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Kanye West’s fourth studio album, “808s & Heartbreak,” is more than just a collection of songs. For West, it represents a number of things. First, it marks a completely new era of his music – a departure from hip-hop and the creation of a new genre he is referring to as “pop-art.” It is also an emotional summation of the past year of his life, during which his mother passed away and his fiancee left him. The biggest thing it represents though, is that Kanye has established himself as an artist unwilling to compromise himself.
Those familiar with the fashionista and producer/rapper probably know him for two things: his music and his ego. Both are integral parts of Kanye, but both speak for themselves. The 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist has established himself in the industry by creating phenomenal hip-hop albums. His ingredients are simple – amazing production and lyrical genius. West started his career as a producer – remember Jay-Z’s “H.O.V.A.”? West and his success in using samples ranging from Daft Punk to Thom York to Ray Charles led to mega hits such as “Gold Digger” and “Stronger.” But the question on everyone’s mind after the release of this album has been, “What happens when he changes the formula?”
The answer: “808s & Heartbreak” is a musical masterwork, drenched in real human emotion. The risks Kanye took by making an album with no rapping were tremendous. He has two guest spots by Young Jeezy and Lil’ Wayne, but the album is otherwise sung entirely by Kanye using the robotic-sounding Auto-Tune recently popularized by T-Pain. What had potential to be a disaster is an album characterized by some of the best audio engineering and production, with more hooks than a tackle box.
By definition, the album is a pop/R&B album. However the last time I heard such a well-made, not to mention heartfelt, pop album was a little album called “Thriller.” I am not about to say Kanye is now the king of pop, but he is certainly on his way to becoming the prince.
Track by track “808s” examines West’s struggle with fame, celebrity, heartbreak and loss. The heavy-hitting “Welcome to Heartbreak” opens, “My homie showed me pictures of his kids / All I could show him was pictures of my cribs.” Countless other examples have Kanye putting his heart out on a platter. The combination of two slower, ethereal songs, “Street Lights” and “Bad News,” at the end of the album broadcasts a side of Kanye rarely seen behind his myriad of designer sunglasses.
His singles are absolute fire, too. The pounding bass in “Love Lockdown,” the beats in “Heartless” – all perfect. Perhaps the best song of all is “Paranoid,” which comes halfway through the album. Kanye has repeatedly said in interviews and on his blog that he has been trying to make sing-along anthems; I’ve been singing along to every single track.
Here’s the bad news: Kanye West can’t sing. The good news is, it doesn’t matter. Consider a few artists who “can’t sing” by many people’s standards: Kurt Cobain, Bon Scott of AC/DC and even Bob Dylan have all been criticized. West’s Auto-Tune isn’t a crutch but an effect. He distorts his voice as well on some songs. The theme is heartbreak, and West sings like he feels: a little less than human.
What’s more is that originally, Kanye couldn’t rap either. Countless record companies turned Kanye West the rapper away, only wanting Kanye the producer. As his skills developed, he turned into the Kanye West everyone knows. Give him a tour’s worth of belting out these songs and people may shut their mouths.
The reason this album is “Amazing” (track four), is that an artist so well-known was able to turn around and make something so different and beautiful just by writing the music his emotions led him to. He admitted in a New Zealand press conference that he went to work in the studio to hide from his emotional pain.
Kanye West has gotten a lot of flack for being so egotistical. His most recent interview proclamation was, “I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice.” This is perhaps saying a bit much, but really, what will we remember from this decade? In this information age, we’ve got a whole lot of voices. To stand out, one needs to create something special and original, something Kanye West has always done. On “808s & Heartbreak,” he’s solidified himself as one of the most innovative and inspiring artists of the decade – which isn’t too far off from “the loudest voice.”
Grade: A
