Gone was the bombast of 2007’s Graduation, the majesty of 2005’s Late Registration, and the jaunt of his 2004 debut, College Dropout. However, all of that loneliness and guilt, further amplified by West’s separation from his fiancee, Alexis Phifer, manifested into 808s & Heartbreak, which debuted 10 years ago today. When his mother Donda died in 2007, everything changed. Between each bar, he quietly teased an inner vulnerability that was rare among his peers, meditating on his faith, his family, and his racial consciousness. With his first three albums, Kanye rose to the top of the world, flaunting his fame with a critical eye over bouncy soul samples and synth-heavy arena rock. Such is the enigma that is Kanye West.In 2008 - before the Kardashians, before the Twitter tirades, before the #MAGA bullshit - there was Kanye West, producer extraordinaire, brash Chicagoan, Back to the Future superfan. Yeezus and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy are sonically different and groundbreaking in their own ways. And yes, we could probably write five reasons those are ‘Ye’s greatest albums as well. He changed up his style for 808s and Heartbreak, and has been doing the same with every album since. Another album with extremely soulful production wouldn’t make Kanye the creative genius that he is today.

Kanye finally decided to change things up. He had followed his typical route of school-themed albums with College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation and thankfully, the fourth record wasn’t a grad school reference. The fact that such an influential and dark album – from a rapper no less – managed this feat without dumbing down the essence is nothing short of revolutionary in the hip-hop game. Lil Wayne does curse once during his verse on “See You In My Nightmares,” but the CD version edits it out.

There’s no cursing or suggestive lyrics throughout the entire tape. But when playing 808s, I quickly realized that Kanye’s album is pretty mellow content-wise. Typically, that calls for finding the edited version or skipping songs all together. I remember playing the album in the car with my parents and grandmother a few months after it was released. And ever since the album dropped, the introspective sing-songy emcees have been coming out of the woodwork in droves. ‘Ye provided rappers with a platform to share their art, which is the whole point of G.O.O.D Music’s mantra: getting out our dreams. Yes, emotional rappers were nothing new (Joe Budden has made a career out of it), but outside of Drake, you’ve now also got Travi$ Scott, whose entire discography sounds like a rebellious 808s and Heartbreak. Influence is everything.ĭrake‘s whole sound is a more refined, clean-cut and thought-out version of 808s and Heartbreak. Kid Cudi is one of the leaders of the new school, and his upcoming Speedin’ Bullet To Heaven should be nothing short of amazing. Cudi himself has mentioned that if he rapped about money, cars, and hoes, there would be no Drake. 808s and Heartbreak is essentially Cudi’s sound with Kanye’s voice – similar to Drake’s Take Care being so heavily influenced by The Weeknd’s moody temperament. And after Man on the Moon: The End of Day, the sound is technically grandfathered by Kid Cudi. What was sing-rapping before Kid Cudi? Sure, there’s Drake, but So Far Gone dropped seven months after A Kid Named Cudi came out. How often do we actually get to hear Kanye sing? The only thing more entertaining is his dancing. The Auto-Tune highlighted Kanye’s shortcomings, but ironically, the weakest part of 808s is also its biggest strength.

It was also refreshing to hear someone other than T-Pain using Auto-Tune. On top of the vulnerability in his music, the earnestness in ‘Ye’s voice added another layer of emotion. We all know Kanye West can’t really sing, but watching him belt out notes he can’t hit was such an endearing quality about the album. Here are five reasons 808s and Heartbreak is Kanye West’s best album yet. It’s safe to say the rap/singing game has changed since, and Kanye had a huge part in that. But back in 2008, it was a few years ahead of its time, and like any worthwhile piece of art, it drew both good and bad criticism. An album of its sort today would be more expected and lauded by the public. It’s been seven years since Kanye West dropped the boundary-pushing 808s and Heartbreak.

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