Graduation

Product Information

Five accompanying singles were released, including the international hits " Stronger", " Good Life" and " Homecoming", with the former of the three topping the US Billboard Hot 100. Since Graduation 's release, countless other record producers have followed suit in blurring the lines of conventional hip-hop with the incorporation of electronic production. Graduation is the third studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West, released on September 11, 2007, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records.

Good Night" contains elements of "Nuff Man a Dead" performed by Super Cat and " Wake the Town" performed by U-Roy. Upon meeting Mitchell after she arrived at Studios 301 where he was recording music during the tour, West had her sing over a vocal track and quickly took a liking to her voice.The change also came about from him listening to music that encompasses genres such as rock and house. It was made available two years later under the new title "Home" on West's 2003 mixtape Get Well Soon. Lead singer Bono elaborated that West's rapping inspired him to utilize more percussive consonants for his songwriting and vocal performance. It’s for my fiancée and I plan on taking Polaroid photos at her graduation and having her family/friends secretly sign inside.

The studio album's final track "Good Night" exhibits the production characteristics of West's next musical evolution.The outcome of the highly publicized sales competition between 50 Cent's Curtis and West's Graduation has been accredited to the commercial decline of the gangsta rap that once dominated mainstream hip-hop. During the bridge, the chord progression changes and the song adopts a heavy string section that emulates the melody of its synths. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, grossing a total of over 957,000 copies in its first week in the United States alone. The latter also received a nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, while "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was nominated for Best Rap Song. Widely considered by music critics and listeners alike to be the most radio-friendly track on Graduation, West defines the studio album's third single " Good Life" as the song with the most "blatant hit-recordness".

It's his skill as producer (see also his work with Common earlier this year) that really pushes him above the crowd. He also chose to scale back on the guest appearances, limiting himself to just one single guest rap verse on the entire studio album. However, West has since clarified that he doesn't retain any lingering animosity whatsoever towards his record label in regards to this. Kanye's savvy enough (as he loves to remind us ad nauseum) to know that this music's place in mainstream culture has changed.

Marketing [ edit ] Publicity over the album's release date pitted West in a sales competition against rapper 50 Cent (pictured). West further broadened his musical palette on Graduation by not limiting himself to his customary use of samples and interpolation from classic soul records and instead drew influences from a far more eclectic range of music genres. This album, on the other hand, included a much more electronic sound, featuring the use of layering synthesizers. At the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, Graduation won the award for Best Rap Album, becoming West's third consecutive album to do so. However, though he originally intended for Graduation to be completely devoid of guest rap verses, West decided to invite New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne on the track "Barry Bonds".