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Kanye West is one of the greatest disruptors in rap history. Ever since he locked himself in a room to do five beats a day for three summers, Ye has continued to push his musical canon forward by throwing convention to the wind and bending the rules of rap to fit his own beautiful, dark, twisted vision. Graduation, his third studio album, released on Sept. 11 2007, is one of the Chicago rapper’s first mad experiments gone right, and the risks he took on the project are some of the reasons why it remains memorable to this day.
From intentionally challenging hip-hop goliaths like 50 Cent to a release day sales battle to making boastful anthems built for stadiums—this album was Kanye being Kanye.
Below, we reflect on a few of the reasons why the third part of Kanye’s college-themed trilogy is still so memorable.
The Release Day Battle with 50 Cent
If 50 Cent vs. Kanye West was a tale of David and Goliath, Kanye saw himself as both biblical figures. He was David in the sense that he believed his natural talent was enough to conquer any obstacle, no matter how massive; and Goliath in that he never once felt was smaller than his opponent. And he wasn’t necessarily wrong: Kanye’s colossal victory against 50 Cent in their notorious chart battle in 2007 ended with Graduation outselling Fif’s Curtis—957,000 to 691,000. That win marked Kanye’s true superstar homecoming and cemented Graduation in rap history.
The Emergence of Electronic Arena Rap
After going on tour with U2, Ye became infatuated with the idea of making rap anthems suited for arenas rather than just clubs and cars. That vision meant more electronic sounds, and eventually blossomed into some of the best cuts from Graduation like “Flashing Lights,” “Stronger,” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” These were songs built to be chanted by millions, and Kanye succeeded in steering hip-hop in a new direction.
It Reflected Kanye’s Perfectionism and Tenacity
By the time Graduation was released, Kanye West was already at the precipice of rap greatness. He had captured lightning in a bottle twice with The College Dropout and Late Registration, and his patented use of soul samples fused with immersive storytelling captured the hearts and minds of the hip-hop world, but he wanted more. Graduation reflects Kanye’s insatiable hunger to keep getting better. Like he said in his 2005 Grammy speech for Best Rap Album, everyone wanted to know what he would do if he stopped winning, to which he said: “I guess we’ll never know.”
That T-Pain Feature
Graduation is filled with impressive tracks, but few features stand out more than T-Pain’s melodic hook on “Good Life.” Kanye set out to make rap songs that could be chanted in arenas, and “Good Life” is a perfect reflection of that vision. Pain’s syrupy vocals blend well with Kanye’s boastful bars about finally making it, injecting listeners with his confident DNA. The track would go on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Song in 2008 and was one of the most memorable songs on the album.
Takashi Murakami’s Involvement
One of the most memorable aspects of Graduation, aside from the music itself, are its visuals. Kanye teamed up with world-renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to design the album cover art as well as alter his iconic “Dropout Bear” to fit his new futuristic sound. The artistic collaboration allowed Graduation’s visuals and music videos to be catapulted into a colorfully melted new future by-way-of a Murakami McFly Delorean.
It Yielded the Glow in the Dark Tour
Kanye’s Glow in the Dark Tour is something of rap nerd legend. It doesn’t take too much YouTube digging to discover archival footage of the iconic tour that followed the album release and spanned from the US to Latin America and Europe. It predates Ye’s Margiela mask era or the floating stages, but it was the first time he tested his new stadium-ready rap sound for the masses, and it worked. Authentic merchandise from the tour can also be found on the secondary market for $600—another testament to its success and longevity.
Its Rock Influences
Touring with the rock band U2 in the early aughts heavily influenced Kanye’s sonic approach to Graduation, and his time with the group is reflected in the heavy guitar synths and unique production on the album. Album standouts like “Stronger” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” are direct benefactors of Kanye’s more rock-leaning approach, and Graduation’s overall sonic shift would end up being a prelude for his deeper dive into new sounds on 808s & Heartbreak.
Inspired Artists like Drake, Childish Gambino, and Doja Cat
One of Drake’s biggest breakout songs, “Find Your Love,” was not only written by Kanye West, but it also features familiar electronic sounds that are inspired directly by Graduation. The album also showed artists that it was possible to make rap songs for arenas, and that blueprint has been followed by artists like Doja Cat and Childish Gambino who lean into more deconstructed-sounding production choices on their projects.
It Still Has Some of His Best Egotistical Anthems
“I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny/And what I do? Act more stupidly” Kanye bellows from the rafters on “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” This is Ye: Tethering the line of confidence and conceit with the inedible charisma of a rap superstar. Graduation is fun to revisit because it finds him distilling his ego into audible adrenaline using nothing but some electronic beats and catchy hooks. Little has changed, even with his money right.
“Big Brother” Foreshadows 'Watch the Throne'
Jay-Z and Kanye West have one of the most successful mentor-mentee relationships in rap history, and “Big Brother” foreshadows what would eventually be Watch the Throne; it showed that the respect Ye had for Hov could, and four years later, did extend into an entire album. The song not only highlights Ye’s admiration for Hov, but also illustrates how far he’s come in his own career to finally be recognized by his idol. That recognition is put on full display on Watch the Throne, an album that finds Kanye and Jay on even ground.