It isn’t hip-hop in the conventional sense. But you’d have to have a pretty good internal compass to bet your future on where that wind’s gonna take you. You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, Dylan sang-a line, incidentally, from the first electric song of his that most people would have heard (“Subterranean Homesick Blues”). Like Dylan, the new direction made him a genius to some and a traitor to others-a split that highlighted both the divisiveness of his art and the conservative streak in a scene where the imperative to keep it real can be as stifling as it is comforting. Like Dylan, Kanye didn’t need the fame or credibility: His third (and third multiplatinum) album, 2007’s Graduation, had come out only a year earlier, and he’d already established himself as the kind of visionary who could steer the conversation while hovering somewhere above it. West’s lyrics on the album explore themes of loss, alienated fame, and heartache, inspired by the breakup with his fiancée, his struggles with pop stardom, and the death of his mother.Perhaps the best comparison for 808s & Heartbreak is when Bob Dylan went electric in 1965.
The production also abandons conventional hip hop sounds in favor of a minimalist sonic palette, with prominent use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine.
The sessions also featured guest appearances by vocalists such as Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, Mr Hudson, and Lil Wayne.Ĭonceived in the wake of several distressing personal events for West, 808s & Heartbreak marked a major musical departure from his previous rap records, instead featuring a sparse, electronic sound and vocals sung through an Auto-Tune processor. West recorded the album during September and October 2008 at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the help of producers No I.D., Jeff Bhasker, and others. It was released on November 24, 2008, by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. 808s & Heartbreak is the fourth studio album by American vocalist and record producer Kanye West.
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