Kanye West

The man with a "passion for flashing" goes on a "living spree." Much of the self-interrogation and folksy, familial charm of previous albums have disappeared, replaced by glittering shards "of the good life" backed by West's newfound love for synths and Steely Dan. "I don't see why I need a stylist when I shop so much I could speak Italian," he raps on "Champion," while "Everything I Am" filters faux-ironic arrogance through goofy lines for effective self-definition. Kanye serves great pop songs that fit well together, and this is fun and conceptually tight -- if thematically slight.

There is no bigger lie on Graduation than when Kanye West claims he doesn't “try hard,”
as he does on the single “Can't Tell Me Nothing.” West tries extremely hard at everything
he does. And unlike his hip-hop and rock peers -- most of whom want Grammys and good
reviews as much as he does -- he's unafraid to tell you. On Graduation, West tries hard to
address the problems on his first two albums, and succeeds: The new disc is tigh... More >