#02: Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
Released: November 24th, 2008
Genre: Hip-Hop, Pop
Producers: Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Plain Pat, No I.D., Mr. Hudson
Billboard 200 Rank: #1
Highlights:
-Heartless
-Coldest Winter
-Love Lockdown
-Robocop
-See You In My Nightmares (feat. Lil Wayne)
-Say You Will
Write Up:
Even though Kanye is an arogant bastard, there's no denying the man is a musical genius! What I love the most about him is he re-invents himself with every album and takes risks that other rappers wouldn't dare to. I didn't think he would be able to top the masterpiece that was last year's 'Graduation' or atleast this soon but he did it with '808s & Heartbreak'. The album starts with the melodic "Say You Will". Now we all know that Kanye isn't the best singer which is what the auto-tune on this album is for but theres just this special something about "Say You Will" that makes it one of my favorites on the album. My favorite song on the entire album would have to be track 3, the second single "Heartless". I love everything from the beats to the lyrics. It's been stuck in my head all day actually. "Amazing" is amazing and I love how Young Jeezy enters the song. Now whats funny about the lead single "Love Lockdown" is I absolutely hated it when he performed it on the VMA's and when it was first released but after listening to the album I fell in love with it. The chorus is so ****in catchy and I love the percussion beats, especially at the end. I knew "Robocop" would end up being one of my favorites when the demo leaked and the finalized version really got me. I love the strings in the song and I love the
"okay okay okay" part for some reason. "See You On My Nightmares" is one of the sickest songs on the album. Though I grew tired of Lil Wayne this year he was perfect for this track. "Coldest Winter" is one of the most creative songs on the album. Though it's pretty short its nothing short of a masterpiece and it should def. be the next single with the whole winter/holiday season upon us. After listening to this album and in its entirity, I really want to hear what Kanye has in-store for his next LP!
#01: Madonna - Hard Candy
Released: April 25th, 2008
Genre: Pop, R&B, Dance
Producers: Madonna, The Neptunes, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Danja
Billboard 200 Rank: #1
Highlights:
-Miles Away
-Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
-Give It 2 Me
-4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
-Heartbeat
-Incredible
Write Up:
'Hard Candy' is the perfect title for this album since its the perfect ear candy. This queen of pop released the most ear orgasmic album this year. The album starts with the the delicious Neptunes produced "Candy Shop". I loved this song when it leaked way before the album so it was one of the first tracks I ate up. I remember when the first single "4 Minutes" leaked and I thought damn this beat is sick! Timbaland proved he still had some good sh!t left in him with this song since around that time everyone thought he lost it. Track #3 and the second single "Give It 2 Me" is easily one of the best dance tracks of the year. Yall know you were getting stupid everytime it came on. "Heartbeat" was another mastperiece done by P. Williams and it had one of the corniest lines in the whole album:
"See my booty get down like ..." but it made the song that much better. Now where do I start with the albums 3rd single "Miles Away" ... WHAT A ****IN MASTERPIECE! Everything about that song is PERFECTION! Even without a music video to accompany it, its still arugeably the best single of 2008! It's a definte anthem for people in long distance relationships. "She's Not Me" is good song but my favorite part what have to be the end bit, I can listen to the instrumental of that track for days. It has a nice old skool disco feel to it too. Track #7 "Incredible" seems to be not liked by alot but I LOVE it. I think its so fun and I really like the
"Everybody put your hands up" part. "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" can easily be summed up as "Cry Me A River" part 2 which is probably why I love it so much. It took awhile for it to completely grown on me though but once it did it stuck like glue. The album ends on a high note with "Voices". Madonna's vocals aren't OMG but the song still has a powerful effect to it. I find it funny how the haters want to call her Gradonna yet grandma snatched the wigs off of all yall favorite artists this year. 'Hard Candy' just even more solidified her LEGENDARY status
