Kanye West - Heartbreak and 808s

One of my favourite albums of all time is Kanye West’s ‘Heartbreak and 808s’. If ever contemporary art could be translated into music, this is what it would sound like. Every time I hear this album, I think of it as an amazing, passionate, emotional, intense art work – the type that makes you stop in your tracks, takes your breath away and sends shivers down your spine.

Let’s forget for a moment the public persona of Kanye West as arrogant, narcissistic douche bag who stole the thunder from sweet little Taylor Swift’s moment at the MTV Awards – the whole world is pretty much in agreement that that was a pretty jerk-off thing to do. The man may have some social behaviour issues, but he is a real artist – a rare gem in the myriad of pseudo-pop artists, so-called ‘gangsta rappers’ and plain old spoilt rich kids trying to prove their ‘talent’ with a load of daddy’s money, some studio time, and a whole lot of auto-tune.

West’s music is the real deal, and ‘808s’ is the culmination of almost a decade’s worth of lyrical compositions and musical experimentations in Hip Hop and R’n’B. There is no appropriate label for the sounds which derive from West’s latest album, arguably his biggest triumph to date. Not only is the music groundbreaking, created mainly with a Roland 808 Rhythm Composer – one part of the album’s title – but the other part of the title, the ‘heartbreak’ is practically transmitted through the speakers to the listener. This is where the real artistry of West’s album is manifested – in the marriage between new, innovative sounds and intense, jarring lyrics. As a response to personal traumas and tragedies in his life, West throws the tumultuous emotions of such turmoils – arguably his soul – into this body of work which screams of anger, resentment, acceptance, and the almost impossible, but always necessary need to move on.

My absolute favourite song on the album is ‘Tell Everybody That You Know’. This is the ultimate break-up track; no sappy “I miss you” or “I will always love you”, not even a courtesy “I’ll be thinking of you”. With lines such as “You do you and I’m just gonna be fine/Okay I got you out my mind”, and “I might see you in my nightmare”, and finally “It’s all because of you/Girl we through/You think your shit don’t stick but you are Missus Pee-eww”, this song is absolutely raw in its anger, and utter detestation from the scorned lover himself. Every time I hear this song, I can literally feel West’s contempt, loathing and downright hatred for the subject of the song – his delivery of the lyrics even sound ugly at the climactic moment.

This is the angriest of break-up albums, and yet it is the only time I have considered a contemporary piece of music as a real-bonafide, belongs-in-a-gallery piece of art. Forget about the public persona and tabloids, and just listen to the record, no bias.