- Label
- Mercury
- Release date
- 10th September 2007
- Genre
- Hip hop
- Buy this album
- Order CD
Untouchable hip-hopper maintains prolific output with oddly muted offering
There’s no doubt that Kanye West is an excellent producer and rapper – leagues ahead, in fact, of most of his peers in terms of production standards, lyrical output and delivery, and industry clout. But this new offering, preceded by bizarre Daft Punk-sampling track Stronger and a summer of festival appearances (including a performance with Swedish popsters Peter, Björn and John) is more workmanlike than dazzling.
As with the Wu-Tang Clan before him, much of Kanye’s recent work smacks of living up to what’s expected from him – indeed, many of the beats on the Graduation appear to have taken significant influence from RZA’s own shuffling, loping patterns. Big-name collaborations with Lil Wayne, Mos Def and DJ Premier provide the album’s highlights; the rest of the tracks are socially conscious, and Good Morning and I Wonder stand out as a real return to his moody, soulful best, but something’s lacking. And Stronger really is a stinker of a single.
More to try: Mr J Medeiros: Of Gods And Girls De La Soul: Stakes Is High Rodney P: The Future
