Author: Eric Roddie
Already, the Kanye West and 50 Cent faceoff has been painted as a classical hip-hop battle. Good vs. evil. Conscious vs. gangsta. Arrogant guy who seems kind of cool vs. arrogant asshole.
But such thinking oversimplifies things. After all, both Kanye and 50 have proven themselves capable of putting out hot records. And I’m not of the mind that just because certain hip-hop is “positive” means that it’s automatically good. I mean, Kanye’s conscious rap buds have put out certain material that I won’t go anywhere near unless I’m looking for audio NyQuil. I see you, Talib Kweli.
So what’s the real difference between Kanye and Curtis Jackson? Listening to Graduation gives you a clear answer: despite the fact that Kanye has two multi-platinum, award-winning albums under his belt, he hasn’t gotten complacent, and Graduation might just be his best album yet. Like his sophomore effort Late Registration, Graduation once again finds ‘Ye reinventing his sound-this time with a little help from DJ Toomp of “What You Know” fame, who co-produces two of the album’s singles, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Good Life.”
Those singles help set the template for the rest of the album. While Kanye still samples like his life depends on it, the beats are filled out with a more synth-driven sound this time around. Which isn’t to say that certain beats here don’t recall his signature production style. On “Champion,” he chops a Steely Dan sample in a way that recalls College Dropout-era Kanye, and the string-heavy “The Glory” could’ve been ripped straight off Late Registration.But some of the best songs here are where the synth aesthetic rules. “Good Life” will no doubt become “Gold Digger”-ubiquitous this fall, and the current hit “Stronger” cleverly flips a Daft Punk sample into an epic anthem that suggests an electronic version of “Diamonds from Sierra Leone.” And while I didn’t like “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” when it first dropped as the album’s lead single, that must’ve been my crappy headphones’ fault. “Can’t Tell” might just be the weirdest-sounding song Kanye has ever done, thanks to DJ Toomp layering dark synths all over the track, but once you pull everything together it stands out as one of the album’s most interesting tracks.What I’ve always liked about Kanye is that he doesn’t strictly fit into the “conscious rap” camp. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, so you get songs like the ridiculously bizarre “Drunk and Hot Girls” (best heard drunk) as well as more somber material such as the low-key “Everything I Am.” And he’s capable of pulling either type of song off equally well, so the album never feels disjointed.
Of course, it’s the quality of Kanye’s rhymes that’s always been the make-or-break deal for certain people. But while his flow can occasionally come across as sloppy, I personally think the way he emphasizes and delivers his words actually helps give his lyrics more power – if he rapped with Nas-style precision, the effect might not be the same. Besides, let’s face it – just because you can rhyme x amount of syllables doesn’t automatically make you a great rapper. I see you again, Kweli.’Ye’s greatest strength to me here, besides the ridiculous production, is his everyman appeal. Despite the fact that a lot of the songs relate to his fame, he breaks it down in a way that most people can relate to. “Stronger,” “Good Life” and “The Glory” fill the feel-good anthem quota, and the simultaneously anthemic and downbeat “Big Brother” finds ‘Ye at his most personal and honest on the album as he chronicles the ups-and-downs of his friendship and business relationship with Jay-Z. Songs like these showcase his ability to make his lyrics relatable to a more general audience.
If there’s one misstep on Graduation, it’s “Barry Bonds.” In addition to Nottz’s underwhelming beat, the song finds Lil’ “I’m on Every Remix” Wayne messing up one of his biggest guest appearances of the year.
In the end, it might even be good for 50 Cent if his album loses the sales battle to Graduation, the direction all current signs point toward. While Kanye is focused on pushing his sound to new boundaries and doing it well, 50 is concerned with only the business side of music – problem is, with all his initial singles flopping, his formula is obviously not working anymore. If Kanye replaces 50 as the commercial face of hip hop, maybe Curtis will return rejuvenated for album #4, instead of coasting on his previous success.
Or maybe not. I mean, 50 did just make $500 million off of Vitamin Water.
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