, Kanye bears his soul through his music – the result could be considered Kanye’s magnum opus.
Read the full review on Sound-Savvy.com!
Link: http://www.sound-savvy.com/2008/11/review-kanye-west-808s-heartbreak.html
November 25, 2008 at 3:39 pm
4.
MadBrooke says:
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I couldn't agree more. Good ass job Yeezie. I think this will soon be another #1 album.
November 25, 2008 at 10:15 am
5.
deftone says:
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I like what he's trying to do as a artist,
but aesthetically feel he went a bit overboard.
Check out this remake of Good Life
by Brooklyn "indietronica" band nite club
i think they hit it right on the money.
http://www.myspace.com/niteclubmusic
November 25, 2008 at 8:50 am
6.
YoungFree says:
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Vibe! I totally agree with this review. I live in NC, and I got up @ 8 something this morning to go get 808s and HeartBreak's. Well worth the early wake- up. From "say you will", to my favorite "Coldest winter". I am a huge Kanye West fan, and I was a little skeptical of the voice vocoder/ auto-tune mechanisms. But he f**king delivered. A great album, and very raw and pure. Doesn't sound like a "planned" album from the label. Definitely should get some considerations for album of the year in every award show going into next year.!!!
November 24, 2008 at 10:54 pm