Kanye West - 808’s & Heartbreak

This album is either love it or hate it. I love it.

"Say You Will" and "Welcome To Heartbreak" have been on repeat in my head (without music) for the past 72 hours. That is hard to do, considering I listen to roughly 25-30 new songs a day.

Congrats, Kanye. Though you didn't offer the Booth an interview this time around (see Graduation), you did manage to surprise the hell out of me and create a BEAUTIFUL album. Yup, that's the word I am using. "808's & Heartbreak" is BEAUTIFUL!

Best line: "Critics who lavish unadulterated praise on 808s & Heartbreak are forgetting one thing – Kanye West can’t sing." (Watch all the 'other' sites give perfect scores).

4.5/5.0 - sorry Nathan, he is my neighbor.

I CAN NOT WAIT TO PICK UP MY COPY AFTER SCHOOL!!!!!! YEAH!!! TRUE FAN OVER HERE!

"Oh Kanye, what have you down now?" That's what I asked myself in complete distress when I first heard "Love Lockdown" during Kanye's performance at the VMAs. I hated the idea of an album composed fully on 808s. I hated the idea of an album composed solely with auto-tune. The same artist who brought me the soundtrack to my life with classic cuts like "All Falls Down" and "Touch the Sky" can now only think about love? Love?! Yeah, love, and he did a darn good job doing it. The whole heartbreak theme finally started to make sense to me after hearing a few leaks (and a few interviews) with a focus coming from Kanye's perspective, not mine. My intuition wants Kanye to record an album like "College Dropout" every time, but in reality, his capabilities as a musician are so much more. More than what anyone could have expected, and after listening to this album, who knows what Kanye is going to pull next. The melodies on "808s & Heartbreak" are so simple yet so compelling, and the same goes for the album's brilliant production work. Even though Kanye jumped on the auto-tune bandwagon, he still flipped the concept and made it his own. I can see "808s & Heartbreak" lasting as a timeless piece of art that will always be ahead of its time. Welcome the heartbreak.

Solid Album ... Anything this guy does ppl will be down with

you know, i actually didnt like the fact kanye planned to put out an album like this, but after listening to the rest of his songs and recognizing what he was trying to accomplish with 808s, i started to get interested in the project. i will admit that this probably wont be a "classic classic" to people but if anything, it should be a classic for being an album not only towards Hip-Hop & R&B but to different varieties of music.

and i know some people will hate on this album because kanye's not rapping and what not, but realize that at the end of the day, he's putting out good music and i think this album represents that quality. i respect kanye's musical art. after all, that's how most music has created.

this is an album definitely to remember. hate it or love it cuz i love it. lol

Years from now, long after Mr. West has gone on to the afterlife people will be playing this album, along with all the others he as done up until this point. This one however is the most daring. Fact is HE CANNOT SING. Sure other artist have brought out albums without talent or singing ability, (think Bob Dylan) but have any of them done it quite this good? I think not. Every single track on this album is worthy of being played. I honestly have not been able to say that in years. I do have a few small complaints about this album, one being that it is very solemn. Aside from Paranoid and Robocop, every song on this album is depressing or angry. Which is necessary due to the things he has been through. I didn't expect him to be composing tracks like Good Life or We Made It. My second issue is with the distortion on some of the tracks Street lights, which is a incredible song by the way is extremely distorted. My 3rd and final issue with this album is the need to switch up Welcome to Heartbreak. I loved the original version much better than the one that made the final cut. Which is the complete opposite of my opinion on Robocop. That cello is a major up grade. Over all I have to say this is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. Some of you may laugh at me, but I am dead serious. This is a master piece and being that Kanye west CANNOT sing, I find 808's & Heartbreak to be the 8th Wonder of the world. Ye you pulled it off. Congratulations on that Best Album of the year grammy that you will receive.

I've just had a listen and its a really dope album. The diversity is amazing. Though I have to say, Nathan S missed out on 2 great tracks. See you in my nightmares and Streetlights, which Kanye gives a decent shot at singing. All in all, another feather in his cap.

As big as a Kanye West fan as I am, I still say "College Dropout" was his best album. His new sound on "808s & Heartbreak" is different & some what unique compared to his past albums. Most of his songs on this one are pretty decent, See you in my nightmares & Robocop are my favorites so far. Well, time to add to my Kanye collection.

Damn! stop it Yeezy, u makin us go crazyy, breakups never sounded so amazinn, my heart's gettin cold, but these hits will never get old, its bound to be sold, im goin loco, cos u droppin gems even wit the voco ....

Top Picks:

1.Robocop (conceptulization at its best = kanyeism)
2.Tell everybody that u know (as epic as any Bond song)
3.Street Lights (gonna bang this forever)
4.Heartless (take notes RnB crooners about art of storytellin)
5.Love Lockdown (never heard anything like this before)

" Now of course theres gonna be haters. There were haters before anyone even heard this. But without hate there would be no Heartbreak." - Obese

oh Yes Bdf44 Yes !!! go on people Tell Everydody That You Know that Best Album of the year grammy is comin home.. Ye ......

This album is UNREAL KanYes absolutely outdone himself especially in the production and lyrics area not even inclduing the uniqueness of the album. Although I agree Kanye singing isn't comparable to JT and the rest the way he did it was fresh and different and not mentioning the fact that this is the first dude I can actually get down with attempting to sing . As for people saying that he jacked t-pain I didn't know it was called the t-pain box and he owns the "machine" he just brought it back then Kayne perfected it and did it better then ANYBODY else. His features are all "Amazing" and thats a big props to Jeezy who wouldnt be necessarily put in the same category as West and Wayne but Kanye loves Jeezys work..he invited him to stay the 3 weeks with him in Hawaii while he created the album asking himself WWJD (What Would Jeezy Do) before he started writing every song.

decent review SICK ALBUM 4.5/5

I think there's a thin line between diversity & failed experiments. This one is the latter. The production works & is really good for sure, but the content & quality of this record simply stinks.

This is the one I've been waiting for Nathan to review!!!!! It was a solid review and hot some key points. The ONLY thing stopping me form giving this album 5 stars is the singing of Kanye which is kinda covered up by the autotune, although it has gotten better than when he was on Put On...I enjoyed this album ALOT more than i thought i would....but i am a HUGE Kanye fan, so I'll digress. My favorite songs on the album:

1.) Paranoid (A fun track)
2.) Street Lights (Seriously a GREAT track)
3.) See You In My Knightmares(Fun to listen to Wayne & Kanye)
4.) Robocop (Love the production)
5.) Amazing (Great Production)

if you dont like or love this album, something wring with you.

wow, is all I have to say. I do realize that he isn't the best singer of our time, but when he reaches some of those notes with the auto-tune (Love Lockdown: "System Overload") to me it is pretty impressive how his voice sounds with it. All I have to say is thank god he did use the auto-tune, because without it, his voice would sound even worse. This is my No.2 album of the year right behind "Nas". Another outstanding job Kanye, but please, release a rap album next time.

i bought it cuz its kanye but it was really good...im surprised..

Yes, he can't sing, but he can produce, and he can write songs, and despite the "lack" of singing skills, he manages to create songs that I can "sing" along with. Note that I can't sing either. simply put, the album sounds, as Z points out, beautiful, and is the best album this year.

Of the 4 songs Nathan missed mentioning (Say You Will, Pinnochio Story, Streetlights, See You in My Nightmare) I dislike none. They all have the most impressive production I have heard and the lyrics are so easy to catch on to. Also, the song that wasn't described, Welcome to Heartbreak, is my favorite song off of the album.

The main feature that strikes me as why this is a classic album is how the trio of elements (lyrics, autotune, 808/production) combine to demonstrate a deep emotion. Few albums in music actually relate to an everyday person's experiences; those that do tend to top the charts. Love isn't the only subject; success is debated just as fiercely.
The production achieves most of the emotion: the lyrics are few and far in between, with many dramatic pauses. Likely an admittance of Kanye's that he can't sing, and won't do it too much. Streetlights has maybe one or two unique verses and welcome to heartbreak has only 3 very short verses, but they are the best 2.

The album cuts close to home. The production is unprecedented. It's a Classic

I don't know if we're all forgetting his performance of Hey Mama at the grammy's, but dude can sing. he's not a great singer by any means, but he definitely can sing. so i don't know what all that was about. but this album is sick. easily one of the best i've heard come out this year, the production is great, and kanye is an excellent songwriter. this is one of my favorites from 2008 and i'm sure it'll be remembered as kanye's fourth classic album. Get this. seriously.

Excellent review Nathan! I think you captured the origins of the album quite well.
Kanye West is filled with so many musical creativity that it’d be cruel for him not to be able to put it out only because he’s not an extraordinary singer (Great call bigboi1221, Ye CAN SING, he’s only not confident at it cuz he thinks he’s not good, but all he needs is more practice and few singing lessons)!

I had very low expectations for this project because I also didn’t like the 808s and the autotune idea, plus I listened to a lot of crappy/unmastered/unfinished/premature versions of songs (what is this BS all about?! Why do we even listen to these leaks?! DJ Baer, I feel you dude! Let’s stop it people!), but after I got the final product and heard Kanye break it down on interviews, I can now proudly say I love this album!

He didn’t loose his creativity as I expected from the singles I heard, he instead put his creativity in service of a greater goal (greater than our selfish needs to have a College Dropout sounding effort each time he drops an album) which was express his emotions through music and he did an amazing job at doing so harmonizing the lyrics, autotune and 808s! It just happens that the concept sometimes didn’t allow catchy melodies but haunting ones. Simple lyrics, simple melodies, major (durable) impact!

“Welcome to Heartbreak” and “Streelights” are my favorites, but “Robocop” must be the track that surprised me the most cuz I hated the bland leak, but the final production is amazing (LOVE the strings, but if you didn’t notice the guitar in the very background, on the right side of you earphones during the chorus, you still need to listen to it again).

Notice that very few (I don’t know any, there may be though) artists have switched their musical style and still achieved a solid work! Kanye is the musical genius of a decade, all 3 albums of his were “Best album of the year” nominees and this one might even get that Grammy! Stop being selfish people, Kanye is no longer ours to entertain, he’s a pop ARTist! ;)

Can't even put into words, the album speaks for itself. Kanye CANNOT sing, but you know what??? It's not about that. Listen to the orchestra of production blended with emotion and TRUTH, this album is a classic in its own element. This one cannot be compared to anything else out right now, or anything else that will probably ever come out.

I wish I had more to say but I'm just at a loss for words. Amazing masterpiece!

PS:
1. Kanye’s been giving amazingly enlightening interviews lately (with DJ Semtex and Angie Martinez, look for them!) and I think it’s crucial to understand the reasons why Kanye did the album, how he did it and even how long it took for him to do it to rightfully appreciate this piece of art (like TONE+Chef says, get the “focus coming from Kanye's perspective”, not ours!). For people hating on Kanye singing, believe me he still can rap! Listen to his freestyle on Angie Martinez interview…

2. "I see artists like Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Chris Martin all in the same room, and we're going to push this music to the point where it was like in the '60s, in the '70s, where you talk about Led Zeppelin and Hendrix and the Beatles. We will be the new Beatles, the new Hendrix. They say in every other industry, you're supposed to do better than the past. Like, computers should get smaller and faster. But whenever you say, 'I want to be Elvis,' they say, 'What's wrong with you?!?' Well I wanna be Elvis!"
Kanye West, American Music Awards 2008 speech

3. http://www.djbooth.net/index/tracks/review/kanye-west-hey-mama-grammy-mix/
What do you mean Kanye CAN’T SING?!? He goes off-key sometimes, but even established singers do on live concerts (Rihanna, Katy Perry, Chris Brown and the list goes on…)… the thing is, I insist, he doesn’t trust his singing abilities (probably because a lot of people convinced him he’s not good) and that affects his performance but that is nothing singing lessons couldn’t repair! Just let him hang around John Mayer a bit more and you’ll see ;)

Nah not into the whole auto tune shit... only acouple not bad songs amazing, heatless, and coldest winter other then that its trash

I'm not big auto-tune fan myself, one suggestion i would have for the album would be for Kanye to produce the entire Album and for him to get lots of vocally talented people to sing and his tracks because the production is simply remarkable.

Nathan you made a great review. One of the best I have read all day. I just bought the album, but I have already heard every track on it since Kanye leaked them all. I love the album. Yes the singing is not that great, but you have to remember the album is not about Kanye singing. To me he wants you to listen to what he is saying that's why he sung the album instead of rapping because we all know how crazy this dude is. I mean honestly if he would have rapped this album it would sound like shit and you wouldn't be listening to the words coming out of his mouth. You would be like man what the f**k. I mean we all know he used the auto tune for two reasons. One is that he can't sing and second is because it goes great with the 808s. I love this album. Thats just the type of thing Kanye can do. He is that great of an artist that you can sit here and say he can't sing, but yet still be singing his songs in your head and you're like damn this album is amazing. That's what I love about this album. The fact that he make the incredible decision to make you listen to what he says rather just listing to the song in general. He makes you listen hard enough to where you break down every peace of the song. He makes you say great lyrics and great production. He makes you get in his mindset. The one dissapoint I have with this album is What The F**k is Young Jeezy Doing On This Album!! His Verse Is Awful! Jeezy's Verse Is Like Listening To A Baby Cry! His Verse Has NOTHING To Do With The Song Or The Album!! Other than that I love this album. I think Kanye made a very bold move and then he stuck the landing. Good Job Kanye! I give this album a solid 4 stars.

Gonna post what I think later on today/tomorrow, but I think I should point out that at the top the add just said, "DJs are so overrated, time to move on," or something, haha.

The songs are undeniably irresistible in my opinion lol. One part of me says to turn it off because of how bad of a singer he actually is but the solid production and lyrics keep you listening. Only Kanye could pull something like this off. Solid album.

He's changing the whole game right now and he is one of the most creative artists out there right now. This is a classic album, f the haters that say he needs to get off the autotone shit cuz this is still hot! He deserves it because he has already proven he got flow he just wanna change. Showing that he is really versatile in music aint bad. This is a classic album. Great 808 drum beats and I like all the melodys. My top 5 songs

1- Streetlights

2- Heartless

3- Tell Everybody That You Know

4- Amazing

5- Welcome To Heartbreak
The other songs are not that far behing but those are my fav

I'm lovin' this album, these are my top 5

1. See You In My Nightmare
2. Paranoid
3. Welcome to Heartbreak
4. Amazing
5. Heartless

There comes a point in everyone’s career where they have to redefine themselves. Sometimes this is just due to good marketing skills and to get people interested in you. But sometimes this “redefinition” happens due to life events. Tragedies are always sad…but it’s undeniable…tragedy creates the best passion and has created some of the greatest songs of all time. I believe Kanye West has just become the most recent example of this theory.

808s & Heartbreak is an album that is left field for many, but not as far away as you think. The album is classic Kanye West in my opinion…it’s just in a different format. Through 808s, echo-pumped snares, distorted vocals and tortured melodies, West has crafted one of the most interesting pop albums I’ve heard in years. The genre he coined for the project “pop art”, meaning pop music with substance, is a perfect way to describe the album. It’s full of great, universal songs that have those classic Kanye “rap” topics behind it.

The album starts with an epic sounding joint right off the bat titled SAY YOU WILL. Over a digitally created choral simulation and deep 808s, West delivers slightly auto-tuned vocals in a sorrowful, soulful tenor croon with just the right amount of reverb on the vocals. The hook becomes incredibly catchy and is very frequent throughout the song, with West on delivering 2-4 bar verses. I felt it was an awesome way to begin the CD and really set the tone for the piece of work we were about to embark on. The subject matter was also laid out nicely, to let us know the remainder of the composition was going to be about relationships and sorrowful events dealing with a woman of affection. The near 3-minute play-on of the instrumental really just added to the effect of setting a tone and leading to a journey and a listening experience…not something than many hip hop albums do.

We move on to WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK featuring newly signed G.O.O.D Music artist “Kid Cudi” who serves up the chorus vocals. This is where we are officially led into the CD, hence the title. The subject matter talks about how the struggle Kanye West has went through to make it to where he is now has caused him to sacrifice some of the normal things a human being should experience. I felt the song was classic status, except for the vocals were a little too distorted for listening. The effect was duly noted, but some of the instrumentation swallowed the vocals and made things, well, to be re-PUN-dant, distorted. Aside from losing points for the possible lapse in judgment on the final engineering mix, the song is darn near flawless.

HEARTLESS, Kanye’s second official single booms in with heavy bass and clean, crisp vocals. This might be one of the best tracks on the album. It carries all the ingredients for a pop radio hit, with a catchy hook, melodic verses that keep your head bobbing and a bridge breakdown. By the looks of how it is doing on the charts, I can say that the fans are being anything else but “Heartless” in their recognition towards Kanye West.

AMAZING featuring Mr. YEAH & THAT’S RIGHT himself comes in with another head bobbing drum and melody partnership with some semi-eerie piano riffs. The same argument arises again on this track…was all the distortion needed? The effect is absolutely great, but in their reviewer’s opinion, the vocals should have been mixed a little brighter and sharper in tone when it came down to equalizing to make them have a bigger impact and not hide behind the production. All the sound effects added a nice thematic effect to the listening experience. Young Jeezy served a very good verse with the same amount of swagger he usually serves up. Definitely a good recipe for a street single from Mr. West.

As we move the song that started the entire project, LOVE LOCKDOWN, the extra boosted drums that differ from the original release are very ambient. The song served it’s purpose. I once again concur that the vocals at moments get swallowed by the production, especially during the chorus. But overall, the tracks repetitive refrain illustrates Kanye’s assertiveness about moving on in dead-locked love experiences. The lyricism and delivery exhibit’s a perfect blend of heartbreak and strong-willed sense. It’s one of those “I don’t want to, but I have to” type instances. I’d say this became the new theme song and backdrop music for those scenes in reality.

The next song on the “journey” comes with an interesting instance of ironic retrospect from this reviewer. Before any news of a new Kanye West project was underway, this past summer I developed a very random interest in Eddie Murphy’s cult 80s pop hit “Party All The Time” and was really interested in newer music coming out with this sound…thinking to myself “that would be awesome if someone made stuff like this again”. It was fun, catchy and just universally great pop music. I guess Kanye and I were on the same page because as soon as PARANOID featuring Mr. Hudson comes on, you know right away this is the closest thing we’ve had to a joint with that sound and feel since 1985 with Eddie on the autotune taking cues from a “at the top of his game” Rick James. The track uses the fun, echoic snare and drum kit, that most hip hop purist producers would refer to as “cheesy” these days. West delivers some verses that actually sound more on the rap side than singing side this time around. Definitely something to play if you are trying to take it back about 23 years.

ROBOCOP comes in with some very eclectic production, with keyboard synth, violins and a rolled refrain throughout. West keeps the “80s party music” trend going with the drum kit and the catchy hook. I can definitely see this as the backdrop to a classic 80s movie (you know everyone loves the music on 80s movie soundtracks!) It’s not the greatest track from the album, but definitely a solid joint with good instrumentation that could even be single-worthy. I feel the outro of the track and how west delivered the vocals should have been the same mix on the vocals throughout the track. I really liked that. But hey, to each it’s own.


As we embark on STREET LIGHTS, which is probably my favorite track on the album, we enter into a ballad style Mr. West. Right away, I felt some of the distortion on the vocals could have been absent to make the song more listenable. Some of the heavy feel on the vocals took away from the vocals where the effect for eclectic purposes was on a close borderline to being there in an unwanted style and becoming distracting. The track is served with some high, presence captivating background harmonization that could go good with any movie scene inching up to it’s climax. I could definitely see a Chris Brown “With You” type of video for this track if Kanye ever makes this a single.

Now here’s where the distortion sounds like it’s absolutely where it’s supposed to be! BAD NEWS comes in right away with a sorrowful exhortation from West, with a mid-tempo drum kit pattern that will get you lost in the vibe. I want to compare it, but actually can’t put my finger on anything is sounds like. Definitely a heartfelt original from Mr. West. The strings give it a very nice touch and once again lets you get lost in the melody of the track and get a true feel for the entire atmosphere as the instruments and instrumentation speak in a sense that is actually reflective of Kanye’s lyrics without even saying anything.

SEE YOU IN MY NIGHTMARES brings us to the high energy, in your face banger. In epic chant style verses, West tells a lover he doesn’t love her no more and he’s about to be OUT! This just became the anthem for everyone that has become fed up with their current affection and whom are about to make that exit. I thought this song exhibited a lot of passion from West that you usually only see in a live performance or freestyle. Lil Wayne equally matched Kanye in the subject matter and delivery. Overall, a great track that I would put at the top of the list for the album. It’s two of the most relevant, successful artists in popular urban music right now. That should be enough hype alone on paper for you to know it’s a near classic joint.

COLDEST WINTER shows west with clean, smooth vocals in his cover of Tears for Fears’ “Memories Fade” with his own twist to it. The loud tribal drums and how they are patterned are very reminiscent of Love Lockdown, pretty much being the exact same cadence. With the subject matter moving across the loss of his mother to a possible topic of his breakup with his previous fiancé, the song is a standout passion filled track. The only thing I have wrong with it is that it didn’t seem to end in a position of closure and instead just ended blandly. Lose ends tied up at the end of powerful songs is always a good idea.

PINOCCHIO STORY, the live performance finale to the concept album is a slow beginning joint that builds into something beautiful. Some say that they would have preferred a studio quality version of the song, but I personally think it wouldn‘t have held the passion that this live performance version did. The song was straight from the heart and probably the realest thing you’ve heard from an artist…a hip hop artist as that, in a long time. The tale of a man who strived for dreams all this life, made it there and now has regrets from things he could have experienced as a regular person that he never can grasp now. To think how that feels is beyond perception, but boy oh boy is it deep.

Overall, you can’t critique what’s from the heart. I gave opinions in this review that I personally would have liked, but how a musical composition should be, especially from a person you know had nearly 100% of the creative control over everything about the album, should be. However it came out was exactly how it was supposed to come out and we can’t do anything but receive it. I hope that alone, the respect for someone’s passion, will compel you to go purchase the album on November 24th.

My name’s Michael Hannah a.k.a Young Son, and that’s my two cents…and then me

the lyrics and the music is ON POINT...but i can't give it more than a three because it's hard for me to tolerate his voice...he can't sing so i will not be purchasing his album...but everything else was solid..no doubt.

it's amazing..so amazing. haha me personally i feel like everything kanye puts his hands on is classic. the way he stands out from everybody else as a person bleeds right thru to his music. He has real problems like us and when he expressed that pain w/ this music, you get that classic stuff.

Damn Michael! Too much to read but I know you gots taste! This album is the shit. It is a love or hate affair. I @*#$! love it!

MH, you applying for a job fam? Haha. Nice review.

Yes, this album was awesome! Nice job Kanye!
my fav songs
1) Coldest Winter
2) Street Lights
3) See You In My Nightmares
4) Welcome To Heartbreak
5) Love Lockdown

If you're offering...lol.

Thanks for reading!

I like every song.
Awesome!!

Damn awesome review MichaelHannah..love how you detailed the music aspect of every song

classic

Yea MH you need to get paid for that homeboy! Good one! I agreed with everything you said!

I see u BDF44 ... good reason to rate this TWICE !!!!
So here it goes....

good job MH . (u gettin PRO boy -- a major improvement from the one u did on T.I)

in btw im still waitin on ur take on Luda & Th33 Ringz....

This album is fire for the simple fact that he did not go against the status quo of just making a rap cd, not dissing anyone else cause Lucacris album is fire. But one thing he is trying to get across on the album is the content and though process. Anybody can easily say that his singing sucks, but he is doin that so you listen to every word and understand the story he is trying to portray.
You must also give him credit because he just established that he isn't a rapper making a rap cd, but that he is an artist making music for all genres, not just rap.
So big props goes to 'Ye on this album.
And also Pinocchio is the best song on the album for the fact he spilt everything on this song. Something that many are afraid to do.

Top 5 Songs:
Pinocchio Story (best song on album)
Coldest Winter
Bad News
Heartless
See You In My Nightmare

I would recommend this album to anyone, who like myself, are being slowly suffocated by finals!

Nathan S. is a young jeezy hater, fa real in order to be a critic of hip hop, or w/e you call urself bro. you realy need to open to all types of lyricism, not just the same BS.

Album OFF the hook, Kanye just proves how he is the most diverse artist in this rap shit.

To me, Kanye West has always been one the best artists in the game, but this album proved it. Kanye shows a degree of creativity and diversity in here and I applaud him for it. Not to mention that the tracks were great. Overall, It's a 4.5/5, and I can't wait to hear more from Kanye! My favorite track was "Amazing".

This is definitely a love it or hate it album, and I cant stand it. Especially when im listening to Kanyes older stuff that just kicks ass. The auto tuner should be used on selective tracks, but not a whole album. This album isnt a banger, yet something that almost put me to sleep. It's something new, which is encouraging, but i guess im just not feeling it.

this is a disgrace, what was he thinking???? Heartless and love lockdown only half decent songs. If it wasn't Kanye we would never have heard any of these songs.

5/5 .. f the haters

Hello Everyone! I know you were all waiting for my take on this album, but you guys were all so quick with EXCELLENT responses and reviews of your own! I want to give a big Shout Out to MichaelHannah and FredRico for holdin' it down here at the Booth! You guys give great input and it is greatly encouraged and appreciated.

Some of you may be aware that I can sometimes be very very hard on my boy Kanye West. The only reason I face him with such criticism is because I am so much like him myself and I know the GREATNESS he is capable of. I definitely Like/Love all of his albums before this one and his beats are SIMPLY BANANAS. If it was not for Kanye West, RocaFella would have been WACK and Dipset would not have been able to do half of what they have done. Kanye's beat catalog is so crazy, that in my opinion, he never even had to come out with an album to go down in history...but he did come out with an album and now he is making more history.

OK, OK, enough with my banter...I just felt like sharing how I feel about Kanye before I give out my review. He is an extremely entertaining man, and his beats are second only to Timbaland (who I think is the greatest beat maker of all-time).

808 and Hartbreak is a very nice album. Just as DJ Z has stated, this is a Beautiful album. Kanye definitely cannot sing as others have mentioned, but the autotune gives him a decent voice that is good enough to capture the essence of the songs. I think Amazing is my favorite song on the album. I can't say that all of the tracks are as good. I really felt that he went with a cool 80's theme with Phil Collins as his inspiration and he captured that nicely. It is going to be very funny to see how this album is categorized when award season comes around. This should not be in the Rap category at all. If they put this album in the Rap category, then I think he will DEFINITELY lose out on an award since TI, NAS, Ludacris, or Lil Wayne would take the award over him. I believe all of those albums are actually better than this album and they would win over him. However, this album is like totally different body of work for Kanye, which is like a sidebar and not the main course of Kanye. This is one of those side albums, a side-show, if you will, of one of Kanye's multi-talented Facets. I personally think, that Kanye was going through a very tough year and just had to share this new sound with us to deal with all the emotions he endured. I can also see why he decided to sing the songs himself instead of giving them to another artist...sure it would have sounded better, BUT...all of the politics with finding an artist to work with you, then teaching them about the album, and then after the album comes out it won't sell as good because no one sells as good as Kanye himself, then you have to split the money up with the artist, and so on and so forth. So Kanye singing this album himself was the right decision. There are a few tracks that I could easily skip because it isn't all Perfection here...And I don't think Kanye wanted it to be as such. Nevertheless, it is a GREAT show of talent and a cool album to smoke them trees to and just mellow out and listen to. Definitely better when high to get that Pink Floyd effect...do what you do! This album is a BANGER EASILY! I can't give him the classic status because, well, he can't sing worth a lick and there are tracks that I would skip!

JSTEEZY - Just because someone doesn't praise an artist's work, doesn't mean they are a hater.

We love Jeezy over here, but he just isn't the best thing since sliced bread...

Yea, Jeezy aint that good, and neither is Kanye. Don't call me a hater of Kanye's either cuz College Dropout is still in my rotation, as it shud be, but this just int my type. Hes a hard worker, and its cool that he can be versatile, but this is Hip-Pop and I don't like it at all.

Hey that's what opinions are for, right Greatest?

I guess...but get facts right. This is Pop Art....hip pop is Soulja Boy. Hip Pop is when you sell out integrity just to make something that will sell....this was Kanye going out on a limb....doing something different.

classic

Its a classic, trying new things making hits, typical kanye

its has hot songs but there all singles, this needs to be a mixtape

I respect Kanye for tryin to do something different but I personally think that this album should get a 1 rating (garbage)...I didn't find one track on this whole album that I would ever put on a mix cd for myself or that I would every think about playin in my car again...the only track I thought was ok was amazing and that was because of Jeezy (and I had to fast forward the track to get to his part because the rest of the song was trash--in my opinion)...kanye is a dope artist and tracks like "can't tell me nothin" I think would make him a hip hop legend..but this album drops him very low on my list not only in terms of hip hop because thats not what this album is..but in terms of music in general this album in my opinion deserves a 1

and just to mention i do like kanye sometimes with the vocoder like on lollipop remix and put on..so the vocoder effect isnt the reason why i think this album is garbage

I see what you are saying Michaelhannah, but this ain't hip-hop man. Call it what you will, but don't put this in the same category as the Hip-Hop founders.

But "The Greatest", you obviously still missed what I said....it's NOT HIP HOP! He already said this. It's Pop Music...pop art to be exact. It's other people's problems if they keep comparing it to hip hop stuff. Also, hip-pop and POP music are too different things.

Amazing, Heartless, and Paranoid are on top...

Great conversation going on here. The best analogy I can make - for those who have had a hard time accepting this album as an isolated project in Kanye's ever-expanding catalog - is an athlete who specializes in one sport, but is trying another. Kanye is a superstar in Hip-Hop, but he has made a transition into Specialized-Pop, and unlike my man MJ who tried baseball and failed, Yeezy is succeeding.

One last point: don't give up on Kanye just because you might not like this album. That is like throwing away years of friendship with someone because they made a choice to be different. Would you dump a friend because they changed their hair color, got a tattoo or decided to elope?

No one has to worry about me losing interest in Kanye, actually this is the 2nd most I have ever paid attention to him, but it isn't good. Yea, personally i think this sh*t is weak, his voice sucks, and I think he failed. Soulja Boi is accepted, and he failed. Same here if u ask me.

Like I said Greatest, that is what opinions are for. Not everybody thought that this album was a failure, and the same with Soulja. In fact, I believe that neither of these rappers has failed because they both made millions of dollars making those songs. Your making it seem like only your opinion matters, and trust me...it doesn't.

Wow I am amazed at what people are saying on this album.
MichaelHannah loved your review. You definitely nailed it. Kanye Went way off on a limb and I agree with what he did. You can't put this album in a catagory which is what I love. This album is definitely one of it's on. Its in my rotation. 808s and Heartbreaks, Dedication 3, and The Drought Is Over Part 6 (The Reincarnation) have definitely made music worth listening to again. Kanye just made history with this album. I'm gueissing we will probably see more of this tpe of music but never another type as good as this one.

I have already rated this album.

shut u^p with ur I HATE AUTO TUNES........ kanye does somethin different with 808's , and thats why I apreciated to listen to all the songs

Classic

Thanks Tanner.

Believe me I know my opinion isn't the only one that matters.

Hey Guys...I am going to get involved with the discussion a little bit. I definitely see where theGreatest is coming from. I can almost agree with him a bit myself.

DJZ (my brother from another mother) stated that "...Kanye is a superstar in Hip-Hop, but he has made a transition into Specialized-Pop, and unlike my man MJ who tried baseball and failed, Yeezy is succeeding..."; but this statement could be false to someone who thinks the album isn't as good as you or others do. There are definitely a bunch (at least 3-4) of skip-able tracks on this album, and some that I wouldn't play again as well; but I still gave it a BANGER score because it will be a long time before we get someone to go out on a limb and make good music from the heart again. I think the feel of this album is more appreciative than rewarding; you just have to appreciate what is going on here and feel the music instead of trying to search for something you are used to.

So, in short, I agree with Michaelhannah and thegreatest at the same time. I agree with Michaelhannah because it is simply artistic music with a twist that we may not ever see again; but I agree with thegreatest because this album may not be in my MP3 player for too much longer due to the unorthodox deliveries and sub-par singing skills of Mr. West (which is actually a positive when you listen to the album the first couple of times)...I give it a month tops...

Haha, Blaze. We wouldn't be REAL brothers unless we occasionally disagreed on stuff anyways.

As for the barometer on the success of Yeezy with the new project, I made the comment from a consensus review and sales standpoint. The majority of his reviews were positive and his sales figures will be first week gold-certified.

Not bad if you ask me...

Those figures aren't bad at all!!! Especially with these troubling economic times! I personally Like the album and the artistic vision of Kanye for this project (Hence my BANGER rating), but I can definitely EASILY see why others don't like it. And they don't have to be a "hater" to not like this album.

This album is one of my favorites. Most artists will never put as much emotion into an album as Kanye did hear. You can feel it in his production. Favorite tracks are Welcome to Heartbreak, See you in my Nightmares, Amazing, Coldest Winter. The production on these tracks are sick. In the long run, I think this is the best album of 08. Kanye has proved that he is the best rapper in the game, sorry Wayne.

Alright I am done arguing about if this is a good album, but I do have a question for everyone......

Do you think this album hurts Kanye's reputation as a Hip-Hop artist or helped it? Because I think we all agree this isn't hip-hop. I just wonder if he lost alot of fans who loved him for stuff like Thru The Wire, All Falls Down, or Touch The Sky. I can tell You I am one fan who is disappointed. Just wondering what everyone thinks.

I think REAL FANS wouldn't turn on Kanye if they didn't like something he put out. On top of that...he said he's doing this from the heart. If you can't at least respect that, your whole perspective is wack. (TheGreatest, I'm saying "you" in the sense of anyone who feel they can't respect art from someone's heart and are too concerned with the selfish needs of what "they" want...not realizing that's not what music is about. So this is not directed towards you...unless you fall under that disrespectful category)

People are getting in a fight only Kanye can win. People got to understand that HE DID NOT MAKE THIS ALBUM FOR HIS FANS. He made this album for himself. He needed to say a few things and get things off his mind. That's where this album came from. Kanye did great with this album ya'll. Look he has everyone here having a discussion about it. He made you listen he got his point across. Yeah you have the haters who focus on the he can't sing fact. But have you listened to have the stuff you use to listen to. Kanye made his point in my eyes. On this album you have to go deeper than the singing. You really have to get into it. I have a friend Kelton Harrington he went out and bought this album because I was talking about how great it was. He got it and listened to it and said it was crap. He came to me and said he waisted his money. I said no you didn't. I popped the album in and said block out the production block out everything and listen to what he is saying. So he did it. He got into it. Now he comes to me and talks about how great the album is to. Not everything will be put out for you to dance to or bob your heads. You occasionally have those great artist like Kanye who makes listen. That's why this is such a great album.

Look, I still respect everything he did before this album and how hard he works........ even for this album. But, If I don't like an album, I normally don't have respect for the work. I do have respect for Kanye and how hard he works, dont get that twisted.

TheGreatest, I totally see where you are coming from. Respect is an interesting concept. Its natural to wonder if you (meaning anyone) can respect someone for their work, if in any way you feel they let you down.

In Kanye's case, however, I think its different. At no point did he try to trick anyone into believing 808s was a rap album - from the beginning he said what he planned to do. I doubt he suckered you into buying his album under false pretense, so based on those grounds, its hard to buy into the 'lost respect for' angle. See what I mean?

Others? Thoughts? GREAT discussions here.

You are right. He did say he was doing something different. He told everyone he wasn't doing his normal thing. I also think he made that clear when he sang Love Lockdown on the MTV Music Awards.

No doubt, Kanye made it very clear what he was doing. I got mad respect for Kanye for a few things and one of them is that i don't think he is always putting money first. Dont get me wrong, I think if I was a successful rapper you might catch me putting money at the forefront. I gotta eat! LOL, but no for real, I havent lost respect for Kanye in any way, I want that to be clear, but I still think this album was weak. Kanye so talented at what he does. i guess it is just tough for me to accept him doing something like this when he was so good at College Dropout. I mean that sh*t was fire. I mean he changed the game up with that....... wasn't that enough? Man, for real, I am just being selfish. I just wish I could here GREAT hip-hop and Kanye is one of the few still relevant in the game who can do it. Listen, everyone needs to realized what i was growing up on. I just aint used to it. Big ups to Kanye but I will pass, I guess just not something I can enjoy. By the way I dont want people to think I am close minded on music. My last 3 songs played on Itunes was Jimi Hendrix, Lupe-Just Might Be Ok, and Kansas- Dust in the Wind before that. I am just a hater of Pop I guess. U can accuse me of that.

I agree with TheGreatest.

Not a fan of auto-tune at all, now if he just invited some talented singers i would give this a better rating 'cause as everyone else said the production is solid. I have been reading everyone elses comments and just want to put my two cents in. Lets get one thing straight an artist is nothing without his fans, "F**k it, he thought, I’m Kanye West. I’ll put out whatever damn album I want." thats the type of overego that kills careers. Im not a fan of Kanye im a fan of hip hop. When college dropout released my brain exploded because i havent heard something like that for a long time. Something that had some meaning behind it, not just the money, rims, girls, that flooded the scene and pushed me away for a few years. Ill wait for him to return to form.

I havent heard the album yet, but my expectations were very low. I have heard a couple of tracks that were actually pretty decent. Like some1 said before, "IF KANYE WASNT DOIN THIS I GUARANTEE U ALL WOULDNT BE SAYING, O HE'S SO ARTISTIC ANS SO AND SO, IT WOULD BE CALLED TRASH OR WHAT DO THESE ARTIST THINK if it was a no name artist..... Just shows how most people let mainstream affect the way they look at everything

Haters need to shutup mayne...he said repeatedly...ITS POP ART that came from the HEART....THE HEART. Spittin bars is too easy for him...come on he be listenin to coldplay, radiohead...then go the studio n spit lyrics like crazy. If you say you was down with his first three album and not gettin his 4th...he be sayin AGAIN "OH NOW THE LOVE KANYE, LETS PUT HIM ALL IN THE FRONT OF THE STORE" when he drop another hip hop album and youd be waitin in line like its black friday jus to get it. If yous a fan STAY A FAN yall know wut hes capable of so SHUT UP...duece



CLASSIC

Scottie, please dont EVER put sh*t like this in the same category as radiohead and Coldplay! R u serious dude? Come one, this albm cant touch either of them, and by the way, Radiohead and Coldplay can sing and are legends at what they do, Kanye Cannot sing!, and is not a legend at this type of music.

hey everyone, i posted earlier, but am now deciding to get back into the discussion, everyone has made great points, personally, i love the album, but i think that we can put it in the same category as Coldplay and Radiohead. If we're comparing Ye to those two, this is his Kid A, or his X&Y, in my opinion. Both groups put out great albums before those albums, and then Kid A and X&Y were both different from what they had been doing. Ye took a departure from hip hop with this album, but don't you all think he earned the right to do what he wants with this album? especially if musically, the album is constructed amazingly? No, Ye isn't the best singer, but he's damn far above competent, as i stated earlier. Nobody in hip hop has the balls to make a true break up album from the heart, and Ye has done that. I don't think it will have alienated any fans, and i don't think it will lose too many fans. If you're a true Yeezy fan, you'll respect his choice with this album and give it a legit chance.

Great discussion everyone. and michaelhannah.... that was a great review. nice job.

I think the hip hop/pop conflict may have a little bit to do with this....If you google djbooth.net you'd see: "djbooth.net is the place to listen to HIP HOP songs" (which is in part...why i somewhat agree with TheGreatest) Most would agree 808’s & Heartbreak is not hip hop....regardless this is a solid album! Keep up the good work Yeezy!

By the way....I may not completely agree with Nathan and MichaelHannah's reviews but gotta give props where they'e due....Nicely put!

Look, this is no X&Y. Yes I see what you are talking about as far as changing things up, but that is the only similarity, and really it is a crazy stretch. Ye aint Coldplay, Ye aint Chris Martin, Ye aint York, Ye cant sing!

was expecting TOTAL disaster with the singing, but it isn't that bad actually. Production is on point for the most part. However, i'm not sure if I like "Emo-Yeezy." Plus, after banging it for a couple of days, kinda bored now. Glad I waited to rate. Woulda given it 4 stars, now just 3. I think that overall, not disappointed, but WILL BE if he decides to focus on this more than rapping.

sorry gotta take back my previous review...i jumped the gun...terrible.

yo the greatest.....u missed my point dude im not comparin hiphop wit coldplay....lik i said kanye listens to that in his house all day then when he step in the studio he drop a different genre...damn boy.Well like i said...when he drop another hiphop album yous gone cop it...if yous a fan then support him get the cd n if you dont lik it give to someone who will plain n simple...it was only $10 mayne....duece

Y would I buy an album that I think is trash? Just listen to B.O.B. song called Auto-Tune. LOL, at least BOB knows what he talkin about, straight dissing these idiots with Voice Recorder.........

yes, some people are idiots with the autotuner. they only use it to cover up what they cant do. i still insist that yeezy can sing. listen to his live version of hey mama at the grammies. he KILLS it. he can sing. he uses the autotune to add different effects to the songs, distancing the vocals from the tracks, giving the album a very desparate feel. respect the man for what he's doing. and it's definitely comparable to x&y. the only thing i used that album for was something to put me to sleep. They put out great music before it, and Viva La Vida is sick, but that album was just boring. plain and simple. and in terms of star power and whatnot, he is definitely comparable to york as well, Ye is one of the most well known artists in the world. he deserves to be put in that category.

Kanye really let me down on this one.
He needed to stick with what made him who he is.
Not really a good album.
:/

What a lame thing to say hooydoo? "He needed to stick with what made him who he is.". WTFlip are you talking about? How do YOU know WHO he is? "Not a really good album"? To whom? You? Who cares about you. You are just missing out on art. You sound like a selfish person to me. You can't respect what people come out with from their heart and just want what you want. Become an artist (if you aren't already) and then you will understand. If you are an artist already, I feel bad. How you responded to this album means that you aren't making your art for yourself...but only what will please the listener and solely that.

TheGreatest, you are a sad case. The exact type of person Ye talks about when he says there are always people who are gonna be like "Who do you think you are? You aren't so & so, you can't do this, blah, blah, blah.". The type of people who listen to haters like you and quit doing themselves and being creative miss out. Those who disregard that hatred...well, they turn around and make some of the most legendary music to mankind. Just ask my Minnesota buddy Bob Dylan. Case closed.

kanye or mick jagger

worst successful singer of all time?

you choose

luv the internet nerding goin on here. hilarious!

I've been reading this conversation going on and I completely agree with TheGreatest. Kanye had some great past cd's with awesome lyrics and overall great flow. This cd is so off though. He can't sing no matter how much autotune he uses, and to make matters worse to fit his new "style" of music his lyrics have fallen off greatly. Sure Kanye made this cd for himself and to push the envolope and all, but to me its straight up garbage. Hopefully he'll come around to his senses and put out some more hit cd's soon