“Big Brother” is somehow both a challenge and an ode to Jay-Z. One of the best tracks is at the end of the album. “Stronger” and “Champion” are such great showcases of modern hip hop beats that you can ignore the mediocre lyrics just to hear the synthesizer-laced beat. His collaboration on “Homecoming” with Coldplay front man Chris Martin, whose voice is perfectly complimented by Kanye’s beat, makes for an instantly lovable song. The Elton John sample and piano dominated beat gently introduce the listener to the album. Kanye starts with “Good Morning,” which is his only throwback to the scholastic theme of his last two albums.
The good parts of the album really are worth a listen. He samples just about anything, including Elton John, Steeley Dan and a Daft Punk loop on the catchy “Stronger.” The one consistent part of the album is the unbelievable production quality that really deserves to be heard on something better than iPod headphones. The competition with 50 aside, “Graduation” shows again why Kanye is such an acclaimed producer. But 50’s not going away anytime soon his next album is set to be released in 2008. 11 along with 50 Cent’s new album “Curtis.” Even more publicity followed when Fiddy promised to give up his solo career if Kanye outsold him. Kanye’s fan base has been waiting almost three years for ‘Ye’s junior installment. The promotional hype to “Graduation” was huge. “Graduation” will still blow up, and the most popular single, “Stronger,” will be stuck in your head for the next few months, but the album as a whole is a hit-or-miss work that survives only because of Kanye’s undeniable ability to create memorable beats. But all his ego-driven rants aside, his new album “Graduation” feels more like the genius of a producer who needed a ghost writer. Kanye West really likes himself and isn’t afraid to show it.