Your Review
CRITIC REVIEWS
87
Though it doesn't quite match College Dropout or Late Registration in pleasure-center overload, Kanye West's third album is both his most consistent and most enterprising yet, indicating that he might actually deserve the legendary status he constantly ascribes to himself.
85
Pretty much every aspect of his third full-length, Graduation, reflects this bigger and grander Kanye, far removed from the one that many fell in love with on his highly anticipated 2004 debut, The College Dropout, but certainly no less talented.
3mo
83
Fascinatingly flawed, Graduation finds an imperfect man seeking, and occasionally finding, perfection in his music.
80
For all of his apparent ego-tripping, awkwardness is the key quality of Kanye West’s persona, whether he’s aware of it or not.
80
Graduation is neither as bold nor as scattered as The College Dropout, and it's neither as extroverted nor as sonically rich as Late Registration. Kanye still makes up for his shortcomings as an MC and lyricist by remaining charmingly clumsy, frequently dealing nonsense through suspect rhyme schemes.
80
West’s third album is mesmerizing and alienating, like all the purest forms of pop culture.
80
West delivers another failsafe collection of sharp, soulful songs, exposing his new affinity for synths and electronic drums while adding new lyrical ground to that campus-sized ego.
70
While another concise and accomplished release from an immensely talented rapper, it fails to really deliver the one thing Kanye's always excelled at: beauty.
69
As bad as Graduation can often get, it's constantly compelling in how it splays the conflicted makings of its maker.
67
Sadly, Graduation doesn’t quite establish West as the supreme double threat he dreams of being.
60
‘Graduation’ isn’t a bad album – he’s got away with it. But sometimes you feel hip-hop’s saviour is taking the maxim “genius steals” rather too literally.
40
He’s got that hit-making part down pat... it’s just that he can’t make good hits anymore.
Who the hell thought Drunk and Hot Girls was a good song to put on this?
Not my favorite Kanye album, but still, some excellent and classic stuff. Sadly for me, this album is sort of dragged down by some tracks that are either just plain not good or are aged relics from the time period this album came from. Tracks that would fall under these categories include, "Barry Bonds", "Drunk and Hot Girls", "Good Life", and "Stronger", with the last two tracks not being that bad in my opinion, but they aren't as good as the rest of ... read more
Solid
NO SKITS!? Also this album shatters into pieces after Can't Tell Me Nothing.
After Drunk and Hot Girls it's like you just never want to listen to Kanye ever again, I think later tracks like Flashing Lights and Homecoming are cool
Best: Can't Tell Me Nothing
Weakest: Drunk and Hot Girls
NO SKITS!? Also this album shatters into pieces after Can't Tell Me Nothing.
After Drunk and Hot Girls it's like you just never want to listen to Kanye ever again, I think later tracks like Flashing Lights and Homecoming are cool
Best: Can't Tell Me Nothing
Weakest: Drunk and Hot Girls
END OF YEAR LISTS
| #4 | / | PopMatters |
| #4 | / | SPIN |
| #5 | / | Rolling Stone |
| #6 | / | Prefix |
| #6 | / | Stylus Magazine |
| #10 | / | TIME |
| #15 | / | Paste |
| #18 | / | Pitchfork |
| #32 | / | Treble |
MISC LISTS
| #1 | / | Complex Decade |
| #45 | / | Rolling Stone (2000s) |
| #87 | / | Pitchfork (2000s) |
| #90 | / | Pitchfork: The People's List |
| #470 | / | NME Top 500 of All Time |
Track List
- Good Morning
- Champion
- Stronger
- I Wonder
- Good Life
- Can't Tell Me Nothing
- Barry Bonds
- Drunk and Hot Girls
- Flashing Lights
- Everything I Am
- The Glory
- Homecoming
- Big Brother
