Sit there then and hear Steely Dan sampled by one of the leading rap voices of a generational wave. Kanye West did not please the members of those monumental rockers behind Bodhisattva, though he did craft a fine piece of work which saw his influence pair with those on a similar high. He passes the likes of Daft Punk, that mighty electronic duo who sample their days away. West does this to a degree, his ability to pick out the right tone or striking detail from a song where the sound does not spotlight it, is remarkable. It is the hallmark of a grand musician and his change of pace for Graduation, the anthemic hopes inspired by watching clips of clapping fans aiming praise at Bono, spark some career-best work from West.
A fear of facing the world is brought to attention on Good Morning. That desire to carve your own route through the world is right there for the taking, a necessary exposure to the elements of life so you can figure out the route you wish to take. With references to financial strain over these two tracks, the surprisingly timely mention of The Pursuit of Happyness given it pops up on TikTok every other day as a feel-good act of charity, follow-up Champion presents arguably the finest West song of this period. Living is tougher than dying, the faith necessary to put in yourself even with the fears of the future.
For West, there is a sense of accessibility to these songs. Stronger has the underlying appeal of Daft Punk, while follow-up I Wonder is perhaps the clearest shot at complexity made clear. Labi Siffre’s words are used with such a powerful intention, the operatic and synth pairing is powerful, and with Kanye hoping to feed off this surprise U2 influence marks a perfect, enjoyable storm. West sets out to blur the line between quality release and stadium-ready effort. He does so and rightly enjoys the spoils of remarkable, well-remembered efforts like Flashing Lights. Those constant flickers of sleek production and the righteous confidence of the first two albums carry over. Controversy flickers on still with The Glory and the outrage Graduation caused for David Crosby feels more and more questionable the longer the album goes on. Steely Dan too regret it – but why is not of concern. What is done to their work is of interest, and the influence comes from a place of sincerity and promise.
These are the days of rock influence and tighter packages – something West would stray away from slowly but surely as the release cycle continued. What always comes clear in the early days of West is the consistencies he has in making samples his own. Here, he takes the revered David Crosby and Michael Jackson, compartmentalises their influence and uses it as a response to what was, at the time, tough territory. Graduation still stands as a rebellious, against-the-system album, and such work is still needed, now more than ever. Graduation’s continued relevancy comes from the fundamentals of the world around us remaining the same. Prices soar and wages stagnate, the icy fear grips the throat, and we look in on ourselves for the problem. But Graduation observes the issues as extracurricular, as disconnected. So too should we remove ourselves from its influence.
