Graduation will go down as one of the greatest albums dropped by the notorious Kanye West. Debuted in fall of 2007, it instantly took off and is one of the most played albums of all time. It is composed of thirteen songs. Kanye combines his lyrical genius with his signature catchy beat on Graduation. Kanye took some criticism before dropping Graduation for taking so long to release the album but once it hit the public it exploded off the charts. It hit record numbers for most played album all around, meaning every song in the album was played a lot, rather than just one hit song which is the case for many hot albums.

                Over the last 15 years, Kanye West has provided the hip-hop community with countless stories and hits. His 2007 album Graduation is no exception. West is known for his hip-hop beats and his deep verses. Listeners can relate to his words and connect to his songs. He has a deeper meaning to all his songs, and it is almost fun to listen to them and try and uncover the secret meaning that Kanye delivers in all his lyrics. I think Graduation is telling a detailed story of a young Kanye growing up in the music industry and learning how to make it big from his mentors, some of which are featured on the album. This album has affected the lives of many people and have blessed the ears of anyone who has got to hear it. Although the album is old, it features songs which are still on many playlists. Including mine.
                     In Graduation, Kanye uses samples from other songs. In the song “Champion” there is a nostalgic line from the well-known Steely Dan song “Kid Charlemagne” which is used as the chorus throughout the song and puts me in a very groovy, energetic mood. Old samples like these can bridge the gap between music genres, as well as generations of people who can now enjoy the song together. Another great example of this was on “I Wonder” and was from “My Song” by Labi Siffre. It is an extremely powerful part of the song and laid the baseline for the reminiscence that Kanye was trying to express throughout the album. Labi Siffre’s sample also brought an old-school soul feeling to the song. These samples can draw people that enjoy other music genres to the song.

                    West is a very diverse musician and he shows us this on Graduation. He has recently been experimenting with different genres of music. He has ventured into soul, pop, and Gospel. In the song “Good Morning” he raps about how lucky he is to be waking up as him, and does it in a very kick-starting, feel-good way. This shows his diversity and really pulls the singing parts together when he can rap in a more meaningful way.

                    The features on this album are, in my opinion, the coolest part. Since the album is portraying how Kanye grew to be the musician he is now, it is only fitting that many of his features are by people who helped him get to where he is. Many of his mentors such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne as well as T-Pain appeared on Graduation, these other artists helped set the tone for what Kanye was trying to get across to the listener. Outside of his fellow rappers, another feature that added very nicely to the album was by Chris Martin from Coldplay, his singing added a different aspect to the hip-hop album, and at the same time added a voice that had the ability to profoundly float the sound.

                    I strongly urge anyone to listen to Graduation. And I mean anyone.  It is an extremely well put together album, and you can find different, interesting sounds every time you tune in. Although it is not a perfect album, it is one that I think people of many different likes of music genres can enjoy. This album will be remembered for many years. I rate Graduation 4.5/5. But you will have to experience it for yourself.