kanye center
Since Kanye West's previous album, "Graduation," his mother has passed away (the only parental figure in his life) and he has parted ways with his fiance.
This sequence of events is reflected in his recently released album, "808s & Heartbreak," where life events have inspired him to create a sound completely different than what we have ever heard from Kanye.To truly appreciate "808s & Heartbreak," you must first understand the meaning behind the title. "808s" refers to the classic Roland TR-808 synthesizer drum machine, which is used on every track and infuses a 1980's-sounding electronic beat. Additionally, the record was produced in the 808 area code, located in Hawaii. "Heartbreak" refers to multiple elements of the record, including Kanye's vocals recorded through the T-Pain-popularized Auto-Tune, which gives the tracks a raw feel that expresses heartbreak more effectively than simply singing or rapping, the chest thumping taiko drums and trance from the choir monks.
The tone of the album is set from the moment the listener hits play. "Say You Will" begins with the monk choir. pulling the listener in. The deep and introspective lyrics engage the listener into contemplating the emotions that Kanye is conveying, and the chorus of him singing, "Hey, hey, hey, hey," will be stuck in the listener's head for days. Quite possibly the deepest lyrics of the record are found in this first song when Kanye states, "When I grab your neck, I touch your soul."
Leave a comment 8 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Love the shout-out to Nina Simone.
Reply to this Top
Excellent review, I've been listening to this nonstop.
Reply to this Top
Its fiancee, not fiance. CT is so professional it amazes me
Reply to this Top
patty fitz is the biggest boss that i've seen thus far
Reply to this Top
Worst cd I've ever heard period. Kanye SUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKS. Soooooo over rated.
Reply to this Top
This review and album is so on point, somehow the writer dug up more on Kanye than Kanye probably knows about himself, excellent insight into what is an unbelievable album.
Reply to this Top
The only good Kanye CD was his first....
Reply to this Top
This album is great. It really captures Ye's mood. He is taking his music to levels that most cats wouldn't even dare. Amazing album... go get it. Kanye is growing and not affraid to create whereas most artists get in line with what everyone is doing.
Reply to this Top