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808s & Heartbreak

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Untitled

808s & Heartbreak is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released November 24, 2008 on Roc-A-Fella Records. The album was originally scheduled for a December 16 release, but was pushed forward to increase sales during the holiday season. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

Conception

Following the release of his third studio album Graduation, the remainder of 2007 and the following year featured events that emotionally affected Kanye West. On November 10, 2007, West's mother Donda West died due to complications arising from cosmetic surgery involving a tummy tuck and breast reduction procedure.[1] Months later, West broke off his engagement and separated with his fiancée Alexis Phifer.[2] At the same time, West displayed struggle in adapting to his newfound pop star status he had once strived to achieve, often becoming the subject of media scrutiny. The loss, loneliness and longing for companionship and a sense of normalcy served to inspire the conception 808s & Heartbreak. West stated that "This album was therapeutic — it's lonely at the top."[3]

West felt that the emotions he felt within his heart could not be fully expressed simply through rapping, saying that aside from the fact that rapping had limitations, there were "melodies that were in me — what was in me I couldn't stop."[4] West went to classify 808s & Heartbreak as a pop album, stating his disdain towards the contemporary backlash to the concept of pop music and expressed that some greatest musicians of all time, particularly Michael Jackson and Madonna, were pop artists.[5] He later stated that he wishes to present the music as a new genre called "pop art", not to be confused with the visual art movement of the same name.[6]

Production

The album was recorded in under two weeks in Hawaii. As implied by its title, 808s & Heartbreak prominently features the Roland TR-808 drum machine. West felt that the 808 is an important instrument that can be used to evoke emotion; the concept was introduced to him by Jon Brion. According to West, the fact that Hawaii's area code was "808" was incidental, as he had already developed the album's title before being informed.[7] The realization inspired him to pursue his direction with the album, however.[8] In terms of musical direction, West's intentions, according to Mike Dean, were to go against the typical sound of hip hop beat, instead evoking the presence of tribal drums.[9] Overall, West maintained a "minimal but functional" approach towards the album's studio production.[10]

The album relies heavily on the voice audio processor technology of Auto-Tune. "We were working on the remixes for Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" and Young Jeezy's "Put On" and he fell in love with the Auto-Tune," Dean explained.[9] Towards this end, West enlisted T-Pain for coaching on how to properly utilize Auto-Tune.[11] West himself openly stated that he loves using Auto-Tune and is dismayed that the term has been commonly associated with being "wack." He considers the technology "the funnest thing to use" and compared the situation to when he was a child and thought the color pink was cool until someone told him "it was gay." He went on to state how the views of society can rob people of their confidence and self-esteem.[12] He later went on to state that he enjoyed the electronic feel produced by Auto-Tune and sought out to juxtapose the mechanical sounds with the traditional sounds of taiko drums and choir monks.[13]

Rap artist Kid Cudi, who had recently signed onto West's G.O.O.D. Music label, revealed that he would be featured on two of the songs on the album.[14] Young Jeezy contributed a rap verse on the track "Amazing" while "See You in My Nightmares" is comprised of a duet with Lil Wayne. Singer-songwriter Esthero provided the few female vocals found the album.[15] When "RoboCop" appeared on the Internet, West denied responsibility and was upset that the leak had occurred as the track was an unfinished version.[16] At an album preview event, West candidly expressed that the track "is maybe the biggest wreck on the album."[17] Mike Dean had previously stated that the track was expected to receive additional treatment by Herbie Hancock before the album's release.[9]

Release and promotion

Imagery

On October 14, West, in collaboration with Italian artist Vanessa Beecroft, hosted a promotional album listening event at the Ace Gallery in Los Angeles in which over 700 guests were invited to preview the entirety of 808s & Heartbreak. Under Beecroft's guidance, the event featured approximately forty nude women wearing nothing besides wool masks who silently stood in the center of the room. The women were illuminated by multicolored lights that would change as the music progressed. When it came time for him to speak, West stated that he'd been a fan of Beecroft's work and strong imagery, saying that he liked idea of nudity because "society told us to wear clothes at a certain point". Beecroft had been contacted a month prior and conceptualized and generated the installation in a week. Beecroft admitted that while he had caught her offguard, she had the opportunity to hear the album for herself and heard things that touched her own life.[18] The living art installation touched on West's primary objective with the album, emotional nakedness, the freedom to express oneself without heed of what others will inevitably think.[12]

On October 19, promotional photos for the album by photographer Willy Vanderperre were released. The images portrayed West wearing a grey glen plaid suit, large browline glasses, and a heart-shaped pin.[19] The heart-related theme is reflected in the artwork of the album, which features a deflated balloon resembling a heart shape.

Releases

The first single from the album was "Love Lockdown", which had been performed live and aired on the radio.[20] The official version of the song was posted onto West's blog on September 16 and is being played by radio stations. The song was premiered at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[21] The second single announced was "Heartless".[22] Another song revealed was "Welcome to Heartbreak", which appeared on a poster for an 808s & Heartbreak listening event that took place on October 14.[23]

On September 24, West announced that he had finished the album and would be releasing it sometime in November. In his blog, he wrote "I changed my album to November something cause I finished the album and I felt like it..I want yall to hear it as soon as possible".[24] West later stated that the album would be released on November 25, 2008.[22] The album was originally announced for a December 16 release, but Island Def Jam, the distributing label, brought the date forward three weeks to capitalize on Thanksgiving weekend.[25] A limited edition in a digipak case was first released in Germany on November 21, 2008.[26] A special Christmas packaging of the album will be released on December 16 and will feature album artwork redone by KAWS.[27] The artwork is also available with the album at the iTunes Store. 808s & Heartbreak served as West's first release without a Parental Advisory label.

On October 16, West released an excerpt of "Coldest Winter" on the radio station Power 106 in Los Angeles. The track recreates elements of the song "Memories Fade" by the band Tears for Fears.[28] The song "Paranoid" later leaked onto the Internet and features Mr. Hudson in the chorus. Also appearing prior to the release date were "Amazing" featuring Young Jeezy, "See You in My Nightmares" featuring Lil Wayne, "Street Lights", "Say You Will", "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Bad News". An additional track, "Pinocchio Story" is a freestyle recorded at a live concert in Singapore. It was included in the album at the request of Beyoncé Knowles.[29]

On December 4, 2008, "Street Lights" appeared at the completion of an episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Reception

Initial reaction

The reaction to 808s & Heartbreak around the time of its conception was mixed, ranging from anticipation to bewilderment to indifference. Upon the unveiling of the lead single "Love Lockdown" at the 2008 Video Music Awards, music audiences were taken back by the uncharacteristic production style and the presence of Auto-Tune.[30] The negative feedback intensified when West eventually revealed that the entire album would be primarily sung with Auto-Tune rather than rapped and would focus heavily on themes of love and heartache.[31][32] Numerous hip hop fans and certain rappers mocked West for becoming "sappy" while others deemed the upcoming LP as a throwaway experimental album.[33] Comparisons were drawn to Electric Circus, an album made by West's labelmate and close friend Common. MTV eventually interviewed Common to share his thoughts and views on the artistic direction of the album. Common expressed both his understanding and his support for West's intentions, stating:

I love it. Let me tell you, as an artist, you wanna be free. You gotta do what you feel. You can't just cater to the audience. You gotta say, 'Hey, y'all, this is where I'm at.' For him to do an album called 808s and Heartbreak, you know that's where he is at this moment. I heard some songs, and I think it's fresh. I think the people are ready for it.[34]

West received similar approval from Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, both of whom contribute to the album. During an interview, when asked what music today inspires him, Wayne replied:

Everybody's doing their thing, but they're not exciting. Everybody is doing the same thing. That's terrible. Do I love the music that's out right now? I love it with a passion. Does it motivate me? Not one bit. That's because 808s & Heartbreak isn't out yet.[35]

Despite the approval from the rap superstars, as well as the record-breaking chart performances of the first two singles, hip hop audiences remained indifferent towards the album, predicting it would flop.[36] Responding to reviews, West stated that he didn't care about sales or getting good ratings, saying that it came from the heart and that's all that matters to him. When asked about the current state of hip hop, West compared it to a high school, stating that hip hop used to be all about being fearless and standing out, and that now it is about being afraid and fitting in.[37]

Critical response

808s & Heartbreak received generally positive reviews from critics. Reviews commented specifically on the change of style from previous West releases. USA Today gave the album a perfect 4 out of 4 stars saying, "West deftly uses the 808 drum machine and Auto-Tune vocal effect to channel his feelings of hurt, anger and doubt through his well-crafted lyrics."[38] The Times also gave the album a perfect rating claiming, "This so should not work...Yet 808s & Heartbreak is a triumph, recklessly departing from the commercially copper-bottomed script and venturing far beyond West’s comfort zone."[39] Vibe expressed that "Kanye has created his greatest album to date,"[40] while The Washington Post celebrated the album's cultural themes and emotional honesty, calling it "an information-age masterpiece about falling into the depths of loneliness while a nation of millions checks your blog for updates," and anointed it "the best album released this year." [41]

Newsday gave the album an A rating, calling the album "austere and disciplined",[42] while The Los Angeles Times praised the album's oddities, saying, "But as strange and even tedious as "808s and Heartbreak" might strike some listeners, it's not just a puppet show. Or rather, it is, and all the more fascinating for that."[43] Billboard gave a favorable review, stating that "Sonically, West pushes the envelope by relying on the drum machine from which the album takes its title, as well as the ever-popular vocoder."[44] The Observer gave a 4 out of 5 star rating, finding that West's personal lows made for a good album, stating, "It might seem harsh but let's hope he doesn't find too much happiness in the meantime. Loneliness is proving quite the muse."[45]

The Chicago Sun Times thought the album had more potential than was reached, but still gave a positive critique, "If West had interspersed the more mechanical tracks with some that were the exact opposite--say, simple piano interludes provided by his old collaborators John Legend or Jon Brion--he might have made a masterpiece. Instead, he's merely given us an extremely intriguing, sporadically gripping, undeniably fearless and altogether unexpected piece of his troubled soul."[46] The British publication NME gave a 7/10 rating, and concluded in its review, "The resounding verdict is that it’s a surprising, but bold and brave progression from last year’s confused ‘Graduation’."[47]

Negative criticism of 808s & Heartbreak came from Andy Kellman of Allmusic, who gave the album a 2/5 stars rating, while stating in a review, "For anyone sifting through a broken relationship and self-letdown, this could all be therapeutic. Otherwise, no matter its commendable fearlessness, the album is a listless, bleary trudge along West's permafrost."[48] The Boston Globe wrote a negative review of the album, writing that West "relies so heavily on Auto-Tune, the du jour studio trick that dominates Top 40 urban radio, that you don't get a real sense of his vocal chops," and describing the lyrics as "not strong enough to build into full-blown choruses."[49] Wilson McBee of Slant Magazine criticized his singing voice, writing that "West would be unbearable without Auto-Tune, and even with the computer enhancement he sounds only a little better than the average drunk at a karaoke bar or halfway-serious American Idol reject."[50] The New York Times concurred with this sentiment in a largely negative review stating, "Mr. West can’t sing, and it is that weakness for which this album will ultimately be remembered, some solid songs notwithstanding. For him, using Auto-Tune, the pitch-correction software with the robotic vocal effect, is a true crutch."[51]

Track listing

No.TitleProducerLength
1."Say You Will"Kanye West6:18
2."Welcome to Heartbreak" (feat. Kid Cudi)Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker*, Plain Pat*4:23
3."Heartless"Kanye West, No I.D.*3:31
4."Amazing" (feat. Young Jeezy)Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker*3:58
5."Love Lockdown"Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker*4:30
6."Paranoid" (feat. Mr Hudson)Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker*, Plain Pat*4:38
7."RoboCop"Kanye West4:34
8."Street Lights"Kanye West, Mr. Hudson*3:10
9."Bad News"Kanye West3:59
10."See You in My Nightmares" (feat. Lil Wayne)Kanye West, No I.D.*4:18
11."Coldest Winter"Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker*, No I.D.*2:44
12."Pinocchio Story" (freestyle live in Singapore, hidden track)Kanye West6:02

*Co-producer

Personnel

# Title Notes
1 "Say You Will"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Young Jeezy, Consequence
Additional vocals: Mr. Hudson, Tony Williams, The Kadockadee Kwire

2 "Welcome to Heartbreak"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Kid Cudi, Plain Pat
Additional vocals: Jeff Bhasker

3 "Heartless"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Jones, No I.D.

4 "Amazing"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Young Jeezy
Additional vocals: Mr. Hudson, Tony Williams

5 "Love Lockdown"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Esthero, Jeff Bhasker, Jones, Menzies

6 "Paranoid"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Consequence, Kid Cudi, Jeff Bhasker, Tony Williams, Plain Pat
Additional vocals: Kid Cudi

7 "RoboCop"

Songwriters: Kanye West, T-Pain, Esthero, Kid Cudi, Consequence, Young Jeezy,
Jeff Bhasker, Tony Williams, Jones
Additional vocals: Jeff Bhasker, Tony Williams
Samples: "Kissing in the Rain" by Patrick Doyle

8 "Street Lights"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Esthero, Tony Williams, McIldowie
Additional vocals: Esthero, Tony Williams

9 "Bad News"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Bass
Samples: "See Line Woman" by Nina Simone

10 "See You in My Nightmares"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jeff Bhasker, No I.D.

11 "Coldest Winter"

Songwriters: Kanye West, Roland Orzabal, No I.D.
Recreates elements of "Memories Fade" by Tears for Fears

12 "Pinocchio Story"

Songwriters: Kanye West

Chart performance

In its first week of sales, 808s & Heartbreak reached the number one spot on Billboard 200 with 451,396 units.[52]

Chart (2008) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1
Australian Albums Chart[53] 12
Irish Albums Chart 11
New Zealand Albums Chart [54] 15
UK Albums Chart 11
Swiss Albums Chart [55] 13
Canadian Albums Chart 4

References

  1. ^ Glover, Scott (2008-11-20). "Doctor Talks About Donda West's Death". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  2. ^ "Kanye West's Fiancée 'Sad' Over Breakup". People. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  3. ^ "Kanye West Opens Up His Hear". MTV UK. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  4. ^ "Kanye West Inspires The Question: Should Rappers Sing?". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  5. ^ "MTV News RAW: Kanye West". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  6. ^ Kanye creating new genre called "Pop-Art". Simple Machines LLC. Accessed on October 12, 2008.
  7. ^ "Kanye West Visits Big Boy's Neighborhood". Vimeo. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  8. ^ Macia, Peter. "FADER 58: Kanye West Cover Story and Interview". The Fader. Retrieved 2008-11-25. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b c Shaheem, Reid (2008-10-15). "Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak Album Preview: More Drums, More Singing, 'No Typical Hip-Hop Beats'". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  10. ^ "MTV News RAW: Kanye West". MTV. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/320022/im-just-getting-more-polished.jhtml#id= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Shaheem, Reid (2008-10-13). "T-Pain Describes His Involvement On New Kanye West LP; Fat Joe Salutes Lil Wayne's Carter IV Rock Edge: Mixtape Monday". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  12. ^ a b "Kanye West Bares All at Album Listening". Rap Up. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  13. ^ "Video: Kanye West Visits Conan O'Brien". Rap Up. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  14. ^ Perkins, Brandon (2008-10-01). "Kid Cudi speaks on 808's & Heartbreak". URB. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  15. ^ "Kanye West examines real vs. fake, puppet vs. human on '808s and Heartbreak'". "Los Angeles Times". 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  16. ^ "Kanye West Swears He Didn't Leak 'Robocop'". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  17. ^ Youth.SG :: Singapore - Yes, Kanye West wants to be the best. Youth.SG. Accessed September 24, 2008.
  18. ^ "Kanye West's Listening Party: Lights, Heartbreak, Nudity". Rolling Stone. 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-11-23. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "http://www.theclones.fr/?en/1203-kanyes-808s-heartbreak-promo-shots". The Clones. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |title= (help)
  20. ^ Top 40/M Future Releases Accessed September 9, 2008
  21. ^ Kaufman, Gil (2008-09-08). "It's Britney Spears' Night At The VMAs, While Kanye West Ends The Show With A Bang". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  22. ^ a b Kanye confirms Heartless as second single and November 25, 2008 release date. The Amajanese Blog. Accessed November 17, 2008.
  23. ^ 808s & Heartbreak listening event poster. Kanye West's Blog. Accessed October 12, 2008.
  24. ^ 808s & Heartbreak coming soon.... www.kanyeuniversecity.com. Accessed September 24, 2008.
  25. ^ New Albums From Kanye West, Ludacris, Killers To Get Rare Monday Release On November 24. MTV Networks. Accessed October 12, 2008.
  26. ^ 808s & Heartbreak at Discogs.com. Discogs. Accessed November 16, 2008.
  27. ^ announcement of special Christmas edition. www.kanyeuniversecity.com. Accessed September 24, 2008.
  28. ^ Canwest News Service (2008-10-18). "Kanye West gives us more 808s and Heartbreak". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  29. ^ Kanye West - 808’s & Hearbreak (Album Review). The Hip Hop Chronicle UK. Accessed September 24, 2008.
  30. ^ "Urban review: Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-11-24. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  31. ^ "Kanye West Inspires The Question: Should Rappers Sing?". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  32. ^ "Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak". Clash. Retrieved 2008-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  33. ^ "Kanye West Visits Big Boy's Neighborhood". Vimeo. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  34. ^ "Common Praises Kanye's Singing; Lupe Fiasco Plays CEO: Mixtape Monday". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  35. ^ "Lil Wayne Isn't Inspired By Today's Music; Rick Ross Borrows Beats From Jay-Z, T.I., M.I.A. For New Tape: Mixtape Monday". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  36. ^ "Urban review: Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-11-24. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  37. ^ "MTV News RAW: Kanye West". MTV. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  38. ^ Kanye West - 808’s & Hearbreak. USA Today. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  39. ^ Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak - the Sunday Times review. Times Newspapers Ltd. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  40. ^ http://www.vibe.com/music/revolutions/2008/11/kanye_west_808s_and_heartbreak/
  41. ^ Kanye West, in Perfect Auto-Tune. Washington Post. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  42. ^ Newsday - 808s & Heartbreak. Newsday. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  43. ^ Kanye West examines real vs. fake, puppet vs. human on '808s and Heartbreak'. LA Times. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  44. ^ Billboard.com - 808s & Heartbreak. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  45. ^ Urban review: Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak. Guardian News and Media Ltd. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  46. ^ Kanye West, "808s & Heartbreak" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam). Sun-Times News Group. Accessed November 25, 2008.
  47. ^ NME.com: Album Reviews - 808s And Heartbreak. IPC Media. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  48. ^ allmusic: 808s & Heartbreak. All Media Guide, LLC. Accessed November 26, 2008.
  49. ^ Kanye West bursts into song -- not exactly music to our ears. NY Times Co. Accessed November 24, 2008.
  50. ^ Slant Magazine Music Review: Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak. Slant Magazine. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  51. ^ Kanye West’s ‘808s and Heartbreak’ Chills on the Frills - NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company. Accessed November 10, 2008.
  52. ^ HipHopDX.com - Hip Hop Album Sales. HipHopDX.com. Accessed December 3, 2008.
  53. ^ Australian ARIA Charts Official Peak Posistion. Retrieved on November 30, 2008
  54. ^ http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp
  55. ^ http://hitparade.ch/weekchart.asp?cat=a
Preceded by U.S. Billboard 200 number-one album
December 1, 2008 		Succeeded by
incumbent
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