Kanye West

Graduation

Lyrically, Kanye continues to step his game up. He sprinkles his wit and cleverness over Graduation with slick one liners ... while still delivering self-conscious rhymes that break the mold of bling and things rap heard on the radio today.

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.

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.

Fascinatingly flawed, Graduation finds an imperfect man seeking, and occasionally finding, perfection in his music.

Graduation gives constant fleeting glimpses of a very different Kanye West. And this one is in the grip of a grave existential crisis.

For those not interested in unpicking West's Gordian knot of insecurities, Graduation offers several instances of brilliant, questing pop.

After setting a precedent for kickin’ the truth to the youth, ’Ye squanders the opportunity here by opting to make his third dissertation basic, resulting in more bark than bite.

West’s third album is mesmerizing and alienating, like all the purest forms of pop culture.

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.

As bad as Graduation can often get, it's constantly compelling in how it splays the conflicted makings of its maker.

Sadly, Graduation doesn’t quite establish West as the supreme double threat he dreams of being.