808s and Heartbreak Review

Kanye West announced long ago that mere hip-hop superstardom was not enough for him — he wanted to be "the number one artist in the world." So it's no surprise that his untrammeled egotism has led him well beyond the usual limits of his genre.
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Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreaks (Roc-A-Fella) should not receive any praise because it’s different. Rappers-turned-singers have been here before. Lauryn Hill's Unplugged and Andre 3000's The Love Below come to mind. But unlike some MCs who turn to crooning after growing bored with hip hop, Kanye is not engaged in a narcissistic exercise of different for difference’s sake.
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