Weekly Album Review: 808’s & Heartbreaks
Written by willshoob on Wednesday, 26 of November , 2008 at 11:11 pm
Some describe Kanye West as a genius. An absolutely brilliant man who puts everything he has into each and every one of his songs. Others describe Mr. West as an egocentric ass hole who spends more time talking shit then he does making music. However you describe Kanye West, you have to admit one thing… The man is creative. From his ridiculously upscale, theatrical, Glow In The Dark Tour, to his latest venture, which is capturing the concept of an auto-tuned record. There is only one artist who has broken into the mainstream, while never using their actual voice on records. He goes by the name T-Pain, and most people think he’s a joke. So why did Kanye West decide to make a whole album auto-tuned, when he has had so much success rapping instead of singing like a robot? I personally believe that Kanye feels like he is too big for hip-hop. He is such a superstar, that he has to break away from hip-hop and turn into a pop star, or even a megastar. I personally don’t get this, because I consider Kanye West to be one of the most acclaimed, popular rappers in the world today. So I’m just wondering why he would erase any piece of amazing work he’s created in the past, by scarring his resume with this album. Kanye West is a rapper, not a pop artist.
The album starts off with Kanye melodramatically whining about his heartbreak. The auto-tune makes him sound whiny, even if his intention is anger or hate. The beat for the opening track, “Say You Will” sounds like a robot porno in which one robot has to dramatically leave forever, and cause heartbreak to both involved in the relationship. I feel awful criticizing his work, because this whole album is about his fiancee calling off their marriage, and his beloved mother dying. I just feel like if he were to rap this entire album, it wouldn’t be considered such a joke by a large portion of music critics.The auto-tune seemed to sap all creativity that Kanye had. My personal favorite, “Welcome To Heartbreak” is the next track. This song features a great, catchy chorus, by Kid Cudi. That alone is the only reason I enjoy this song. Kanye is trying to get sympathy from his audience, but I just feel like it’s a joke because of the auto-tune. He says “My friends showed me pictures of their kids, and all I could show was pictures of my crib.” That is a really, really sad line, but I can’t take it seriously. I sort of just laugh when I hear it, because the auto-tune has diminished any emotion that may occur from this song otherwise. Kanye sings (not raps) over a beat that came straight out of an anticlimactic movie chase. It seems that all these songs can be described as over dramatic, or anticlimactic.
I’m not going to talk about the songs that were leaked, because you all know how I feel about those. Another song I enjoy (besides the auto-tune) is “Street Lights.” People seem to enjoy this song, but I still can’t get over the auto-tune. Kanye is in a difficult position. The idea behind hip-hop is lyrics and the vocalist, and I can’t drown that out with this album, because I consider Kanye a hip-hop artist. I just can’t get over the fact that he’s using a machine to hide his perfectly pleasant rapping voice. Anyways, “Street Lights” sounds like a hit to me. It features a touching, building beat, and a timid, gentle voice. It has some nice backup vocals, reassuring Kanye’s voice, but it all goes to shit in the last 15 seconds when he puts some weird effect on his voice, on top of the auto-tune.
Kanye said that this was the most “gangster” album of the year. That is probably the most incorrect thing I’ve heard in a long time. Gangster rap, to me at least is tough, rebellious, and not afraid to say whatever the hell you want. 808’s & Heartbreaks is an ode to commercial radio, and timid music. So many people are saying that Kanye is so brave for making this album, but in all actuality he is really quite the opposite. Kanye made a safe album, because he’s afraid of failure. I imagine being the biggest star in the world can do that to you, but he has to realize what got him to be the biggest star in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong, Kanye West made three absolutely fantastic albums, and I will continue to love and support those three albums, but this is bullshit. I saw him on Conan O’Brien last night, and he said he used the auto-tune because he considered it “art.” Anyone defending Kanye answer me this question: Do you consider T-Pain an artist, or do you consider him a commercial radio god, feasting off ringtone checks and Billboard chart topping singles? How is Kanye West an artist when he uses the auto-tune, but T-Pain can be called a joke for essentially doing the same thing?
Here’s the last thing I’m going to say… I’ve been extremely harsh on Kanye for his latest work, but I feel like I have a right to be. People are saying he’s “experimenting.” I think he has the success to experiment and make an album for himself, but experiment with something interesting. It’s not experimentation if someone else has already conquered and beat the concept to death.
P.S. If you have a different opinion, I’d love to hear your comment… But if you’re just going to call me stupid or an asshole, please don’t leave a comment.
Kanye West- Welcome To Heartbreak (Feat. Kid Cudi)
Category: Miscellaneous
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Comment by riddle
Made Thursday, 27 of November , 2008 at 1:16 am
i don’t think he’s afraid. maybe he had a little spinning around in his head, but i think he mostly wanted to do something raw, quasi-pure, something true. it’s like a confession… on the rap-sing floor.
Comment by Josh
Made Thursday, 27 of November , 2008 at 1:20 am
you have it totally right. this album is a joke, he can’t be serious. its really upset me because i am a die hard kanye fan!
if you havent heard it already i recommend the DJ earworm mash up of love lockdown and reckoner (radiohead), that is the one good thing that has come of this album, or as far as i can anyway
Comment by MoVoodoo
Made Thursday, 27 of November , 2008 at 3:27 am
Although I would tend to agree with you about the whole auto-tune thing. There is something that the auto tune lends to this album, and to this song in particular. Detatchment. It’s like Kanye has come so far and yet that has left him alone and not part of the “family”. Quite possibly, the most artistic album Kanye has done to date..the levels here with the lyrics and the sounds are amazing. Still have to agree though the auto tune has been overused in much of todays music.
Comment by GV
Made Monday, 1 of December , 2008 at 2:51 pm
Consider me in the supreme minority who thoroughly enjoys T-Pain. I have all 3 of his albums and honestly, the man is talented. I’m all for his catchy, club music but Kanye doesn’t go about auto-tune in that way on 808s. He’s said it’s to go along with the electronic/detached vibe of the album. Take it for what you will but i think he used it well.
Some perspective: I really dig 808s, but Graduation is my favorite. That said, I hate genre pigeonholing so for me, I can discard his past catalog and listen to 808s in context of the present time.
Just my 2 cents.
Comment by Alex Casnoff
Made Monday, 1 of December , 2008 at 9:46 pm
KANYE WEST IS SUPER GAY
Comment by erik
Made Tuesday, 2 of December , 2008 at 6:11 am
i think he is genius, an auto-tune isnt auto-destroying music, still you gotta have voice to make it sound right.. and who knows, maybe he thinks it sounds cool? some people may wont that autotune, cause they think it sounds futuristic, the 808beats isnt really authentic either huh?
Comment by MJ
Made Tuesday, 2 of December , 2008 at 5:11 pm
Do you make any kind of art yourself? Music? Painting? Photography? Film? Design?
I may be wrong, but I’m just going to guess the answer is no. Otherwise you would understand how incredibly frustrating it is for an artist to be told that he/she belongs in a specific label, and should stick to its boundaries.
By the way - auto tune is nothing more than a tool. Like a paintbrush or a camera. The difference between T-Pain and Kanye West is the way in which they use it. T-Pain is not an artist because he creates assembly line pop songs with no thought or substance. Kanye IS an artist because he creates infectious pop songs that are still rooted in heart and personal experience.
Comment by Ben Danner
Made Wednesday, 3 of December , 2008 at 9:19 pm
For the record, T-Pain actually has used his real voice on some tunes. The first one that comes to my mind is “Know What I’m Doin” with Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross. He sings the hook, without auto-tune.
Comment by roro
Made Sunday, 7 of December , 2008 at 7:57 am
I agree for the most part. When I heard about this album I absolutely refused to listen to it. But if you look at it from a less idealistic perspective (ignoring the fact that auto tune is electronically generated) you begin to see that Kanye West is transcending boundaries. In all albums, there are some songs where we question the integrity of an artist’s ideals. But it is the special songs, the one that we can’t help listening to repeatedly. I think those songs (streetlights, heartless, maybe coldest winter) are the ones that make this album special. BUT, hopefully Mr. West will come back with a RAP album that gets us back on track…hopefully, because it’s hard to go back when you get into singing.
Comment by Emmy
Made Friday, 23 of January , 2009 at 6:11 am
Obviously, the autotune is a fun effect. Not a device for hiding bad notes. Kanye knows he can’t sing, so he played that up.
Kanye = life
