Gave 50 Cent a shot and couldn't stand him after the first few songs, so I moseyed (I just learned how to spell that) on over to Kanye's new album Graduation and tried to figure out what all the hype was about. A common theme present in his songs is a grand appreciation for...himself. It wouldn't be a Kanye song without a brief ego trip. I prefer it, however, when we see the real Kanye--the one with a childhood past, with non-confrontational concerns about the music industry, and with a man crush on his idol Jay-Z.
"Champion"
My favorite lyric is his father's response to his dire need to always have a fresh wardrobe: "when you see clothes/close your eye lids." I also liked when he name-dropped Lauren Hill, saying he wished she still rhymed in order to influence the younger generation that's starving for inspiration. Besides the video-game buzzer sound, there are background vocals embedded in the beat, repeating the words "their eyes" in reference to other people's perception of how he is the champion of style. The continuous repetition should be annoying, but is actually perfect for concerts, because fans can chant it during the song. He liked the background-vocal repetition technique so much he did the same thing for "The Glory.
"Homecoming" feat. Chris Martin (from Coldplay)
I like this song because it shows a side of Kanye that we don't usually get to hear about--the guy driven by the encouragement of people in his past, from his neighborhood, who expect more from him. It's interesting to think that there are people who know the non-famous Kanye and who can bring him down to Earth when he gets too hyped on himself.
"Big Brother"
This is sort of a "love letter" to Jay-Z, as well as an apology for letting his jealousy get in the way of his professionalism. He basically says that he figures Jay-Z gave him the shaft back in the day because he didn't think he could cut it, but because of that rejection he's grown to be as great as he is now. Kanye cites playful competition in real life situations where he thought he was better than Jay or thought that he was copying him. i.e. Kanye collaborated with Chris Martin before Jay did. Then he explains his envy and humbles him self with:
"only i could see/it was the pride in me/that was driving me/at the grammy's/i said i inspire me/but it was my big brother/who i always tried to be..." And in the end he lays down the moral of his story with this heartfelt line: "if you admire somebody/you should go ahead and tell them/people never get the flowers/while they can still smell them."
Lyrically, this is my favorite song, but "Stronger" and "The Good Life" are the ones to have the most fun to. Check out the latter's video below:
"Champion"
My favorite lyric is his father's response to his dire need to always have a fresh wardrobe: "when you see clothes/close your eye lids." I also liked when he name-dropped Lauren Hill, saying he wished she still rhymed in order to influence the younger generation that's starving for inspiration. Besides the video-game buzzer sound, there are background vocals embedded in the beat, repeating the words "their eyes" in reference to other people's perception of how he is the champion of style. The continuous repetition should be annoying, but is actually perfect for concerts, because fans can chant it during the song. He liked the background-vocal repetition technique so much he did the same thing for "The Glory.
"Homecoming" feat. Chris Martin (from Coldplay)
I like this song because it shows a side of Kanye that we don't usually get to hear about--the guy driven by the encouragement of people in his past, from his neighborhood, who expect more from him. It's interesting to think that there are people who know the non-famous Kanye and who can bring him down to Earth when he gets too hyped on himself.
"Big Brother"
This is sort of a "love letter" to Jay-Z, as well as an apology for letting his jealousy get in the way of his professionalism. He basically says that he figures Jay-Z gave him the shaft back in the day because he didn't think he could cut it, but because of that rejection he's grown to be as great as he is now. Kanye cites playful competition in real life situations where he thought he was better than Jay or thought that he was copying him. i.e. Kanye collaborated with Chris Martin before Jay did. Then he explains his envy and humbles him self with:
"only i could see/it was the pride in me/that was driving me/at the grammy's/i said i inspire me/but it was my big brother/who i always tried to be..." And in the end he lays down the moral of his story with this heartfelt line: "if you admire somebody/you should go ahead and tell them/people never get the flowers/while they can still smell them."
Lyrically, this is my favorite song, but "Stronger" and "The Good Life" are the ones to have the most fun to. Check out the latter's video below:
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