808’s & Heartbreak IS a classic.
I’m going to go way out on a limb right here and say that ‘808’s & Heartbreak’ is the best album of 2008. It will be the one album that we all remember from this year. I’ve already forgotten about the so-called ‘Nigger’ album and the Roots ‘Rising Down’. Are the Roots still a band? I know that ?uestlove has a sneaker, deejays all over the place and loves to fucks with Twitter. Even Lil’ Wayne, who has sold nearly three million copies of the ‘Carter III’ will be eclipsed by the latest offering from ‘Ye Tudda West.
Does anyone make real shit anymore?
I’m not going to act like I have heard the entire album. I’ve heard all the joints that most of you have heard. The intro to Heartbreak, the joint with Jeezy, the joint with Weezy, the joint with Kid Cudeezy. See now, aren’t you glad that trend hasn’t taken hold where we call everyone “eezy” at the back of their names? Everyone is pitching a bitch because the vocal pitch is altered but no one is really listening to the tone, just the autotune.
KanYe is on this album yelling and throwing figurative furniture around the studio. This album is his catharsis for losing the one chick in the world that he could trust. The one broad he ever knew that wasn’t trying to get into his pockets, that wasn’t using him to get close to Jay-Z, Dame, or even that nigga Plain Pat.
Plain Pat what up?
I wonder what kind of pain KanYe experienced when he was young and his parents split up? That shit is hardbody. Big ups to all the dead end kids who find themselves in that emotional purgatory place you go to when your parents go their separate ways. Some of y’all have never known your parents as a family unit. For some of y’all it was always a situation where you went to your father’s crib on weekends or to your father’s mother’s crib if your father was a fuck up. It’s a crazy dynamic if that shit happens when you are still in that cartoon comicbook age and wearing underoos when your dad walks out the door.
Kids blame their parents and kids blame themselves. Truth is that America hates families and America eats the young. The album ‘808’s & Heatbreak’ was being written when KanYe’s parents split up. This album is on some raw emotional shit that I wish everybody would do. D.M.X. was the only rapper that I feel like wouldn’t hold back his feelings to get his point across. That nigga wouldn’t give a fuck what anyone said about him. He would smoke his crack, cry, pray to GOD, and then bark at the moon. That nigga was crazy. Everyone is too cool for fucking school. That shit is boring to me now.
I was just reading (I know, sooooo not Hip-Hop) the Spike Lee auto-bio and he talked about losing his mom to cancer while he was still in college. After that moment he had the courage to pick up a Super 8 camera. He always knew that he wanted to make films, but after his mom died he knew he HAD to make films. He found a courage to let his vision be set free. I think KanYe experienced the same feeling when he crossed this threshold in his life. The courage to trust everything in his mind that his mom had imbued to him. Losing your mother is the most hardbody emotional shit evar. Nothing in this world can happen to you worse than that. And then when you get up off the ground after crying your eyes out you realize that you are taller, stronger, harder. No one can tell you nothing.
‘Graduation’ was the prequel to 808’s just like that victory ceremony in Episode 4 was the prequel to that battle on the planet Hoth. That was a cold fucking winter. This will be the coldest winter evar.
In a few years some of y’all will use this album to help you work out of your coldest winter. Don’t act like your big homey Billy X. Sunday didn’t tell you the fucking deal. For a nigga to make a song that would make me fuck with Wayne is an achievement. Maestro did it with ‘3-Peat’. Now KanYe does it with ‘C U In My Nightmares’.
I’m not sure which listenership is futuristic enough to embrace this album. It deals with loss on such a level that even I can’t fully understand. When my dad died I thought about all the things that he had done for me to get to the point where I could control my destiny (true story is that he hated that I wanted to be a writer instead of an architect) and how much sacrifice both my parents made for me to pursue my dreams. That’s why I fucks with ‘808’s & Heartbreaks’.
This shit is a dedication to all of those that help us get out our dreams.
Dallas,
u should write a blog post encouraging your GA readers to vote in the Senate runoff on Dec 2. With early voting, it’s very convenient. I early voted yesterday, no line, very convenient.
electing Dem Jim Martin increases the probability of Obama backed bills to pass the Senate, without Repub fillibustering. Plus incumbent Repub Chambliss is a flat out bad guy, & has made borderline racist comments in this campaign.
Rock the vote, no Puff Biatche.
As poetic as your sentiments are and I respect your opinon… But I gotta disagree. Its still all love though…
last weekend I finally “discovered” some old Stevie Wonder albums
1972 Talking Book
1973 Innervisions
1980 Hotter Than July
Damn, give me a generational late pass. Wonder is the dude. Some incredible music/beats. I never knew there was a “conscious R&B” genre, half of Wonder’s subject matter is society/politics. Whatever happened to “conscious R&B”?
Kanye Tudda is a wack singer. Tudda as a singer ain’t on the same planet of even Phonte, or same galaxy as Wonder. Listening to these Wonder classics killed my motivation to listen to this new Kanye Tudda singing album. Sorry Tudda.
Wow, I read this directly after reading Bol’s review* and it’s good to see I’m not the only person that can appreciate this album for what it is. Kanye’s not trying to be the next Stevie with with album, it was a vehicle for him to express what he’s been through recently in a manner nobody really expected. As a fan of music, –not rap music, not hip-hop music, not r&b– , but music… this is a good album. Not a spectacular magnum opus but not the steaming pile most are making it out to be.
Standouts: Say You Will, Nightmare, Amazin, Heartless, Love Lockdown
*technically not written by Bol himself but by one of his weed carriers.. is that the new thing to do nowadays, get weed carriers of the caucasian persusion?
I just wish that Auto-Tune was frozen out of all this, but what the fuck… it’s 2008. Bring on the 808!
When you put it like that… I can’t help but get excited for it… [||]
Ok, duke. I just heard “Heartless”. That was tight. I’m gonna loosen up now. Heh.
Lots of people cannot understand Kanye or his visions. He is reminiscent of an old soul in his music and not afraid to go places that are considered whack or out of touch. I will definitely give it a play.
*applauds this post*
It’s like that? I need to go listen to this joint.
Full Album…for those of you who want to “sample” it before you go out and “buy” it….
http://www.box.net/shared/k0prbo2lfy
same goes for the new Ludacris…..
http://www.box.net/shared/hab66psaqm
Big Homie Says:
November 20th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
*applauds this post*
Agreed, I haven’t really heard shit off this album aside from two tracks, but this post brought out some real emotions and even inspiration.
Just found it last night. haven’t listened to it all the way through.
I saw his vision on the album, he had some shit to get off his chest as opposed to just braggin’ and boastin’ and trying to make hits. I can respect that. The question is will everyone else?
One.
Brilliant write up. I get the same vibe off of “Love Lockdown” and “Heartless” (no spoilers or leaks for me, tyvm), and the interviews and shit I’ve seen/read regarding this album.
I totally agree with being tired of the “too cool” shit–that got boring real fast, and you get 100 points for the Star Wars reference.
Respect.
–RTH
Hip Hop is finally and officially dead. When the host of the only blog I still read, a man I respect and love (II) is caught riding the dick of a whining, diva, bitch boy vocodering wanna bee Hip Hop has outlived its usefulness. Wheezy, geezy, sleazzy, puzzy, bateeboy buziness dizzy, deazzy , sleepy, grumpy, dopey, etc do not make an album a classic. When Yea Turda decided to smak up on a photographer Mr Turda became my enemy. Why is it they choose the light in the ass photographers to mess with? Why don’t they step to me or those of my kind who know we feed our kids with our cameras and if you step wrong you pay harshly? Kangaye Worst get a big, thick Ernie Bozack
Yeah Turd Da= Male Jessica Simpson
Thought the album was plain booty. Sorry dun, I gave it an entire listen last nite and was not impressed.
Combat Jack and Ernie P> >Yeah Turd A
Word up with that dead end kid stuff!! Great insight Dal’, I’m coppin’ it when it drops!!
I’m kinda with Ernie on this one. While I KINDA like Love Lockdown, its definitely NOT hip hop. I don’t think any one person is killing hip hop, but Kanye is definitely distorting the line. In a world where the South’s most wackest get the most play, you HAVE to distort the line. These pants-saggin’ ass ninjas have to be made to respect real hip hop…and we should do anything to bring them in.
When I listen to relatively new artists, I try hard to listen minus my old school point of view…but this one is absolutely NOT hip hop, B. This is a hip hop artist that’s experimenting with electronic club music and that not a bad thing. New school’s MTV is strictly on some lil wayne/t-pain/ace hood sh*t. But mtv USED to be the place where I was introduced to new sh*t like Boomtown Rats, the Police, Peter Gabriel, Spandau Ballet.
Same with Foreign Exchange’s CD. Definitely not hip hop, but a some good R&B that we can all use in our life. Who better to bring these cats in,than one of todays illest MC’s on some real singin’ sh*t. MTV won’t do it for you anymore, you gotta step your game up and get ta’ searchin’ on these internets. Real hip hop is still out there. As technology changes, if your love for hip hop is real, you gotta step your search game up.
Ernie, when I see you I will mush you for calling me a dickrider. I expect that from the asswads at XXL. I’m tired of motherfuckers talking about what is and what ain’t Hip-Hop. Everything is Hip-Hop. Nothing is Hip-Hop. Got to bed.
stop hating, this album is incredible. one of the only cats innovating in the game right now.
Dallas, 3 rounds in a gym with gloves (and whatever retard colored sneakers you want to wear). Have Yeah TurdEater in your corner wearing his ghey azz white slotted glasses and a “Jesus Saves” too tight t shirt hugging his nipples. Have Combat Jack as the ref and L’il Wang in the front row getting another tattoo of Baby on his lips.
Jay Z and Puff Mommie will be walking thru the venue selling Vodka and tacky clothes, Rev. Run will be there talking about religion and family values, Salt n Pepa will be there getting face lifts. Moe Dee will be having a one man pizza eating contest and Busta will be off to the side lifting weights and having a steroid rage.
Fact, Dallas is NOT a dickrider. Fact, if Dallas digs Kanye Worst it is due to his poor diet, lack of sleep and lack memory as to those sublime albums that not only mattered when they were new but are potent 30 years later. Yeah Turd is a fraud, a T Pain type momentary flash, a weak little man with an obsession for fame and is over exposed, the Canibus of our time.
Dallas please don’t mush me, can’t we all just get along?
Ernie
If I want to listen to an MC sing, I’ll cop the Foreign Exchange joint. I can’t get down with this album. I’ve given it multiple listens despite my ears and my brain protesting and came up with the same conclusion…Kanye made an album of him singing in the shower and is goign to go plat from it.
808s and FAIL.
And my head keeps spinning,
can’t stop having these visions,
I gotta keep winning,
oooh hoo oooh hoo ooooooh hooooooooooo