fred hart - 808s and heartbreak covers (2008)

i was hoppin on my blogroll today (at work, of course) and these really caught my eye. spotted over at gowhere hip hop (sidebar: this blog stays on topic/rides the jock of the chi for the most part) did a post about fred hart, a graphic designer at the university of arizona. the dude did his own visual interpretation of every song on 808s and some of these are extremely dope.

here's his take on it:

“Well here it is, the complete series of my version of 808s & Heartbreak song covers! I begin with the initial cover for the album, and then go song by song, as they’re presented on the album, each telling a story through imagery, as a metaphor for the journey Kanye West has traveled that allowed us this genius piece of work, 808s & Heartbreak. Each cover looks to create a sort of frame by frame for the album as a whole, with imagery relating to each song, a still shot from each song that allows you to use the lyrics and project your interpretations of each song onto the piece. This is my tribute to Kanye West, whose trials and tribulations have undoubtedly made this the album of the year, if not this decade in my opinion, and a tribute to his mother Donda West as well. So I hope you enjoy this artwork, and please feel free to let me know what you think.” [Fred Hart aka Fhart06]

Fred Hart
University of Arizona [Fine Arts]
fredhart@email.arizona.edu

head over to this link to check out the rest of them. ignore all the 808s and heartbreak hyperboles, though.

-grizzly

kanye west press conference from new zealand (2008).

it's kanye west talking for a long time.. of course we had to post it.

- panda

album review: kanye west - 808s and heartbreak (2008)

Artist: Kanye West
Album: 808s and Heartbreak
Record Label: Roc-a-Fella/Def-Jam
Release Date: November 24, 2008

If anyone in hip-hop was going to put out 808s and Heartbreak, it’s Kanye West. West has been known to meddle with hip-hop, manipulating sounds and styles that are out of the ordinary and giving it that mainstream appeal. He intertwined orchestral arrangements with hip-hop on Late Registration, soul samples on The College Dropout and electro and pop on Graduation. So when he premiered “Love Lockdown” at the MTV VMAs this year, everyone knew he was cooking up something different with 808s and Heartbreak.

It’s no secret that Kanye West’s lyrical ability has seemed to dwindle over the years, but is easily overlooked due to his immeasurable production talent and the fact that he knows how to put songs together. Using only the TR-808 drum machine, West has created some of his most ambitious songs to date, abandoning the standard hip-hop beat and rapping for singing and tribal drums, which might be his biggest antithesis’ to hip-hop yet.

On 808s and Heartbreak, Kanye West relies heavily on the auto-tune effect. This may easily push listeners away, as the T-Pains and Lil’ Waynes of the world have already saturated the mainstream with the effect. However, Kanye West hopes to achieve something completely different. He created a voice deemed “Heartbreak,” something West refers to as a “mixed drink with auto tune, distortion and a little bit of delay on it.” He uses this voice as a tool, not a crutch, to express the tribulations he’s faced within the past year, including the death of his mother and the break-up with his fiancée, who is the subject of the overall bulk of 808s and Heartbreak.

“Say You Will,” the albums opener, starts off slow and haunting, with a beat slightly resembling that of a heartbeat. It’s slow pace is somewhat of an awkward start to the album and would be better if placed as a closer or even somewhere in the middle. Despite the placement, it’s one of the highlights of the album. Carrying on this very consistent theme, “Amazing” and “Streetlights” are also slow burners, which will definitely be a change of pace for the standard West fan.

There’s very little rapping on the album. However, it’s still prevalent in songs like “Heartless” and “Welcome to Heartbreak,” the latter of which features up-and-coming Cleveland rapper Kid Cudi. Together, the two sing a handful of melodies that will undoubtedly be stuck in your head for weeks. Other highlights include the Chromeo-esque “Paranoid,” and “See You in My Nightmares,” which features Lil Wayne, who sings what might be one of the best hooks he’s ever worked on.

There’s a few problems with 808s and Heartbreak. Lil Wayne’s verse, much like his verse on “Barry Bonds” on Graduation, falls flat, complete with boring metaphors and trite writing, despite how good the hook is. Young Jeezy is the only other guest rapper on 808s and Heartbreak, and his verse on “Amazing” is completely out of place and awkward, shuffling up the overall theme of the album.

Minor gripes aside, 808s and Heartbreak is a fantastic album, and Kanye West has yet again proved that he is an artist with many talents. This is unquestionably his most polarizing release, and he will alienate a large part of his fan base. However, West doesn’t seem to care, and this further proves that he is in it for the music. His production continues to test the limits of hip-hop, transcending genres and breaking from the mold of your typical producer. This may not be his best album, but it is by far the most consistent and thought-provoking album he’s released. If worst comes to worst and you don’t enjoy the album, sit tight. He’ll be back with a hip-hop release in the summer of 2009.

Grade: A-

kanye west on myspace

-808s and grizzlies

music video: kanye west - heartless (2008)

epic video is epic. holler.

- panda

video: kanye west - heartless live in L.A. (2008)

obviously this video is making the blog rounds, and i'm sure many of you have seen it.. but what kind of bears would we be if we didn't report on our boy?

short video of ye performing the second single from 808s at T.I.'s myspace show:



word is the album has been turned in and is set to be released on november 25th. kanye on the 25th and hov a week later???! greatest. birthday. week. ever.


- how could you be so pandaaaaaaa?

kanye west - love lockdown (2008)

seriously, i posted the first mix of this song, and me or jerome have no clue where the fuck that post went. neither of us deleted it, but that shit just disappeared. just in time, i presume, as yeezy dropped an even better and more cleaned up version than before. i'm not convinced that this is the final though, but it sure is a lot doper.

download:

kanye west - love lockdown (mastered?)

-keep your grizzlies locked down