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Rating: Take the definition of rap; now throw it away. Take the essence of pop; completely tear it apart. Keep in mind the fundamentals of electronic; forget them. Take the record and look at it: it’s Kanye. Now we can reason.
Kanye West has always been talked about as an innovator, some call him a genius, but with this album he surpasses all limits. Although it may not be qualitatively the best, it is certainly the most “Kanye-esque,” in the sense of being unexpected, new, and a trendsetter.
The album rests on three fundamental and incredibly orchestrated "elements." The first is certainly the use of autotune for every track; with that slightly shrill voice, almost monotone, with metallic highs and abrasive sounds. The other cornerstone concerns the productions and it’s the use of a drum machine once widely used: the Roland TR-808. Born in the '80s and widely used during that period, it had long been partially set aside, both in the hip hop world and in electronics. Kanye makes it the secret element of the album; he uses it to lay down exceptionally captivating drumlines, with almost tribal sounds that alone "fill" the beats. On such a musical rug, the highlight is Kanye's lyrics, not so much for poetic intensity or lyrics of any high level, but for how each verse, chorus, and bridge fits the instrumental, echoing the melancholic tones that absolutely dominate the record. Melancholy, indeed. The artist, or rather the man, that emerges from this album is an individual tormented by a love that ended (and ended badly), by the death of his mother which left him shattered, by this desire to leave behind the almost plastic world he built around himself to have a normal, happy, carefree life ("Welcome to Heartbreak").
The features are 4 (among them, Young Jeezy’s verse in “Amazing” stands out) and all the artists called to contribute to the album are somehow embedded in the musical dynamics of the product, which is unusual especially regarding the rap scene. Kanye here plays a bit of a maestro, but at the same time also a musician, meticulously caring for everything possible and, above all, leaving his indelible mark. Therefore, it is difficult to analyze the record piece by piece, as it would be extremely reductive because every song gains more value and comprehension when inserted into the overall framework created by the artist. Each track has its own peculiarities, like the strings for “Robocop” and the piano in “Pinocchio Story,” but each track represents a chapter of this book.
Ultimately, “808s & Heartbreak” is not an excellent work, especially compared to the artist's discography, but it impresses for what it has created, for the fresh air it brought at a time when it would have surely been more comfortable to reap the guaranteed success of previous albums with a similar product. The result is an ambivalent product: light and catchy for those who intend to give it just a superficial listen, and deep and complex for anyone willing to examine its facets. Ambivalent like Kanye, genius and unruliness. That's him, you either like it or you don’t, there are no half measures, but he is always new, and in the end, isn’t making music about bringing your novelty and your contribution?
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Heartless (03:31)
In the night I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless... oh
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so,
Cold as the winter wind when it breeze yo
Just remember that you talking to me though
You need to watch the way you talking to me yo
I mean after all the things that we been through
I mean after all the things we got into
And yo I know of some things that you ain't told me
And yo I did some things but that's the old me
And now you wanna get me back
And you gon' show me
So you walk around like you don't know me
You got a new friend
Well I got homies
But in the end it's still so lonely
In the night I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless... oh
How could you be so heartless?
How could you be so Dr. Evil
You're bringing out a side of me that I don't know
I decided we weren't gonna speak so why we up 3 a.m. on the phone
Why does she be so mad at me for, homie I don't know she's hot and cold
I won't stop, won't mess my groove up cause I already know how this thing goes,
You run and tell your friends that you're leavin' me
They say that they don't see what you see in me
You wait a couple months then you gon' see,
You'll never find nobody better than me
In the night I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless... oh
How could you be so heartless?
Talkin', talkin', talkin', talk,
Baby lets just knock it off
They don't know what we been through
They don't know 'bout me and you
So I got something new to see
And you just gon' keep hatin' me
And we just gon' be enemies
I know you can't believe
I could just leave it wrong
and you can't make it right
Im gon' take off tonight
In to the night...
In the night I hear 'em talk,
The coldest story ever told,
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless...
How could you be so heartless... oh
How could you be so heartless? *2 times
05 Love Lockdown (04:30)
I'm not lovin you, way I wanted to
What I had to do, had to run from you
I'm in love with you, but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
So ya never know, never, never know
Never know enough, til it's over love
Til we lose control, system overload
Screamin no, no, no, no, no
I'm not lovin you, way I wanted to
See I wanna move, but can't escape from you
So I keep it low, keep a secret code
So everybody else don't have to know
So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
You keep ya love locked down, you lose
I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true
I got somethin' to lose, so I gotta move
I can't keep myself, and still keep you too
So I keep in mind, when I'm on my own
Somewhere far from home, In the danger zone
How many times did I take fo' it finally got through
you lose, you lose
I'm aint lovin you, way I wanted to
See I had to go, see I had to move
No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life
which is wastin' time, where's the finish line
So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
You keep ya love locked down, you lose
I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I met no one new, I got no one new
I know I said I'm through, but got love for you
But I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
Gotta keep it goin, keep the lovin gone
Keep it on a roll, only god knows
If I be with you, baby I'm confused
You choose, you choose
I'm not lovin you, way I wanted to
When i wanna go, I dont need you
I been down this road, too many times before
I'm not lovin you, way I wanted to
So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, you lose, you lose, you lose
11 Coldest Winter (02:44)
On lonely nights I start to fade (on lonely nights I start to fade)
Her love's a thousand miles away (her loves a thousand miles away)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend
Will I ever love again?
Memories made in the coldest winter
It's 4 A.M and I can't sleep (It's 4 A.M and I can't sleep)
Her love is all that I can see (Her love is all that I can see)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend
Will I ever love again?
Memories made in the coldest winter
Winter
Winter
Oh!
Goodbye my friend
Will I ever love again?
Goodbye my friend
Will I ever love again?
Goodbye my friend
Will I ever love again?
If spring can take the snow away (If spring can take the snow away)
Can it melt away all our mistakes? (Can it melt away all our mistakes?)
Memories made in the coldest winter
Goodbye my friend
I won't ever love again
Never Again
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Other reviews
By Zimo_26
A sparse and minimal foundation welcomes us into the world of broken hearts.
Gone are the carefree Hip-pop atmospheres and dancefloor hits, Mr. West completely strips off all designer clothes and sports cars, to fully succumb to the pain.
