Multiple Grammy Award winning musical phenomenon, rapper, producer Kanye West returned in 2008 with his fourth album, the ambitious 808s & Heartbreak. The introspective electro-pop leaning release veers from his previous three albums (The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation) not only in sound, but in conception and it finds West singing as much if not more than he raps often with the aid of an auto-tune voice processor. Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the two hit singles "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless," the platinum certified 808s & Heartbreak features production work from West, No I.D. and Jeff Bhasker and guest appearances by Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, Mr. Hudson and Lil Wayne."Kanye West long ago established himself as hip-hop’s most soulful producer, and then as one of its cleverest wordsmiths, and then as one of its savviest marketers. Along the way he almost single-handedly killed gangsta rap and replaced it with something resembling emo. With that as the backdrop, West - now an introspective 31 years old - has created 808s & Heartbreak...the most indulgent and most disciplined record he’s ever made."808s sounds nothing like West’s three previous LPs. It’s minimal and percussive in places (“Bad News” and “Love Lockdown,” for instance), a sharp contrast to West’s previous signature sound - a giddy, maxed-out bounce. This new record may be closer to R&B than it is to rap...It’s also courageous for West to nearly abandon rapping on this album in favor of distorted crooning. The guy doesn’t have a bad voice, and it’s exciting to hear him pushing himself..." - Nick Marino, Paste
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