It seems that following his filial and romantic losses last year,
Kanye West received a large bag of weed and Auto-Tune for Christmas.
The resulting stream-of-conscience jam session, 808s and
Heartbreak, void of his characteristic wordplay, ends up sounding
like a teenage vanity album. Unfortunately, Kanye didn’t wake from his
cathartic haze in time to save the few hits for the brilliant release
he will no doubt record after getting fired from Louis Vuitton for an
ego-fuelled freak-out. Though weaker than his past releases, 808s
and Heartbreak does offer a few good grooves and an introduction to
hip-hop’s rising star—Kid Cudi.
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2009.