“808’s And Heartbreak” is not a commercial release, it’s not an experiment with auto-tune gone awry, and it’s not a rapper singing. “808’s And Heartbreaks” is catharsis. Think about it. Kanye West is a huge name in this industry, he sells record, he wins Grammies, he’s superstar. He’s produced for legends and he has incomparable skills as an artist. He has credentials and experience and this record doesn’t reflect that. This record isn’t full of catchy singles with extravagant production and witty one-liners. It isn’t polished to perfection and I don’t think it’s supposed to be. I can’t connect with Kanye’s pain. I’m not him, I haven’t had his life experience and I don’t know how he processes his emotions. However, I completely connect with this album. It’s exceedingly candid and forth-coming. He paints a vivid portrait of a situation, questions it then he wallows in the torment of the moment. I think we’ve all been there. In fact I tend to wallow in the torment of the moment more than one should. The production is not excessively complicated and relies heavily on drums. Kanye doesn’t rap at all and honestly I didn’t really pay any attention to that fact, simply because I was feeling the music. People have been in a tizzy over his use of auto-tune. There is a different between a respected artist using auto-tune as a tool to allow them to create using their voice and a flash in the pan using auto-tune as a gimmick to sing ring tone hits. *Shrugs Shoulders* I’m just saying. I respect that Kanye took this leap from hip-hop to…well I’m not sure what genre this album falls under, but I respect his ability to transcend his expected musical medium. This one isn’t for everybody. I don’t want to say you have to have a sophisticate musical palate to enjoy this record but you have to have a sophisticated musical palate to enjoy this record. Don’t get me wrong you’re not listening to Bach, but you have to look behind the obvious appreciate the sentiment behind it. Trust me you’ll either hate it or you’ll love it. If you’re a Kanye fan you don’t count—you’ll love it. If you’re looking for something to bump on the way to the club don’t get this one. If you’re going through some shit right now, some “life on life terms” shit as my father would say you should get a copy of “808’s And Heartbreak.” I can’t really rate this one. I’ll tell you why. When I was a junior in high school I wrote a poem for my AP Lit class. I poured my soul into that poem literally! I ripped a chunk out of myself and bled on the paper. My teacher gave me a 92. I was furious. Not because of the grade, but because she put a numerical marker on art. You can’t grade art, damnit. This record is art. It’s totally up for interpretation and it reflects basic human struggle so with that said I will end this post without grading it. Go get this album. 

My favorite songs: PARANOID, STREET LIGHTS, AMAZING, SAY YOU WILL & COLDEST WINTER.