Released: 2007

Genres: Pop Rap, Electropop, Chipmunk Soul

The Musiquarium’s Graduation Review Score: 5/5

Kanye West set a high standard for himself with the releases of The College Dropout and Late Registration, so Graduation had a lot to live up to as the third and final album of his unofficial “College Trilogy”. Fortunately, Graduation is another A+ album.

The Elton John-sampling Good Morning starts off like an alarm clock, getting you out of bed and ready for work, school, or whatever mundane, adult responsibilities are awaiting you. Champion breathes new life into Steely Dan’s 1976 hit, Kid Charlemagne. Stronger takes Daft Punk’s already stellar Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and transforms it into one of Kanye’s biggest pop hits. I Wonder is full of wonder.

Good Life sounds very typical of mid 2000s pop, but I’d opt for it over thousands of other songs that are far less endearing, from musicians who are far less interesting. Can’t Tell Me Nothing finds balance between introspection and braggadocio. Barry Bonds has a Lil Wayne feature that I could do without, but the killer instrumental makes tolerating him worth it. The controversial Drunk and Hot Girls samples the classic 1972 Can’s track, Sing Swan Song.

The sexy Flashing Lights features glamorous synths, sensual female vocals, and a line only Kanye would think up, negatively comparing the paparazzi to Nazis. The emotional, piano-driven Everything I Am is emotional and soulful. The Glory features Kanye’s signature use of sped-up vocal samples. Homecoming features Coldplay frontman, Chris Martin. Big Brother sees Kanye rapping about his nuanced brotherly relationship with JAY-Z.

While I wouldn’t say that Graduation is quite as flawless or poignant as its predecessors, it’s still a masterpiece of pop songwriting, features some of Kanye’s biggest hits yet, and is an important crossover in pop and rap. Compared to his contemporaries though, they could only dream of making such an album.

Trivia: Graduation won Best Rap Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Kanye West on Discogs.

Back to the 2007 Album Guide or the Kanye West Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard