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| Released | September 11, 2007 (2007-09-11) | |||
| Recorded | 2005–2007 | |||
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| Length | 51:23 | |||
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Graduation is the thirdstudio album by American rapperKanye West. It was released on September 11, 2007, throughDef Jam Recordings andRoc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions took place between 2005 and 2007 at several studios in New York and Los Angeles. It was primarily produced by West himself, with contributions from various other producers, includingDJ Toomp. The album featuresguest appearances from recording artists such asDwele,T-Pain,Lil Wayne,Mos Def,DJ Premier, andChris Martin. The cover art and its interior artwork were designed by contemporary artistTakashi Murakami, who later worked on the album art for West andKid Cudi's 2018 collaborative albumKids See Ghosts.
Inspired bystadiumtours,house music andindie rock,Graduation marked a departure from the ornate,soul-based sound of West's previous releases as he musically progressed to moreanthemic compositions. West incorporated layeredsynthesizers and dabbled withelectronics whilesampling from variousmusic genres and altering his approach torapping. He conveys an ambivalent outlook on his newfound fame and media scrutiny alongside providing inspirational messages of triumph directed at listeners. The album prematurely concludes the education theme of West's first two studio albums,The College Dropout (2004) andLate Registration (2005), as his abortedGood Ass Job album would have concluded the concept album's themes as a tetralogy rather than a trilogy.
Graduation debuted at number one on the USBillboard 200, selling over 957,000 copies in the first week of sales. It has since sold over 7 million copies in the United States and been certified septupleplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Five accompanying singles were released, including the international hits "Stronger", "Good Life", and "Homecoming", with "Stronger" topping the USBillboard Hot 100. The album received widespread acclaim frommusic critics who praised the production. It earned West his thirdGrammy Award for Best Rap Album and his thirdAlbum of the Year nomination. It was named as one of the best albums of 2007 by multiple publications, includingRolling Stone andUSA Today. In the years since, it has attracted greater acclaim, widely regarded as one of West's best albums, being listed among numerous decade-end lists and later named to the lists ofRolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time andNME's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The coinciding release dates betweenGraduation and fellow American rapper50 Cent'sCurtis generated much publicity over the idea of a sales competition, resulting in record-breaking sales performances by both albums. The success of the former and the outcome of its competition with the latter marked the end of the dominance ofgangsta rap in mainstream hip-hop.Graduation is credited with paving the way for other hip-hop artists who did not conform to gangster conventions to find commercial acceptance.
Graduation is the third installment of West's plannedtetralogy of education-themed studio albums, which West subsequently later deviated from due to events surrounding the conception of his fourth studio album,808s & Heartbreak (2008).[1] The album demonstrates yet another distinctive progression in West's musical style and approach toproduction. After spending the previous year touring the world with Irish rock bandU2 on theirVertigo Tour, West became inspired by watchingBono open the stadium tours every night to incredible ovations and sought out to compose anthemic rap songs that could operate more efficiently in large stadiums and arenas.[2] In West's attempt to accomplish this "stadium-status" endeavor, West incorporatedlayered electronicsynthesizers into hiship-hop production, which also finds him utilizing slowertempos, being influenced by themusic of the 1980s, and experimenting withelectronic music.[3][4][5] West was particularly influenced byhouse music, a subgenre ofelectronic dance music that first originated in his hometown ofChicago,Illinois in the early 1980s.[6] West has stated that growing up, he would listen tohip-hop music at home or in his car, but when he felt like dancing, he would attend a house club. While he rarely listened to house at home, he still felt it was an important part of his culture and background.[7]
West further broadened his musical palette onGraduation by not limiting himself to his customary use ofsamples andinterpolation from classicsoul records and instead drew influences from a far moreeclectic range ofmusic genres.[8] Along with house music,Graduation contains samples and musicelements ofeuro-disco,hard rock,electronica,lounge,progressive rock,synth-pop,electro,krautrock,dub,reggae, anddancehall.[9][10][11][12][13] Also, for much of the third studio album, West modified his style ofrapping and adopted a dilatory, exuberantflow in emulation of Bono's operatic singing.[2] West altered his vocabulary, he utilised less percussiveconsonants for his vocal delivery in favor of smoothervowel harmonies.[14] In addition to U2, West drew inspiration from otherarena rock bands such asthe Rolling Stones andLed Zeppelin for themelodies andchord progressions of his songs.[4][15] In terms of lyricism, he simplifies some of his rhymes after touring with The Rolling Stones on theirA Bigger Bang concert tour and discovering he could not captivate the audiences as well with his most complex lyrical themes.[2][16]
Kanye West made a conscious decision to abstain from the widespread recording practice of excessive rap albums saturated withskits andfiller like in his prior two albums, feeling that they weakened the album experience, and instead filledGraduation with significantly fewer tracks — in this case 13 (or 14 on the digital version), which would continue with the rest of his other albums such asMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy andYeezus.[17][18] He also chose to scale back on theguest appearances, limiting himself to just one single guest rapverse on the entire studio album.[19] West cites therock bandsThe Killers,Keane,Modest Mouse, andindie-pop singer-songwriterFeist for being among his favorite musicians and having considerably profound influence on the sound ofGraduation.[17] Due largely to these factors and the inclusion of layered electronic synthesizers, West believed that his record took hip-hop in a different direction. He also acknowledged that the differences did not in and of themselves makeGraduation a good album; however, he felt it was an accurate representation of the music he was listening to and inspired by at that time.[17]
SingerChris Brown intended to name his second studio albumGraduation, which was set to be released in 2007. However, after discovering that Kanye West planned to use the same title for his third studio album, Brown respected West's decision and changed his album's title toExclusive.[20][21]
West began working onGraduation immediately after releasing his second studio albumLate Registration.[22] By late September 2005, West had already completed three songs for the album, which he intended to contain a total of twelve tracks.[22] Around the time of the recording of the third studio album, West would often listen to songs written byfolk andcountry singer-songwritersBob Dylan andJohnny Cash in hopes of developing methods to augment hisword play andstorytelling abilities. The former musician had been recommended to West by multiple of his friends, including English disc jockeySamantha Ronson, all of whom claimed his music and the way he dealt with the press reminded them of Dylan. West also listened to his favoritealternative rock bands, includingThe Killers,Radiohead,Modest Mouse, andKeane, in order to gain new ideas on how to make his hip-hop production style more stadium-friendly.[23] Additionally, West would often test his new songs on hisiPod, in his office, indance clubs and just about anywhere people might listen to his music. He would then make adjustments to the tracks based on feedback he received, repeating the process as many times as necessary.[17]
In comparison to previous albums,Graduation features fewerguest appearances from other recording artists. West elaborated that it was a fully conscious decision to keep his guest vocalists at a minimum, saying that, "When I hear the records of my favorite bands –The Killers orColdplay – you only hear one voice from start to finish".[24]R&B singersT-Pain andDwele, New York rappersMos Def and ALBe. Back, and famed hip-hop record producerDJ Premier are featured in individual tracks primarily to deliver melodichooks andrefrains.[25] However, though he originally intended forGraduation to be completely devoid of guest rap verses, West decided to inviteNew Orleans rapperLil Wayne on the track "Barry Bonds".[26] At the time, the two MCs had been working together, with West contributing to the production of Lil Wayne's sixth studio albumTha Carter III.[27] As for the absence of skits, West explained, "There's just serious songs,hooks,chords, andideas. No special effects or antics ... and no fakeBernie Mac!".[18] West instead decided to record two earthy musicalinterludes in place of the hip-hop skits. He incorporatedAfrican sounds andpolyrhythmic percussion into both.[18] However, for unknown reasons, the two musical interludes were omitted from the studio album.[28]
Many songs onGraduation containbackground vocals provided byConnie Mitchell of the Australiandance music groupSneaky Sound System.[28] The collaboration came about when West met her bandmates Angus McDonald and Daimon Downey at a diner inSydney while touring the country withU2 around November 2006.[29][30] Seeking musical inspiration, West asked McDonald for ideas, who in turn suggested that he be introduced to Mitchell.[30] Upon meeting Mitchell after she arrived atStudios 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.[29][30] U2 singerBono and guitaristThe Edge also complimented Mitchell's singing while visiting the studio.[30] Some time later, Mitchell received a call from West who asked if she could travel toThe Record Plant inLos Angeles to begin recording tracks for his third studio album.[30] Mitchell later admitted that while she previously did not know who West was and never really cared for hip-hop music, the collaboration has changed her views.[29]
During an interview withBillboard, West revealed that he had worked withChris Martin, the lead singer of the Britishalternative rock bandColdplay, on a song entitled "Homecoming", and that it could possibly be released as thelead single forGraduation.[31] The collaboration occurred the year before when West and Martin met one another during an impromptu jam session at theAbbey Road Studios inLondon,England.[32] West had just finished performing at a show that had been held at Abbey Road and the band just so happened to be recording their music in the recording studio at exactly the same time.[6] The song in itself is actually a re-vamping for "Home (Windy)", a track that originated from ademo tape dating back to the year 2001.[33] It was made available two years later under the new title "Home" on West's 2003 mixtapeGet Well Soon... and also on the advance copy of West's debut studio albumThe College Dropout, which due to aleak was never released.[9][34][35] This original version possesses West's once trademark classic soul vocalsample production style, with singerJohn Legend on the chorus, which contains lyrics that are different than Martin's.[34] This is due to the fact that Martin asked West to change the song's lyrical content.[36]
Widely considered bymusic critics and listeners alike to be the most radio-friendly track onGraduation, West defines the studio album's third single "Good Life" as the song with the most "blatanthit-recordness".[37] The track features vocals fromR&B singerT-Pain, who utilizes the voiceaudio processor technology ofAuto-Tune. The song is sampled fromMichael Jackson's song "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)". West had previously experimented with the technology on his debut albumThe College Dropout for the background vocals on the songs "Jesus Walks" and "Never Let Me Down". During his brief stay inSweden, West sent through sixteen differentmixes of "Good Life" over to their recording studio for theaudio mastering process.[38] West admitted that he actually did not really care for the single, but he was pressured into releasing it by his record labelDef Jam Recordings. However, West has since clarified that he does not retain any lingering animosity whatsoever towards his record label in regards to this.[18]
Graduation started taking definite form around the time of the filming of themusic video for its second single "Stronger", whereas prior West had been "aimlessly making songs".[39] The music video was directed by famed music video director, film director, and screenwriterHype Williams. Thesci-fi imagery of music video inspired West to take his album in a morefuturistic direction.[39] After the filming of the music video, which began before West had even written the song's second verse, he returned to the studio to redo parts of "Stronger" and various other tracks he recorded for the album, watching films such asTotal Recall for more ideas.[39] West mixed the track seventy-five times, as he could not seem to get thekick drum to sound precisely the way that he wanted it to, amongst other issues.[38] He worked on "Stronger" with eight differentaudio engineers and eleven differentmix engineers around the globe and recorded over fifty versions of the track.[40][41] Still feeling dissatisfied after hearing thenumber-one hit single inside aclub compared alongsideTimbaland's 2007 single "The Way I Are", which was his favorite hip-hopbeat at the time, West enlisted the record producer to assist him in redoing thedrumprogramming.[18][42]
The third studio album also sees the return of composer and multi-instrumentalistJon Brion – who had played an integral role as the co-executive producer on West's previous studio albumLate Registration – for the track "Drunk and Hot Girls".[31] West features vocalharmony during the chorus with guest artistMos Def, who just after his voice experiences a four-secondaudio delay, also delivers the song'sreverb-filled bridge.[43]
More than any other song on the entire studio album, the epic stadium-rappower ballad "I Wonder" was the most influenced by U2.[2] West cites it as one of his top three favorite songs fromGraduation.[4] West imparted that he had sought out to make the hip-hop variation of the rock band's "City of Blinding Lights".[2] West reportedly heard thesnare drum which was used for the track while shopping for furniture atMoss and spent many weeks working on it.[40][44] West has also said that he wrote the song while thinking of performing it onstage in front of an audience of over 50,000 people. With this in mind, he placed a significant amount of concentration on speaking at highvolumes with fewer wording and initially delivers his defiant lyrics in an intensestaccato vocal style.[2][45] West raps the song's three verses usingsingle anddouble-time rhyme schemes. Hestresses eachsyllable in each word in theminimalist first verse.[46] West then transitions to a faster, more fluidflow for the more intricate second and third verses. West considered the release of "I Wonder" as the album's fourthsingle. But he instead chose "Flashing Lights", which he refers to as the "coolest" track from the studio album.[4][47]
The hip-hop beat for "The Glory" was originally made for West'sGOOD Music associate, close friend, and fellowChicago hip-hop artistCommon, whose seventh album,Finding Forever, was being produced and recorded by West simultaneously withGraduation.[48][49] As was the case with both their previous albums, certain tracks that West originally crafted forFinding Forever that Common declined eventually ended up on his own studio album.[50] "Everything I Am" was yet another song intended for Common but was passed on, a fact which West addresses within the opening lines.[51] The record features turntablescratches contributed by famed hip-hop record producer DJ Premier.[45] After West had played thedemo for "Everything I Am" over the phone for DJ Premier and asked him what he thought of it, DJ Premier then replied that he enjoyed the lyrics and the innovative beat and offered to scratch over it.[52] When working on the track, and while following the numerous instructions that were supplied by West, DJ Premier took seven different styles of scratches, includingdrum breaks, then cut all of them up into differentrhythms, and scattered them all throughout the track, providing West with many different ideas to choose from.[52]
While written by West, who envisioned its concept and chorus while riding an elevator, the soul-baring Jay-Z dedication "Big Brother" stands as the only song onGraduation that he did not produce.[28][53] The production of the track was instead handled solely byAtlanta record producerDJ Toomp.[28] According to West's cousin, soul singerTony Williams, Jay-Z became quite emotional after West played a part of "Big Brother" for him in the studio for the first time.[54] During an interview withRolling Stone, West himself recalled that it was "a very serious moment".[23] When asked for his opinion, Jay-Z replied that he considered "Big Brother" a fair portrayal from a little brother's perspective. Jay-Z went on to say that he also thought that the song was "brilliantly written" and voice the belief of it being West's best song since "Jesus Walks" as far as structure and emotion.[38][55]
Although "Bittersweet Poetry" appears as a Japanesebonus track onGraduation, it was actually one of the first songs crafted forLate Registration.[56] After seeing the 2004 biographical filmRay together, West andblues-rock musicianJohn Mayer decided to collaborate on a record and immediately went back to a recording studio to compose the song "Bittersweet" with the help of Keyshia Cole.[57] This was not the first time West and Mayer collaborated with one another. The two previously worked together to make "Go!", the third single from Common's sixth studio albumBe, which came about when Mayer went to visit West at The Record Plant in Los Angeles.[58] In the end, because West felt that their song did not coincide well into the overallsoundscape of his second studio album, it was subsequently unincluded.[34]
WithGraduation, West made a departure from the soul samples ofThe College Dropout and the heavy orchestration ofLate Registration.[9] Motivated bystadium impulses, West ventured towards a more atmospheric soundscape, being imbued with arena rock elements while exploring electronic music.[59][60][61] The musical progression arose from West touring the world in 2006 with U2 and the Rolling Stones.[59] The change also came about from him listening to music that encompasses genres such as rock and house.[62] According to Jayson Greene ofStylus Magazine, West had developed a fascination withEuro-disco, a European form of electronic dance music.[9] Going further, a columnist forSlant Magazine asserted that the album's hip-hop beats would be "European-club-worthy" were they stripped of thevocals.[19] Most importantly, Greene perceived that West had developed an affinity with electronic synthesizers.[9]Chicago Tribune music criticGreg Kot commented on the incorporation of synthesizer sounds, saying he viewedGraduation as "an album steeped inkeyboardtones, in all their richness and variety".[63] Mark Pytlik ofPitchfork surmised that the album demonstrated a new electronic production style, specifically noting itsmodulated electronicnoises.[64] By contrast,AllMusic's Andy Kellman wrote, "Though the synthesizer use marks a clear, conscious diversion from Kanye's past productions, highlights ... are deeply rooted in the Kanye of old, using nostalgia-inducing samples, elegantpianos andstrings, andgospelchoirs".[65]Graduation has been regarded as apop-rap album by music journalists Brad Callas,[66] Joshua Botte ofNPR,[67]AbsolutePunk,[68]Vice magazine's Eric Sundermann,[69] Jay Willis ofGQ,[70] andThe Atlantic's Spencer Korhaber.[71]
West retracted much of the orchestral production that had characterizedLate Registration; he replaced the production with heavy,layered electronic synthesizers that featureGothic tendencies at loudvolumes throughoutGraduation.[19][72] West injecteddistorted synth-chords, house beats,electro-disco rhythms, and a wide array ofaudio-effects into his hip-hop production.[64][73][74] All the while, West buried his signaturekicks andsnares deep beneath the decomposing layers of synths into the bottom of themix.[6][8] Though he continued to use vocal samples, West gleaned them before also pushing the samples underneath the synths, causing them to "sound likevoices trapped in a huge machine, not like organic, subliminal connections to a mythicalblack-music past".[3] As always is the case with his productions, West does not reply nor settle simply on samples alone. Instead, there lies a sense ofmulti-layered music evidently within each track.[75] Even in new, unfamiliar musical surroundings, West retained both his self-confidence as well as his close attention to sonic detail.[9] As a result of this, the album contains numerous random, semi-audible sounds that may seem challenging to notice during the first few listens.[76] The sounds range from keyboardarpeggios to crowdcheers andhard rock guitars; they act as a supplement for the atypical samples and the layered electronic synths.[75] ThroughoutGraduation, West included enough subtle instrumentalflourishes and studioembellishments to warrant a repeated, close, and careful listening experience.[9][77] According toAnn Powers from theLos Angeles Times, the album's subtly dark tone was a byproduct of the inevitable toll placed on West as an artist, "an innovator in a genre that he must at least partially destroy to renew", who was torn between his devotion to hip-hop tradition and his "restless artistic drive":
Graduation's intricate musical environments take a while to comprehend, and at times they seem at odds with West's confrontational lyrics. But this contradictory music makes sense when heard as an attempt to express an internal struggle – between the Kanye West hip-hop made and the West who can't be contained by it or any other genre. It is hard to stop running with the crowd, even for a trendsetter. But West is on the verge, and moving forward.[45]
Despite the latter of the two's predominant synthetic attributes and the overall electronic sound, the emphasis placed onstring arrangements that was prominent onLate Registration remained a significant factor onGraduation.[23] Similarly to its predecessor, the album was not restricted to the limits of conventionallooping techniques that are typical of traditional hip-hop production. Instead, West continued to implement sudden musicalshifts within the multi-layeredsong structures and express composedintroductions,bridges, andcodas, all of which showed attention to detail.[9][78] ForGraduation, West produced songs that combine hip-hop beats with anthemicrefrains and continued to employ his skill in layering keys, strings, and vocals to obtain themelodies of samples.[79] Through acting as his own producer, West managed to maintain quality control over the album's music to ensure that "his productions build momentum even when they revolve around a handful of repeated samples [and] nearly every song onGraduation is memorable for both itshooks and its overall sound".[80] As the album progresses, itstextures become harder and denser with every track.[63] Under the belief thatLate Registration had been far too indulgent, poorly arranged, and oversaturated with unnecessary sonic accoutrements, West took measures to simplifyGraduation.[23] West crafted the album to contain less ornate production, not have any hip-hop skits, and besequenced to produce a tighter, more cohesive package.[81]
Graduation opens on a sparse note with "Good Morning", beginning with anechoed, metronomiccowbell beat and a thumpingbassline melded with a simple,arpeggiating synthesizerdrone.[63][82] The drone is drowned by the music that arrives at the chorus, which is a conflation ofambient synths and an astral backingchoir crafted from a non-verbal vocal sample of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" byElton John.[40] "Good Morning" eventuallyconcludes with the voice of Jay-Z reiterating lyrics from "The Ruler's Back", the rapper's own opening track of his sixth studio albumThe Blueprint.[81] The production for "Champion" features intermittentdrops and808-handclaps and expresses a slightjazz-rock influence, eschewing guitars and trumpets in favor of breezy synths.[82][83] During theverses, West raps over a constant loop of the words "their eyes" while thechopped-up hook is formed from the question, "Did you realize, that you were a champion?"[2] Both phrases are recontextualized from "Kid Charlemagne" bySteely Dan.[84] The song also sports areggae-inspiredbridge delivered byConnie Mitchell in a distincttoasting vocal style.[43] The soul-fired track "I Wonder" starts off with its piano-basedrefrain, which contains samples of "My Song" byLabi Siffre.[63] It then proceeds to morph into a myriad of interlaced synths that are impacted bydistorted snare drum strokes (taken from "Ambitionz az a Ridah" by2Pac, which samples the drums from "Pee-Wee's Dance" by Joeski Love) and etherealelectric keyboards.[64] During the bridge, thechord progression changes and the song adopts a heavystring section that emulates themelody of its synths. The composition then enters an instrumental passage and finishes off with a sweeping string arrangement.[64]
"Good Life" utilizes multi-tracked, interlocking vocals that harmonize with guest singer T-Pain'sAuto-Tuned voice. The song'smelody is based on sampled keyboards from "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" by pop starMichael Jackson, with thetempo slightly decreased and thepitch raised to the point its sound resembles squealing shrieks.[9] "Barry Bonds" (named after thebaseball player) is built on a moaning bass line and Gothic organ, while punctuated by wailing sampled from "Long Red" byMountain.[76][81] "Drunk and Hot Girls" exhibits a sluggishwaltz pitched with therhythm of anEastern Europeandrinking song.[32] It contains a mix of dark orchestration and detuned electronics with elements of "Sing Swan Song" byGermanprogressive rock bandCan.[64] West claimed that while listening to their song, he heard the words "drunk and hot girls" rather than the actual "drunken hot ghost" lyrics.[85] Rather than rap, West and guest artist Mos Def sing along to the song's melody.[76] Opening with a gradual, rising crescendo of symphonicstrings, "Flashing Lights" emits synth twinklings before transforming into a moderately-paced, synth-driven beat. After theintroduction, in which Mitchell's processed vocals repeat the titularhook four times, West raps the two verses, each one followed by thechorus sung by Dwele coupled with the hook. Following abreak, the song enters a passage where its heavily manipulated hook echoes in and out before thecoda draws the composition to a close.[28] "Stronger" is built around a sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" byDaft Punk, while its echoing deep, hallow drums affect the electronic sound.[28]
Being composed with nothing more than aRhodes piano, a vocal sample, and turntablescratches, "Everything I Am" is the album's mostminimalistic production.[19] West marries adown-tempo beat to gentle piano chords which are accentuated by soulful cooing sampled from "If We Can't Be Lovers" byPrince Phillip Mitchell.[28] The low-key track has a scratched hook byDJ Premier formed with the vocal sample which says "Here we go again" taken from "Bring the Noise" byPublic Enemy from their 1988 albumIt Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.[63] With its thick, heavybass-line pattern, "The Glory" is an up-tempo number which revisits the "chipmunk-soul" that once defined the early production style of West.[15][18] It displays a sped-up andhigh-pitched vocal sample of "Save the Country" byLaura Nyro accompanied by uplifting strings, keys, and an all-malegospel choir with drums from "Long Red" by Mountain.[65] Chris Martin sings the chorus and supplies a gospel-style pianomotif while West raps over heavy yet buoyant drums on "Homecoming".[34][85] The chatter of a noisy,cheering crowd can inexplicably be heard lurking in the background throughout the track.[76] The Jay-Z ode "Big Brother" begins with West uttering the words, "Stadium status...", backed by astring orchestra, poundingdrums, a distortedguitar riff and plinking piano keys.[28] Around mid-verse, the track adopts synths that mimic themelodies of thestring section. Before the second verse, additionalinstrumentation enters; including a heavybass-line, metallicpercussion, and808-handclaps. The studio album's final track "Good Night" exhibits the production characteristics of West's next musical evolution. West juxtaposes theglitchy, mechanical sound of an8-bit beat with the more elegant, traditional sound of a classical piano.[32]
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In comparison to previous albums, which were largely driven by observational commentary on matters pertaining to social welfare,Graduation is more introspective in nature and addresses personal themes.[79][86] West stated that he wanted to make inspirational music and placed more focus on individual perspective and experience that listeners could connect with in an attempt to create "people's theme songs".[2] Dismayed that the messages behind his complex lyricism were frequently lost on listeners and did not carry well during live performances, West made an attempt to simplify his lyrics and use more simplisticrhyme schemes for more straightforward verses while concentrating on speaking volumes with sparser wording onGraduation.[2] Having committed a significant amount of time towards elevating hisstorytelling abilities by listening tofolk musicians, West manages to form a lyrical narrative within nearly every song on the album.[23] West dedicated a majority of the album towards conducting an analysis himself and conveying his ambivalent outlook on his newfound wealth and fame. As such, West's subversive songwriting fluctuates between playful self-aggrandizement and critical self-doubt.[8] While confident, extroverted and celebratory at face value, many songs contained onGraduation were thematically distanced and retainedmelancholic subtext.[65] Some music critics remarked that compounded with West's urgent, emotiverapping style, the record sounded as if he were experiencing anexistential crisis.[87]
Good Morning primarily features motivational lyrics about someone achieving their goals, but also touches on celebrity status and culture, and West's negative outlook on it. Thefree-associative "Champion" is also primarily composed of motivational lyrics, but West also briefly touches on the difficult relationship he had with his father–who divorced from his mother when he was just three-years-old–eventually reaching the conclusion that even with their ups and downs, in the end, his father was a champion in his eyes.[88] West described "Stronger" as an "emancipation", as he uses the song to vent his frustration over mistakes he has made in the past.[39] He describes his tribulations with music critics and media causing his return as a "Stronger" rapper, as the song title implies.[89] "I Wonder" carries an introspective tone, retaining a chorus about finding one's dreams, while West uses the verses to describe the struggle a person experiences in determining the meaning behind their life and achieving those dreams.[76] Inspired by watching Bono open stadium tours, West concentrated on speaking volumes without using too many words on the song and delivers his raps in an exuberant,staccato manner.[2] Using the same vocal styling, "Flashing Lights" tells the operatic narrative of man contemplating the complexities of a tragic relationship. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" serves as West's reflection on his fame and is characterized by bitter remorse and defiant self-awareness. West begins the song by expounding his conflicted feelings regarding wealth and desire, describing a compulsion to spend that overwhelms any and all other objectives in life.[76] He ties this into his perceived overall inability to keep himself together even as he grows into an increasingly prominent figure in the public eye.[63]
West regains his lyrical dexterity on "Barry Bonds", a competitive, though friendly battle with Lil Wayne in which the two MC exchangebraggadocious rhymes.[26] The song usesMajor League Baseball playerBarry Bonds as a metaphor for West's ability to create music hits.[90] "Drunk and Hot Girls" is a first-person narrative that illustrates a man courting an attractiveintoxicated woman in a club but gets more than what he bargained for.[2] "Everything I Am" is a song of self-examination, in which West attempts to confront his fallacies by surveying the consequences of his outspokenness ruminating over various ways people expect him to conduct himself. In the track, West addresses his indifference towards constructing agangster persona, his refusal to dress and act like every other rapper, his inclination towards social commentary, and his lack of self-restraint.[9] West comes to the conclusion that while he will never be able to live up to people's expectations and will always be disadvantageously flawed; it's all these imperfections and more that serve to make up who he is.[76] When writing the song, West thought of a young girl inhigh school dealing with people coming down on her.[23] The Glory, like Champion, is also motivational, featuring lyrics with West looking on his fame, and features samples from Laura Nyro's Save The Country and Mountain's Long Red.
"Homecoming" serves as a heartfelt tribute to West's hometown ofChicago,Illinois. Using anextended metaphor that personifies the city as achildhood sweetheart named Wendy, or 'Windy' (a reference to Chicago's nickname of the 'Windy City'), West rhymes about his love for Chicago and his guilt over leaving "her" to pursue his musical dream.[9] The song's opening lines lyrically paraphrase "I Used to Love H.E.R.", a similarly metaphoric hip-hop song made by West's close friend and label mateCommon, who later appeared in the single's music video.[32] West dedicated "Big Brother" toJay Z, whom he feels so close to that he sees him as a brother. Within the song, West dually details his love and admiration as well as his envy and antagonism towards Jay Z, metaphorically equating their relationship to that of asibling rivalry.[23] West also uses the song's chorus as a subsidiary dedication to his mentorNo I.D., who first taught him how to produce music.[91] Similar to its musicality, the songwriting characteristics of the album-closing track, "Good Night" alludes to West's next musical progression. The majority of song is composed of repetitive recitations of its choruses and bridges by Mos Def and Al Be Back. West melodically raps only one single verse in which he nostalgically reminisces over taking trips to the museum with his grandparents. As his verse draws to a close, West chastises that a person cannot dwell on the past, and charges himself with living his life like he has no tomorrow. In retrospect, with the death of his motherDonda West less than two months after the album was released in addition to the dissolution of his engagement with fiancée Alexis Phifer, the trace amounts ofmelancholy found scattered throughoutGraduation would all but envelop West's next studio album,808s & Heartbreak.[92][93][94]
West collaborated with Japanese contemporary artistTakashi Murakami to oversee the art direction ofGraduation as well as design the cover art for the album's accompanying singles.[95] Often called "theWarhol of Japan", Murakami's surrealistic visual art is characterized by cartoonish creatures that appear friendly and cheerful at first glance, but possess dark, twisted undertones.[96][97] The collaboration between the two came about when West visited Murakami'sKaikai Kiki studio during a brief trip toAsaka, Japan.[98] The album'sartwork expresses colorful, pastel imagery influenced by Murakami's affiliation withSuperflat, apost-modern art movement influenced bymanga andanime.[99] Its production process took place over the course of several weeks, with West constantly visualizing new images and emailing the ideas to Murakami and his team.[100] Bringing the educational theme expressed by West's previous albums to a close, the visual plotline of the images contained within theliner notes lead up to a graduation ceremony that takes places within a fictional college institution situated within a futuristic metropolis called Universe City.[48] Murakami explained the metaphor behind the artwork saying:
The cover is based on Kanye's theme of student life. School. It's a place of dreams, of righteousness, a place to have fun. It's also occasionally a place where you experience the rigiddogma of the human race. Kanye's music scrapes sentimentality and aggressiveness together likesandpaper, and he uses hisgrooves to unleash this tornado that spins with the zeitgeist of the times. I too wanted to be swept up and spun around in that tornado.[101]
The artwork's storyline centers around "Dropout Bear", West'santhropomorphic teddy bear mascot.[102] The story begins on a rainy day with Dropout being awoken by hisalarm clock, and after realising he is running late, runs out of his apartment to his car, modeled after aDeLorean. When the car's engine dies, he is forced to find an alternative means of transportation.[96] Dropout attempts to hail a cab but it speeds right past him, soaking him with puddle water. He then tries to get onto ametro rail but just misses it as it pulls away. Left with no other options, Dropout is reduced to pursuing his goal on foot. As he races down sidewalks, populated by multi-eyed, living mushrooms, Dropout is pursued by a monstrous rain cloud that attempts to swallow him whole.[103] Eventually, Dropout Bear arrives at the university and makes it to his ceremony just in time to stand before his colleagues, a wide variety of anthropomorphic creatures like himself. The visual story concludes with Dropout Bear being shot out of a cannon from the university into the sky into another stratosphere on the back cover.[28]
The cover art forGraduation was cited as the fifth best album cover of the year byRolling Stone.[104] Murakami later reproduced the artwork designs through the use ofcel-shaded animation within a three-minute animatedmusic video for the opening track "Good Morning".[103] After collaborating with West on the artwork and video, Murakami later worked with him on the cover art for West andKid Cudi's eponymous debut studio album,Kids See Ghosts (2018).[105]
While hosting a listening session for his second studio albumLate Registration on August 3, 2005, atSony Music Studios, West revealed that he wanted to schedule the release ofGraduation sometime around October 2006.[106] Several months later, on March 28, 2007, West appeared on the Los Angeles radio stationPower 106. He said that he was working on his third album and Common's seventh albumFinding Forever and rapped a few lyrics from one of his songs ina cappella.[107] On May 11, it was announced that the release date forGraduation was September 18.[48] West debuted the album'slead single "Can't Tell Me Nothing" on the New York radio stationHot 97 on May 15.[108] He then released a freemixtape under the same name onto the Internet on May 27.[109] The mixtape features preview clips of songs that would appear onGraduation and showcases various artists signed onto West's record labelGOOD Music as well as collaborations with other unaffiliated musicians.[110] It also contains "Us Placers", the debut song ofChild Rebel Soldier, a supergroup West formed withLupe Fiasco andPharrell.[109]
At the end of May,Island Def Jam pushed forward the release date forGraduation up from September to an unspecified late August date, a decision that West first announced on the introductory track of hisCan't Tell Me Nothing mixtape.[111] On July 19, the album's release date was changed once more and moved to September 11, 2007, the same US release date as rapper50 Cent's third studio albumCurtis.[112] When first presented with the proposal of his label moving the release date of his album yet again as well as the idea of a sales competition between him and 50 Cent, West initially expressed his indifference towards the thought, saying, "When I heard that thing about the debate, I thought that was the stupidest thing. When my album drops and 50's album drops, everybody wins because you're gonna get a lot of good music at the same time".[113] However, then Def Jam president and CEOJay Z welcomed competition, feeling that it would be prosperous for hip-hop, and the date became permanent.[114]
The album's release generated much publicity over a sales competition with 50 Cent'sCurtis.[115][116] Three months prior to the September 11 release date, West extended his gratitude towards 50 Cent for the enthusiasm and excitement the friendly competition had produced. Though confident that he would emerge victorious, West said that he would be perfectly fine with losing to 50 Cent, stating that he would rather "be #2 on that day rather than come out and be #1 on a day nobody cares about".[117] In an interview forUSA Today, 50 Cent expressed his view on the idea of a sales competition, stating "It's great marketing – for Kanye West. But I sell way more records than Kanye West, and I generate way more interest than Kanye West. They think they can match us up, but they'll find out when that week goes by and the sales come back. This is no rivalry".[118] "Mine will sell and his will still be on the shelf", 50 Cent toldRolling Stone.[119] On August 10, 50 Cent confirmed during an interview withSOHH that he would end his career as a solo recording artist ifGraduation were to sell more copies thanCurtis in theUnited States.[120] However, 50 Cent later retracted his statement within anMTV interview due to his contract agreements withAftermath Entertainment andInterscope Records.[121] But most retailers and radio programmers interviewed picked West, whose single, "Stronger", was Number Six onBillboard's Hot 100 -while none of 50's four singles climbed higher than the thirty-second spot.[119]
West spent a significant amount of time promotingGraduation during his trip to theUnited Kingdom.[122] On August 17, West guest starred on the British comedy-variety showThe Friday Night Project.[122] He played preview versions of the songs "Big Brother" and "Champion" from his forthcoming third album while making an appearance on DJTim Westwood's radio show on August 18.[123] Later that day, West performed atV Festival inChelmsford, England before an audience of over 50,000 people and again played new material fromGraduation as well as a tributecover ofAmy Winehouse's hit single "Rehab".[124][125] He then held a secret concert withBarbadian singerRihanna for an audience of over five hundred fans and invited guests atWestminster Central Hall in London, England on August 20.[122][126] The guests were greeted by staff members wearing graduation robes andmortarboard caps in reference to the title of West's third studio albumGraduation. At the end of the concert, a shower of silverconfetti and ticker tape readingTouch the Sky fell from the ceiling onto the audience while the actual "Touch the Sky", which was the fourthsingle fromLate Registration, was played on the speakers.[126][127]
After he returned to the United States, West joined 50 Cent onstage for a surprise performance before an audience of over 20,000 people at a show held on August 22 inMadison Square Garden duringCiara andT.I.'sScreamfest '07 tour.[128] West performed for a benefit concert raising funds for and promotinghigher education sponsored by his charity foundation on August 24 at Chicago'sHouse of Blues.[129] At the concert, he provided live renditions of songs fromGraduation and gave the audience a sneak peek of the early production stages of his fallGlow in the Dark Tour.[129] On August 28, West hosted a studio album listening session forGraduation atNew World Stages inNew York City.[2] There, West explained his influences and aspirations for the album and played songs overvideo clips taken from a variety of futuristicsci-fi films, includingTron,Akira,2046, and2001: A Space Odyssey.[2] Two days later, on the morning of August 30, theclean version of the albumleaked onto the Internet.[130] In a survey conducted byBillboard, results displayed that an estimated 44% of readers predicted thatGraduation would sell more units over 50 Cent andKenny Chesney.[131] Projections for first week scans based on early store sales reports indicated towards the 575,000–700,000 range forGraduation, whileCurtis was projected in the 500,000–600,000 range.[132] West and 50 Cent appeared on a106 & Park special titled: "Kanye West vs. 50 Cent: The Clash of the Titans", which aired on September 11. They both performed, had solo interviews, and a joint interview.[133][134] The episode was the second-highest viewed music series telecast inBET history behind 106 & Park's tribute toAaliyah in 2001.[135]
It's a great promotional tool. To me, it's the greatest thing ever. I think people should do it more often. I'm a fan of both albums. Hip-hop needs this right now.
On the first day of its release,Graduation sold over 437,000 copies.[136] The album debuted at number one on the USBillboard 200 chart, grossing a total of over 957,000 copies in its first week in the United States alone.[137]Graduation became West's second consecutive studio album to top theBillboard 200 and also debuted at number-one on the album charts in the United Kingdom and Canada.[138][139] It was within the very same week that "Stronger" topped theBillboard Hot 100, selling over 205,000digital downloads and giving West his third number-one single.[140] The album registered the best first-week sales totals of any record released within the last two years, with the last being West's ownLate Registration.[141]
Additionally,Graduation became ranked as the 15th highest sales week for an album sinceNielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, as well as the highest sales week at the time of its release for an album since 50 Cent'sThe Massacre (2005).[142] It also set the record for the largest week of an album digitally downloaded, registering over 133,000 paid downloads, beatingMaroon 5's previous set record of 102,000 forIt Won't Be Soon Before Long.[143]Graduation's first week sales of 957,000 andCurtis's first week sales of 691,000 marked only the second time ever since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan that two albums debuted within the same week with totals surpassing 623,000 copies in the United States. The first occurrence of such an event was in September 1991, whenGuns N' Roses conjunctively releasedUse Your Illusion I, which sold 685,000 copies, andUse Your Illusion II, which sold 770,000 copies. The first week sales totals ofGraduation andCurtis have outsold the first week sales totals of Guns N' Roses' two albums.[142] 50 Cent showed graciousness in regards to his defeat.[144] In a statement released to theAssociated Press, he said, "I am very excited to have participated in one of the biggest album release weeks in the last two years. Collectively, we have sold hundreds of thousands of units in our debut week. This marks a great moment for hip-hop music, one that will go down in history".[144] After years of slumping sales, the album competition between the two releases and the resulting record breaking performances both albums demonstrated was considered to be a "fantastic day for hip-hop".[116]
In its second week on theBillboard 200,Graduation outsoldCurtis, 226,000 copies to 143,000.[145] By the next week, on October 3, 2007, the former had sold a total of 1.3 million copies in the US.[146] By year's end,Graduation was the third most-downloaded and best-selling album of 2007 oniTunes Store.[147]Graduation became West's third consecutive studio album to sell over 2 million copies in the United States, and it was certifieddouble platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 2 million copies on October 18, 2007.[148] As of June 14, 2013, Nielsen Soundscan reported that the album has since grossed over 2.7 million copies in the US.[149] The 957,000 copies sold in the first week ofGraduation's release stood as the sixth largest first week sales in hip-hop history up to January 7, 2019.[150]
In the United Kingdom,Graduation debuted at number-one on theUK Albums Chart dated September 22, 2007.[151] As of August 9, 2024, the album has been certifiedtriple platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI), with sales of 900,000 copies in the UK.[152] In 2018,Official Charts Company revealed thatGraduation was the 25th highest-selling rap album in the UK in the 21st century.[153] For the issue date of September 20, 2007,Graduation debuted atop theCanadian Albums Chart.[139] On January 10, 2008, the album was certified double platinum byMusic Canada for sales of 200,000 copies.[154]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[155] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [65] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[25] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[79] |
| The Guardian | [72] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [45] |
| MSN Music (Consumer Guide) | A−[156] |
| NME | 6/10[32] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[64] |
| Rolling Stone | [81] |
| Spin | [157] |
Graduation was met with acclaim from music critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received anaverage score of 79, based on 32 reviews.[155]
Reviewing forSpin in November 2007,Charles Aaron hailedGraduation as "mesmerizing and alienating, like all the purest forms of pop culture", with music in the tradition ofPuff Daddy's late 1990s pop-rap, but more skilled: "Its music is a rush of designer adrenaline, its personality insatiable self-justification. It's the paradigm ya love to hate".[157]Pitchfork critic Mark Pytlik complimented the accessibility of West's sonic experimentations, finding it impressive and innovative how he assembled seemingly disparate elements on the songs.[64]Greg Tate, writing inThe Village Voice, dubbed him "the most genuinely confessional MC in hip-hop today" and said, "bouts of narcissism aside,Graduation contains killer pieces of production".[158]Stylus Magazine's Jayson Greene said it "serves as a document of West's maturation" and, "musically, at least, it's the most accomplished thing he's ever done".[9] InRolling Stone, Nathan Brackett wrote of West's evolving and increasingly experimental, genre-bending production and said although he lacks Jay-Z's "formal mastery", West has "grown as a writer ... given the lousy year hip-hop has had, the music needs his spazzed-out, neurotic creativity more than ever".[81]Josh Tyrangiel fromTime wrote, "West plunders the best [samples] and meticulously layers every track with enough surprises that there are thrills and discoveries a dozen listens in".[77]
Some reviewers were more qualified in their praise. ForMSN Music,Robert Christgau deemedGraduation a "minor success" in which "every single track offers up its momentary pleasures—choruses that make you say yeah on songs you've already found wanting, confessional details and emotionalaperçus on an album that still reduces to quality product when they're over". However, he felt West spent too much of the album rationalizing his obsession with his fame in sketchy fashion and occasionally awkward rhymes, "little stuff like his failure to convert 'this'-'crib'-'shit'-'live'-'serious' into a rhyme" on "Champion" or "'at bay at a distance' into an idiom" on "Big Brother".[156]Dorian Lynskey fromThe Guardian said West often "undercuts rap cliches with wit and ambivalence", but observed some disappointing lyrics such as on "Can't Tell Me Nothing", which he said revealed his limited perspective.[72]Slant Magazine critic Eric Henderson found West's lyrics "only transparently expressive", saying that the songs' hooks "grab your ear on the first listen (notably bypassing your brain), your balls on the second, and your soul from there on out", and described West's production as having "adopted a beefy, synth-glam sheen".[86] Dave Heaton fromPopMatters felt that though the album is good, it lacks the epochal feel ofLate Registration, with songs that "aren't as richly dressed" and he claimed that West "doesn't seem to be trying as hard".[76]
Graduation was named to year-end lists for 2007 by multiple publications.USA Today ranked it as the best album of the year, with the staff lauding the "musical and thematic variety" as well as "its articulate and witty rhyming".[159] The album was picked by readers ofEntertainment Weekly as the best of 2007, receiving 41 percent of the votes on the magazine's year-end poll.[160]Graduation was listed byAmazon,My List Pad, andPopMatters as the third best album of the year,[161][162] while it was also selected as one of 2007's top five albums byBlender,LAS Magazine,Rolling Stone, andSpin.[163][164][165] The album was voted in at number six onThe Village Voice'sPazz & Jop poll of the year, receiving 91 mentions.[166] On theIdolator poll for 2007, which surveyed 452 critics,Graduation was ranked at number eight.[167]
Graduation later appeared on numerous other best albums lists.Pitchfork listed the album at number 87 on their ranking of the best albums of the 2000s,[168] andComplex placed it at number 2 on their list.[169]Rolling Stone listedGraduation at number 45,[170] and it finished second on its readers list.[171]Complex ranked the album at number one on their list of the 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade (2002–2012).[172]Graduation was later included onRolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, landing at 204 on the 2020 update.[173] It also appeared at 470 onNME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 2013 list.[174]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Top 10 Albums of 2007 | 3 | |
| Billboard | 2007 Billboard Critics' Choice poll | 8 | |
| Blender | Top 10 Albums of 2007 | 4 | |
| Cleveland Magazine | The Best Albums of 2007 | 6 | |
| Complex | The 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade (2002–2012) | 1 | |
| The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s | 2 | ||
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2007 | 8 | |
| Entertainment Weekly | 2007 Readers Picks | 1 | |
| Idolator | Idolator's 2007 Pop Critics Poll | 8 | |
| LAS Magazine | Top 10 Albums of 2007 | 5 | |
| The Morning News | The Top 10 Albums of 2007 | 8 | |
| My List Pad | Top Music Albums of 2007 | 3 | |
| NME | 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 470 | |
| NPR | Best Hip-Hop of 2007 | 3 | |
| Paste | Top 100 Albums of 2007 | 15 | |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2007 | 18 | |
| The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s | 87 | ||
| PopMatters | The Albums of 2007 | 3 | |
| Prefix | Top 10 Albums of 2007 | 6 | |
| Rolling Stone | Top 50 Albums of 2007 | 5 | |
| 100 Best Albums of the 2000s | 45 | ||
| 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 204 | ||
| Spin | The 40 Best Albums of 2007 | 4 | |
| Stylus Magazine | Top 10 Albums of 2007 | 6 | |
| Thought Catalog | Top 27 Rap Albums of 2007 | 2 | |
| Time | Top 10 Albums of 2007 | 10 | |
| Time Out | The Best Albums of 2007(Mike Wolf's List) | 7 | |
| Treblezine | Top 10 Hip-hop Albums of 2007 | 2 | |
| USA Today | USA TODAY's Music Staff Year Review | 1 | |
| The Village Voice | The 2007Pazz & Jop Critics Poll | 6 |
Graduation won the award ofFavorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at theAmerican Music Awards of 2008, while also counting towards West earning the award forFavorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. With his two wins at the ceremony, West was the second biggest winner, behindChris Brown with three awards to his name. West told the crowd during his acceptance speech that despite winning the Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album award, he wanted to give the award to Lil Wayne instead. Though this stands as one of the multiple times that West has given an award of his to someone else, West also has a frequent history of complaining when he does not win an award.[192]
At the50th Annual Grammy Awards,Graduation won the award forBest Rap Album, becoming West's third consecutive album to do so.[193] The album was also nominated forAlbum of the Year at the ceremony, making West the only artist in Grammy history to receive a nomination for the award from all of their first three studio albums.[193][194] West claimed in an interview that he felt confident towardsGraduation winning the award.[195] The album was considered the favorite to win Album of the Year,[196][197][198][199][200] and its failure to win was considered by many publications to be a snub.[201][202][203][204][205] At the same ceremony, "Stronger" and "Good Life" were awardedBest Rap Solo Performance andBest Rap Song, respectively.[193] The latter also received a nomination forBest Rap/Sung Collaboration, while "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was nominated for Best Rap Song.[193] The six awards that the album led to West contending for at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were among his total of eight nominations for the ceremony, making West the most nominated music artist of that show.[206]Graduation was a contender for numerous other industry awards.
| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | HipHopDX Awards | Album of the Year | Won | [207] |
| 2008 | American Music Awards | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album | Won | [192] |
| BET Hip Hop Awards | CD of the Year | Nominated | [208] | |
| ECHO Music Awards | Album of the Year Hip-Hop / R&B | Nominated | [209] | |
| Grammy Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | [193] | |
| Best Rap Album | Won | |||
| Fonogram Hungarian Music Awards | Best Foreign Rap or Hip-Hop Album of the Year | Won | [210] | |
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Album | Nominated | [211] | |
| Swiss Music Awards | Best Album Urban International | Nominated | [212] |
The sales battle [betweenCurtis andGraduation] serves as the final battle, the winner-take-all rumble between the present (thug rap) and the future (alternative rap) for rap supremacy. The fact thatGraduation was both the bigger commercial and critical success was the death knell for thug rap, and correspondingly theModernist movement of hip-hop. When it came down to it, an album with a track titled 'I'll Still Kill' couldn't compete with a song sampling a French dance duo's unknown hit. By choosing Kanye over 50 Cent in 2007, we were saying that we had gotten bored by gangsta rap and all of its cheap imitators; we were ready for something new, and Kanye thus became one of the pioneers of hip-hop'spostmodern movement.
The critical reception and commercial success ofGraduation left a profound influence on bothhip-hop culture andpopular music.[214][215] West has earned praise for his ability to appeal to diverse music audiences such asindie-rock listeners andrave enthusiasts without alienating his core hip-hop audiences.[216] Collaborative tracks such as "Homecoming" signaled the diversification of mainstream hip-hop and its intertwining with the genres ofalternative andindie-rock in subsequent years.[217][218] In addition, songs such as "Everything I Am" have been cited as "the best example of the soulful and introspective atmosphere that came to dominate the rap world, fromDrake toThe Weeknd".[219] Irish rock bandU2 has imparted that touring with West on their Vertigo Tour in turn had a significant effect on their own music as well in regards to the band's twelfth studio albumNo Line on the Horizon (2009).[14] Lead singer Bono elaborated that West's rapping inspired him to utilize more percussiveconsonants for his songwriting andvocalperformance.[14]
West's third studio album, particularly with its twohit singles "Stronger" and "Flashing Lights", has been attributed to not only encouraging other hip-hop artists to incorporate house andelectronica elements into their music, but also for playing a role in therevival ofdisco andelectro-infused club music in the late-2000s.[215][13] "Flashing Lights" was a leading part of a wave ofsynthesizer-driven music which combined danceableelectro beats with an accessiblepop format.[215] It was succeeded by the high chart placings and multi-platinum sales ofsingles by artists and bands ranging from "Just Dance" (2008) by singerLady Gaga to "Right Round" (2009) by rapperFlo Rida.[220][13]
Graduation marked a musical progression towardssynth-based production in regards to the art of crafting hip-hop beats.[218] The studio album demonstrated West's shift fromsample-orientated hip-hop production and more towardsdigital synths anddrum machines generated bydigital audio workstations (DAW).[218] While samples are present throughout the album, they were fewer in number and not nearly as prominent.[218] As hip-hop producerAnthony Kilhoffer recalled toBillboard in 2017 forGraduation's 10th anniversary, "I think it was the first time having a heavy hand in the use ofelectronic music in hip-hop. Previous to that it was veryR&B influenced, tracks like 'Stronger' and 'Flashing Lights' contained very electronic type of elements. This was way beforeEDM became mainstream, and marked the end of the jersey-wearing era in hip-hop".[221] SinceGraduation's release, countless other record producers have followed suit in blurring the lines of conventional hip-hop with the incorporation ofelectronic production.[222] This synth-driven production approach has since been adopted by artists includingFuture,Young Chop, andMetro Boomin.[218]
The outcome of the highly publicized sales competition between 50 Cent'sCurtis and West'sGraduation has been accredited to the commercial decline of thegangsta rap that once dominated mainstream hip-hop.[214] Ben Detrick ofXXL cites West beating 50 cent in sales as being responsible for altering the direction of hip-hop and paving the way for new rappers who did not follow thehardcore-gangster mold, writing, "If there was ever a watershed moment to indicate hip-hop's changing direction, it may have come when 50 Cent competed with Kanye in 2007 to see whose album would claim superior sales. Kanye led a wave of new artists—Kid Cudi,Wale,Lupe Fiasco,Kidz in the Hall,Drake—who lacked the interest or ability to create narratives about any pastgunplay ordrug-dealing".[223]The Michigan Daily columnist Adam Theisen asserts that West's win once and for all "prove[d] that rap music didn't have to conform to gangsta-rap conventions to be commercially successful".[224]Rolling Stone remarked that "While Kanye West's decisive triumph over 50 seems inevitable in retrospect, it's easy to forget how much of an underdog he was at the time.The College Dropout andLate Registration sold a combined 7 million copies in the U.., but 50 Cent's own first two albums,Get Rich or Die Trying andThe Massacre, sold nearly 14 million, almost exactly twice as much. West had the last laugh:Graduation sold nearly 1 million copies in one week, and rap became the playground of emotional heroes like Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, Drake, andJ. Cole".[225] In retrospect,Highsnobiety writer Shahzaib Hussain recognizesGraduation in West's opening trilogy of highly successful, education-themed albums that "cemented his role as aprogressive rap progenitor".[226]
Going further, Noah Callahan-Bever,chief content officer andeditor-in-chief forComplex Media, marked September 11, 2007: "The Day Kanye West Killed Gangsta Rap".[227] In a retrospective, Lawrence Burney ofNoisey expands on this notion by asserting that the event caused the more aggressive forms of rap music to undergo an evolution. He continued writing, "Gangsta rap, street music, and the like have yet to recover from that showdown, as only two albums of the sort have goneplatinum in the 2010s—Kevin Gates'Islah andMeek Mill'sDreams Worth More Than Money—If anything, street music has also made a shift since Kanye began to peal back more layers of himself onGraduation; 50's whole get up was about being an indestructible, emotionless robot. Now, what connects fans to artists like Gates and Meek is that they aren't afraid to rhythmically cry about lost loves ones and the price of fame".[214] Likewise,Billboard wrote, "In 2007, Kanye West trumped 50 Cent in an epic sales battle, in which his opusGraduation trouncedCurtis by several hundred thousand copies. Ye's emotive raps onGraduation, intertwined with his evolution on the production side, inspired a new wave ofMCs to take notes. .. While gangsta rap still has a seat in the ever-expanding classroom of hip-hop, vulnerability and experimentation now serve as the leading candidates in creating your prototypical MC. Because of songs like 'I Wonder', 'Flashing Lights', and 'Stronger'", the hip-hop artists of today "cling on to Kanye's indomitable body of work like a go-to study guide".[228] The competition between 50 Cent and West, when the two released their studio albums on the same day, was penultimate in a series of articles that lists fifty key events in the history ofR&B and hip-hop music, written by Rosie Swash ofThe Guardian. Swash wrote that it "highlighted the diverging facets of hip-hop in the last decade; the former was gangsta rap for the noughties, while West was the thinking man's alternative".[229]
FollowingGraduation's release, West became a frequent source of controversy for his conduct on social media and during interviews, including callingslavery in the United States "a choice" and makingantisemitic statements. The catchphrase "he madeGraduation" became a popularinternet meme as fans attempted to rationalize West's controversies by reminding themselves he created one of the most beloved hip-hop albums. West acknowledged the meme in February 2025, when he ended aTwitter rant about wealth and power in the United States with "and I madeGraduation".[230]
Credits adapted from liner notes.[28]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Good Morning" | West | 3:15 | |
| 2. | "Champion" |
| 2:47 | |
| 3. | "Stronger" | 5:12 | ||
| 4. | "I Wonder" |
| West | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Good Life" (featuringT-Pain) | 3:27 | ||
| 6. | "Can't Tell Me Nothing" |
|
| 4:31 |
| 7. | "Barry Bonds" (featuringLil Wayne) |
| 3:24 | |
| 8. | "Drunk and Hot Girls" (featuringMos Def) | 5:13 | ||
| 9. | "Flashing Lights" (featuringDwele) |
|
| 3:57 |
| 10. | "Everything I Am" (featuring scratches byDJ Premier) | West | 3:47 | |
| 11. | "The Glory" |
|
| 3:32 |
| 12. | "Homecoming" (featuringChris Martin) | 3:23 | ||
| 13. | "Big Brother" |
| Toomp | 4:47 |
| Total length: | 51:23 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Good Night" (featuring Al Be Back and Mos Def) |
|
| 3:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Can't Tell Me Nothing" (remix featuringYoung Jeezy) |
|
| 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Good Night" (featuring Al Be Back and Mos Def) |
|
| 3:06 |
| 15. | "Stronger" (A-Trak Remix) |
| West | 4:34 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Good Night" (featuring Al Be Back and Mos Def) |
|
| 3:06 |
| 15. | "Bittersweet Poetry" (featuringJohn Mayer) |
| West | 4:01 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Stronger" (A-Trak Remix) |
| West | 4:34 |
| 15. | "Stronger" (AD Remix Main) |
| West | 4:48 |
Notes:[28]
Sample credits:
Credits are adapted from liner notes.[28]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[326] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[154] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[327] | 4× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[328] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| Iceland (FHF)[329] | Gold | 2,500[330] |
| Ireland (IRMA)[331] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Italy (FIMI)[332] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[333] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[334] | 4× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Russia (NFPF)[335] | Gold | 10,000* |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[336] | Gold | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[337] | 3× Platinum | 900,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[338] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Collaborative albums |
|
| Live albums | |
| Compilations |
|
| Visual albums | |
| Mixtapes | |
| DVDs | |
| Films | |
| Tours | |
| Books | |
| Fashion | |
| Family |
|
| Related articles | |
