Graduation - Kanye West

The man famous for rapping that Jesus walked with him has released his third album and judging by the lyrics it would seem he and Jesus are walking increasingly different paths.

Hugely successful but highly controversial rap singer Kanye West has become one of the most recognisable faces in rap music today.

His debut album The College Dropout put the hitherto producer and hitmaker for other rappers on the map as a performer in his own right. West’s Grammy-nominated debut album was most famous for the hit ‘Jesus Walks’, which made West the darling of many Christian music enthusiasts until they heard the lyrics of rest of the songs on the album.

West’s sophomore release Late Registration was widely regarded as surpassing its predecessor, spawning hits such as ‘Goldigger’, ‘Touch the Sky’ and ‘Heard ‘Em Say’ and launching West into superstardom. Supporting U2 on their US and Australian legs of the Vertigo Tour in 2005 and 2006 also helped introduce West to a broader audience.

So, it was with great anticipation that West released Graduation in late 2007.

The album’s title continues on the ‘college’ theme carrying on throughout his releases and West appears to be making a bold statement about his induction to the big time. Sadly, this takes away from the appeal that marked West’s earlier work.

No longer is Kanye a struggling black man just trying to make some beats and get his voice his heard. West’s earlier work was unique in a rap market place crowded with lyrics about money, jewellery, drugs, misogyny and violence. Certainly women, drugs and money were referred to in West’s songs, but there was a self-consciousness in his point of view. He knew abuse of such things were not the best way to live. Mix this view with his lyrics that acknowledge a creator God who wants something more for him and there was a real sense that there was great depth to Kanye. He was no saint or poster boy for the Christian faith. In fact, one could not presume West to be a professing Christian. But his lyrics had a depth that very few artists in rap music have (others are Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli).

On Graduation, it seems the only thing West has graduated to is superficiality. As an artist, his choices of samples may have broadened, such as in sampling Daft Punk’s ‘Harder, Better, Fast, Stronger’ for lead single ‘Stronger’. However, his lyrics are common rap fare. Kanye is basically telling a girl that he is super keen to have sexual intercourse with her. He swears at his ‘haters’ and arrogantly expects people to be in awe of his presence. That said, he does refer to God and uses the doctrine of predestination (joke) to justify the sexual encounter:

“I don’t know if you got a man or not,
If you made plans or not
God put me in the plans or not
I’m trippin’ this drink got me sayin’ a lot
But I know that God put you in front of me”

Also I found West’s sampling of a Daft Punk song so soon after Busta Rhymes’ sampling of Daft Punk’s similar sounding ‘Technologic’ for his hit 2006 ‘Touch It’ to be derivative and clichéd.

Another single released from the album, ‘Goodlife’, is merely a celebration of the wealth that West’s success has afforded him. And I won’t even go into what Kanye West is celebrating in ‘Drunk & Hot Girls’, but it’s not very wholesome.

While God is still present in West’s lyrics the references are out of context or superficial.

In ‘I wonder’ West says God is on a ‘hot line’ to him and giving him ‘hot lines’ to rap and in ‘Can’t Tell me Nothing’ West acknowledges his superficiality.

“I had a dream I can buy my way to heaven
When I awoke, I spent that on a necklace.
I told God I’d be back in a second.”

And even though West proclaims in the same song the truth that “I know Jesus died for us”, it seems West is more concerned about how he looks then how he lives or where he might end up after he dies:

“So if the devil wear Prada,
Adam Eve wear Nada,
I’m in between, but way more fresher”

The album’s standout song happens to be one of the few ‘clean’ songs on the album and it’s one where West talks about getting back to his hometown roots. It’s called ‘Homecoming’ and it features a brilliant piano backing and chorus from Coldplay’s Chris Martin. While West’s spirituality is not mentioned it is where he sings frankly about where he has come from. He doesn’t sing to impress. He just shares his story. If West can recapture this kind of perspective in his lyrics, as was common in his earlier work, I’d be far more keen to hear that than what he has delivered on Graduation.