Graduation - an early review

I was a broadcast journalism major at University, concentrating on radio because that's what I wanted to do.

I served as music director at WTBU, the campus radio station and last time I checked, the system I implemented is still in use today.

Long story short, I feel like I know a thing or three about music, or at least I did before I stopped listening to new music due to disappointment and lack of anything grabbing my attention...

OK, that's a lie. I still listen to all sorts of music, new and old and my latest is...



This is the third album by Mr. West, winner of six Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album for his first two efforts, College Dropout and Late Registration.

It's funny. I don't watch much BET, but while checking out We Got To Do Better, I noticed an ad for a future episode of 106 and Park, a spin-off of Total Request Live which makes sense since MTV purchased BET behind the scenes a couple of years back.

Anyway, they were teasing to Tuesday, the official release date of Graduation and 50 Cent's newest effort, Mr. Curtis. Straight from Wikipedia,

50 Cent claimed that he will stop releasing solo albums if Curtis will not sell more copies than Graduation. However, 50 Cent would later dispel his comments.

I'm guessing he pulled back after realizing that Kayne's album was going to be harder, better, faster, stronger...

OK, so that's the title of the Daft Punk track West sampled for his second single, "Stronger". The first, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is already catching into the lexicon of the time, quoted on Facebook and bumping out of car windows nationwide.

See, West is easily one of the best producers around. Add to that he changed his sound for each album and it doesn't matter that lyrically-speaking his topic matter will always outdo his actual output.

What all of this means is another early favorite for another Grammy, thanks to tracks like "Drunk & Hot Girls" with Mos Def, "Everything I Am" and "The Glory". Those tracks likely won't get radio play like the latest single, "Good Life" which debuted on the HBO television show Entourage.

You can jump through tracks and pick your favorites, but I'll bet you don't do that as much as you might on say, Late Registration. It's an album best for the car, just so you can pump tracks as loud as you want, but you may want to sit down for the track for true hip hop heads.

"Big Brother" is three verses about the relationship between West and Def Jam president Jay-Z and the chorus tells it all.

My big brother was B.I.G.'s brother.
Used to be Dane and B.I.G.'s brother
Who was Hip Hop's brother, who was No ID's friend
No ID my mentor, now let the story begin.

To help out those on the outside, B.I.G. is Chris Wallace, A.K.A., the Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls. Dane is short for Dane Dash, the co-founder of Rockafella Records and former business partners with Jay-Z, Hip Hop is Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua and No I.D. is a producer from Chicago who worked with Common.

I would go on, but take a listen and see for yourself. As for me, I don't have a rating system anymore, but how about 9 out of 10 or a solid A.

Let's see Mr. Curtis top that...