A classic Kanye West album, revisited
Released on Nov. 24, 2008, this week will see the 10-year anniversary of Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak. The release followed the untimely death of his mother, Donda West, and the breakup between West and his then-fiancé, Alexis Phifer. 808s & Heartbreak, as the title suggests, is an album embedded with pain, sadness, and regret created with the use of 808s (a rhythm composer, the Roland TR-808) and autotune.
The first track of the record, “Say You Will,” describes the overarching tone of the album. West sings: “I wish this song would come true / I admit I still fantasize about you, about you / Don’t say you will.” Kanye talks about his regrets with his relationship with his ex-fiancé. In fact, the entire album is filled with lyrics about his ex and about the hardships he faced in his life and a decade later, the album serves as an influence to many artists around the world. Rappers were never known for singing about pain.
According to West, people advised him to release the album under a different name, fearing that this album would hurt his image. The album spawned a form of “emo rap,” a style in which people rap about their feelings and the suffering they felt. Juice Wrld, the rapper behind the 2018 hit “Lucid Dreams” listed West as a major influence in his sound. The song describes the feelings a person has when going through a breakup. The Weeknd credited 808s as the guide behind his 2016 hit “I Can’t Feel My Face.”
The album has aged incredibly, and with sounds that are still heard in today’s music, it is evident that Kanye’s album influenced an entire generation with his icy, dark sound, spawning a new wave of rapper in the process.
808s and Heartbreak retains its relevance due to its superb use of autotune and 808s accompanied with lyrics about regret and pain. With features from artists such as Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, and Young Jeezy, the album solidified West’s place in the music industry.
The album not only introduced a new style of music, but it also inspired numerous artists around the world, such as Frank Ocean, Drake, and Kid Cudi. The decision for a rapper to create an entire album based around heartbreak and pain was a bold move, but it was a wise one. The choice to distance himself from the traditional rap style of previous songs was a risky one, but I believe it made West a legend in the process.
808s and Heartbreak was released on Nov. 24, 2008 via Roc-A-Fella Records.
Story by Mannan Sharma
Feature image courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records