Kanye West - Graduation

[GhostMachine]

In my honest opinion, the worst songs on the Kanye West album are ages better than the best songs on 50 Cent's album. 50 Cent is going to be an after thought in a few years whereas Kanye will still be around and proving why he has staying power aside from his ridiclously large ego - because the guy puts out amazing songs.

[Lowerdeck]

Got to say, pretty good album from the first couple listens so far.

[thatshortguy]

I realize he retracted his statements long ago, but I do hope Mr. Curtis Jackson is ready for the taste of a certain bird:

Courtesy of Billboard.com, there is a story that has Kanye and all of his tantrum glory heading for approximately upwards of 700,000, while Fiddy looks to be heading for sales similar to Kenny Chesney and hitting around 550,000.

Granted, I know that these are very preliminary numbers...as well as knowing of about...a billion bands that would kill for first-week sales like this, but still, I'm here for the principle and not the semantics. Eat it, Fiddy.

[Dan]

Ye's album is sweet.

[Verder]

Got this today, it's quality. From the opening track to finish, there wasn't one song that I didn't like. "Barry Bonds" was the worst in my opinion and even that's tolerable.

[Lowerdeck]

I'll agree with Bonds being the worst, but that's probably more entertaining than anything on Curtis.

*5000*

[ROC]

I realize he retracted his statements long ago, but I do hope Mr. Curtis Jackson is ready for the taste of a certain bird:

Courtesy of Billboard.com, there is a story that has Kanye and all of his tantrum glory heading for approximately upwards of 700,000, while Fiddy looks to be heading for sales similar to Kenny Chesney and hitting around 550,000.

Granted, I know that these are very preliminary numbers...as well as knowing of about...a billion bands that would kill for first-week sales like this, but still, I'm here for the principle and not the semantics. Eat it, Fiddy.

[Ananas]

600,000 to go. If Ye can't do it, I don't know that the million seller week is ever going to happen again, what with the CD market falling apart.

[Lowerdeck]

The music market is so dissected in terms of sound and how you get songs, it will be difficult to reach a million. There's subgenres of everything nowadays. That and with the industry being ringtone music (wtf is that?), nobody cares about albums. It's like... hey, here's our two singles and 10-12 other songs of filler shit. People don't want to buy that.

[Ananas]

Update today says that through 3 days, 'Ye's at 781,000 and Fiddy's at 603,000. 4 days to move 219,000. Seems possible he's going to hit that plateau, although Fiddy's first day sales have seemingly left Kenny Chesney in the dust.

[Krone]

Graduation is a pretty solid CD in my opinion. I definitally like Can't Tell Me Nothing, but it's obvious the hit of the track is Stronger, as it should be.

[Lowerdeck]

Stronger is a really great single, I like it. Although I'm really really liking the beat on 'Drunk and Hot Girls' maybe more than Stronger right now.

[Krone]

I actually bought this yesterday. Great CD, and I recommend it to any Kanye fans.

[ROC]

The first time I listened to the record I was a bit underwhelmed, but it's a grower in a BIG way. Even a track like Barry Bonds, which along with Drunk And Hot Girls was one of the biggest problems, has grown on me. I completely disagree on the idea that Kanye didn't have any lyrical departures this time around. What about the "I Used To Love H.E.R."-esque take on Chicago with "Homecoming"? Or the earnest tribute to Jay-Z with "Big Brother"? What about "Everything I Not", where he essentially cops to every criticism people have of him because he refuses to put up that hip-hop bullshit front? And yeah, there're the songs about success, money and women. I'd imagine that all three are particularly relevant to life as he lives it at the moment. The lyrics are still more genius than anyone in the mainstream right now. And I'd say he took a bunch of BIG risks with the production here. With the exception of a few tracks with the traditional "Kanye sound", a lot of these tracks are more electro-influenced. Hell, he did a track with Chris Martin. And I'm damn near certain that the first track samples "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John. If that's not risky for hip-hop then I don't know what is. Right now I'm in pretty much full Kanye addiction. Great record, and I love all three so I don't know where it ranks, but there's definitely not a big dropoff if there is one at all.

[Media 2.0]

Not really a rap fan, but personally I like majority of the songs on Graduation.

And I think I'd have to say my favorite is Champion, even if only for the line "My dad'll say "when you see clothes close ya eyelids"" (although that's not the only reason I like it)

Edited September 16, 2007 by Media 2.0

[Tarheels.]

I actually described Homecoming to a friend as the closest to "I Used To Love H.E.R" that you'll ever get. I really just love the album.