Interscope Records

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Lore & Background

The coinciding release dates between Graduation and fellow American rapper 50 Cent's Curtis generated much publicity over the idea of a sales competition, resulting in record-breaking sales performances by both albums. The success of Graduation and the outcome of its competition with Curtis marked the end of the dominance of gangsta rap in mainstream hip-hop. Graduation is credited with paving the way for other hip-hop artists who did not conform to gangster conventions to find commercial acceptance. The album earned West his third Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and his third Album of the Year nomination.

In Their Own Story

West began working on Graduation immediately after releasing his second studio album Late Registration. By late September 2005, West had already completed three songs for the album, which he intended to contain a total of twelve tracks. Around the time of recording, West would often listen to songs written by folk and country singer-songwriters Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash in hopes of developing methods to augment his word play and storytelling abilities. West also listened to his favorite alternative rock bands, including The Killers, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, and Keane, in order to gain new ideas on how to make his hip-hop production style more stadium-friendly.

Reader's Guide

Graduation is the third studio album by the American rapper Kanye West, released on September 11, 2007, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions took place between 2005 and 2007 at several studios in New York and Los Angeles. It was primarily produced by West himself, with contributions from various other producers, including DJ Toomp. The album features guest appearances from recording artists such as Dwele, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Mos Def, DJ Premier, and Chris Martin. The cover art, which features West's mascot at the time Dropout Bear in a new cartoon form, had its interior artwork designed by contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. Inspired by stadium tours, house music and indie rock, Graduation marked a departure from the ornate, soul-based sound of West's previous releases as he musically progressed to more anthemic compositions. West incorporated layered synthesizers and dabbled with electronics while sampling from various music genres and altering his approach to rapping. He conveys an ambivalent outlook on his newfound fame and media scrutiny alongside providing inspirational messages of triumph directed at listeners. The album prematurely concludes the education theme of West's first two studio albums, The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005). Five accompanying singles were released, including the international hits 'Stronger', 'Good Life', and 'Homecoming', with 'Stronger' topping the US Billboard Hot 100. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics who praised the production. It was named as one of the best albums of 2007 by multiple publications, including Rolling Stone and USA Today. In the years since, it has attracted greater acclaim, widely regarded as one of West's best albums, being listed among numerous decade-end lists and later named to the lists of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and NME's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Did You Know?

• Graduation debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 957,000 copies in its first week.
• The album has sold over 8 million copies in the United States and been certified octuple platinum by the RIAA.
• The single 'Stronger' topped the US Billboard Hot 100.
• The coinciding release dates between Graduation and 50 Cent's Curtis generated record-breaking sales performances by both albums.
• The success of Graduation marked the end of the dominance of gangsta rap in mainstream hip-hop.