808s and Heartbreak
Hip-hop artist and producer Kanye West knows how it feels to suffer heartache. In November 2007, his mother passed away, and in April 2008, he annulled a two-year engagement to his fianc?e. Four months later, he was arrested twice for being hostile towards the paparazzi, once breaking a camera.
On Nov. 24, 2008, Kanye West released his self-produced fourth studio album, 808s and Heartbreak. Notable for his witty rhymes and humorous self-deprecation, his lyrics have become more sullen. He uses Auto-Tune (phase vocoder) and the Roland TR-808 Composer (programmable drumming machines) copiously.
On Kanye's lead single, "Love Lockdown," he sings heavily under the influence of Auto-Tune with syncopated piano strokes and thunderous drums, enticing the listener.
Kanye raps sans vocoder on his second single, "Heartless," but sings with Auto-Tune on the chorus. He exposes his true feelings when he laments, "You got a new friend, well I got homies/But in the end it's still so lonely."
He uses dramatic 808 drum thumps over the somber "Coldest Winter." Kanye moans, "It's 4 a.m. and I can't sleep/Her love is all that I can see."
On the Lil' Wayne-assisted "See You in My Nightmares," Kanye is brash over an eerie and momentous beat. He harshly shouts, "Tell everybody that you know/That I don't love you no more."
His production on "Say You Will" stands out. The softly pattered drums and keyboard precision is fully engaging. However, on a lyrical level, he mutters uninventive lines, such as "When I grab your neck/I touch your soul." Halfway into the track, the instrumental plays out for three minutes, making the track a lengthy 6 minutes and 18 seconds.
Kanye West is brave to starkly change his musical delivery under heavy media scrutiny. He expresses his sorrows with passion and pours his soul into the production, but even Auto-Tune cannot conceal his poor singing ability. He abandoned the introspective lyricism that his fans crave. As a successful rapper and producer, Kanye as a singer is a hard pill to swallow.