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Okay, it’s not often you come into work and waiting for you in your inbox is an invitation for a Kanye West listening party, but today just happened to be that day for me! My days are always busy but, what’s work when an opportunity like this is sitting in front of you like a giant frosted cupcake!? Besides, I had to see if the record was going to live up to the hype that Kanye has started. Kanye wasn’t going to be there, but so what – the bar is open and it’s an hour away from the office … and did I mention it’s open bar!? Not that I had a drink, I mean I’m a responsible producer!

So, it’s just me, the boys and about thirty or forty other serious hip-hop industry heads. The record is introduced by the Universal label rep from New York who informs us that we’re the first to hear the entire album and then asks us to turn off our phones and warns that the CD is water marked – just in case any of us wanted to leak it. Anyways, you probably don’t care about any of this stuff! What everyone wants to know is, is it good! Well, I won’t make you wait. The record moved me! Yes, I said moved me. I have to say that I went in with low expectations – I didn’t exactly love the last album – but this one got me.

The Graduation has honestly got something for everyone, and totally has a way of taking you back to that feeling you had listening to College Dropout. From “Drunk and Hot Girls” (featuring Mos Def), a very mellow, tripped-out track, to “Glory”, an energetic head nodder that’s perfect to kick off the album, to the heavily influenced techno club banger “I Wonder”, the album is solid start to finish. I congratulate Mr. West for graduating with honours for this one.

The only thing left to see is will enough listeners force 50 Cent into retirement by going out the first week and spending their cash on this very hyped and amazing third effort? I know I’ll be in line and my fingers will be crossed that there is a really long line-up behind me!

Posted on Friday, August 24th, 2007 at 12:41 pm by Sandra B and is filed under Music & Videos.

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