What a fucking jackass.

You know what, I don't think he's a jackass. The whole:
"Ye, we love the album"
"I know, isn't it great? I love it too." bit is just too perfect. Yes, he's arrogant, but I'm not put off by it the way that I am by, say, 50 Cent.

Too bad Graduation simply isn't very good.

Wait, really? I'm sorry: I'm wearing my love of Graduation on my sleeve. I found it iffy at first, too, but after sitting down with it about twenty times or so now, that record just keeps on growing. Also, I have to say that Kanye's first three records are the best first three records of any hip hop artist since A Tribe Called Quest.

If you really think that Rob, you might consider going out and buying Outkast's first three albums. It's not even close.

Anyone who says Graduation isn't good is deaf. Sure Casey, Outkast is good but that's just because of Andre 3000. I don't think Big Boi stands on his own as amazing. Kanye's production, samples and lyrics are consistantly different and better than anything else coming out from hiphop artists today.

Meh. I won't deny OutKast has some serious jams, but as far as putting albums together? I find about half of Aquemini unlistenable, and Southernplayalistic is fun but not really great. ATLiens is probably their best, most coherent statement, and I like that album probably as much as the first three Kanye records. However, I think as a whole, Kanye's records are still better.

Mos, Talib and Common are all doing albums that are more daring, better lyrically, and are generally smarter than this latest by the "Louis Vuitton Don". Drunk and Hot Girls might be the singularly dumbest song I've heard this year.

And I'm tired of hearing people talk incessantly about "production" as if it's some kind of ultimate trump. Production doesn't mean shit if the flow is weak (and it is), the samples are either tired or forced (and they are) and the concept of rapping over 15 year old Euro beats makes him sound like a really, really devoted fan of the KLF. Such a big deal was made about his forays into electronica...so does he use The Knife or Modeselektor or Ellen Allien? Nope...here's a 6 year old Daft Punk sample. He's also running low on the sped up 70's soul samples at his disposal.

One of the reasons his first two albums were great was because there was a real fight going on between the spoiled brat who made it big and the thoughtful kid who wanted to make a difference. Unfortunately, this album proves that it's the brat who won and tracks like "Everything I Am" come off dishonest after the onslaught of braggodocio that precedes it. Hey look! There's the pop collaboration with the Coldplay guy! The video basically makes itself. The album feels forced, lazy and probably worst of all for his genre, dated.

Oh man Daaaaave, you're hitting all my knee jerk reactions here. First off, Common is not a good lyricist. Maybe at some point (like his verse on Respiration), but ever since One Day dude has been in a downward spiral into easily the most laughable MC on the planet. I'd rather listen to my sixteen year old cousin freestyle than listen to Common rap. And, let's be honest here, the only reason he's still viable at this point is due to Kanye's production on Be.

Ok, Drunk and Hot Girls is easily the weakest track on the album, I'll give you that. But the Chris Martin song is good, and trust me, I hate Coldplay. Everyone freaking out about that song reminds me so much of the same way people freaked out about Vinia Mojica singing on Tribe's album, and then, like, four years later the smoothed out R&B vocals were dominating all things hip hop.

Oh yeah: KLF IS GONNA ROCK YOU!

Chris Martin wasn't added because Kanye absolutely needed THAT voice for the track. He was added because any single by "Kanye West (ft. Chris Martin of Coldplay)" means a radio-friendly single getting air on ACM as well as the hip hop and top 40 channels.

Aside from Drunk and Hot Girls, imo Flashing Lights is pretty much totally pointless unless it's some sort of absurd homage to Dimitri From Paris. Big Brother just another celebrity pseudodrama "revelation".

He's becoming just another rapper that cares first and foremost about sales (no need to even mention that whole weak beef with 50) and seems to be losing the capability to distinguish persona from person. Just another caricatured artifice relying on his production to differentiate him from the rest of the heap. There's no Jesus Walks on this album. There's not even a Diamonds from Sierra Leone (remix) on the album. Just a relatively inspired opening couple of tracks followed up by a flabby middle and maudlin end where the most insight you get is variations on mo' money mo' problems.