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It's a masterpiece of a song, and undoubtedly the brightest jewel in the crown of Graduation.Ĭhoice Lyric: "Man, why can't life always be this easy? / She in the mirror dancin' so sleazy / I get a call, like, 'Where are you, Yeezy?'"įor more just like this, take a look at ten things you may not know about the creation of the track "Stronger" right here. In a word, the song is overripe, heavy with a richness that is beginning to sour. Ye spins tales of decadence that feel both braggy and confessional, as if he can already taste the bile in the back of his mouth while drinking a celebratory toast. Though "Stronger" may compete for the title in its chart-performance, there is no song that better exemplifies the sounds and themes of Graduation than "Flashing Lights." Razor-sharp synths chords pierce through a relentlessly-pounding beat while the lines of synth flutter and stutter, twirling about like the visual trickery of the song's title. And when assessed next to the similarly-minded, but devastatingly bleak, albums like 808s & Heartbreak and Yeezus, Graduation serves as a perfect bridge between West's formative and exploratory years. For die-hard Dropout fans, this sonic shift was met with skepticism, but it would of course go on to largely define the electronica-focused hip-hop landscape of the ensuing decade. He eschewed the warm soul samples and rich orchestral instrumentation that characterized his first two albums in favor of a colder, retro-oriented synthesized sound, one that reflected his ennui with his newfound superstardom. In hindsight, it is evident that Graduation - like all of West's releases - is a masterpiece on its own terms. It rocketed to the top of the Billboard 200, and received glowing reviews, though the reception was not quite as rapturous as it was for either of his first two releases. And after the one-two punch of his first full-lengths, The College Dropout and Late Registration, anticipation was understandably high. The scene is exactly ten years ago today: after months and months of tinkering, Kanye West has finally unveiled his third studio album, Graduation.