Graduation (album)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Barry Bonds (song)
)
This article is about the Kanye West album. For other albums, see Graduation (disambiguation) § Music.

Graduation
A highly stylized illustrated album cover. A bear is featured. Wearing sneakers,a varsity hoodie and a gold chain, he is shot out of the mouth of an abstract being. On the beings head, we see bunny chearleaders dancing, some of them throw graduation caps in the air, all of them appear joyous. The background is a purple sky. On the top is text that reads "kanYe West GRADUATION"
Studio album by
Kanye West
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2007 (2007-09-11)
Recorded2005–2007
Studio
Genre
Length51:23
Label
Producer
Kanye West chronology
Can't Tell Me Nothing
(2007) 		Graduation
(2007) 		808s & Heartbreak
(2008)
Singles from Graduation
  1. "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
    Released: May 15, 2007
  2. "Stronger"
    Released: July 31, 2007
  3. "Good Life"
    Released: October 2, 2007
  4. "Flashing Lights"
    Released: November 12, 2007
  5. "Homecoming"
    Released: February 18, 2008

Graduation is the third

Mos Def, DJ Premier, and Chris Martin. The cover art and its interior artwork were designed by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami
.

Inspired by

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), as his aborted "Good Ass Job" album would have concluded the concept album's themes as a tetralogy, rather than a trilogy.

Graduation debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 957,000 copies in the first week of sales. It has since sold over 7 million copies in the United States and been certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Five accompanying singles were released, including the international hits "Stronger", "Good Life" and "Homecoming", with the former of the three topping the US Billboard Hot 100. The album received widely positive reviews from music critics, with several of them praising the production, and earned West his third Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, as well as his third nomination for Album of the Year. 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, 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.

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 the former and the outcome of its competition with the latter 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.

Background

Graduation is the third installment of West's planned

production. After spending the previous year touring the world with Irish rock band U2 on their Vertigo Tour, West became inspired by watching Bono open the stadium tours every night to incredible ovations and sought out to compose anthemic rap songs that could operate more efficiently in large stadiums and arenas.[2] In West's attempt to accomplish this "stadium-status" endeavor, West incorporated layered electronic synthesizers into his hip-hop production, which also finds him utilizing slower tempos, being influenced by the music of the 1980s, and experimenting with electronic music.[3][4][5] West was particularly influenced by house music, a subgenre of electronic dance music that first originated in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois in the early 1980s.[6] West has stated that growing up, he would listen to hip-hop music at home or in his car, but when he felt like dancing, he would attend a house club. While he rarely listened to house at home, he still felt it was an important part of his culture and background.[7]

West further broadened his musical palette on Graduation by not limiting himself to his customary use of

A Bigger Bang concert tour and discovering he could not captivate the audiences as well with his most complex lyrical themes.[2][16]

Kanye West made a conscious decision to abstain from the widespread recording practice of excessive rap albums saturated with

verse on the entire studio album.[19] West cites the rock bands The Killers, Keane, Modest Mouse, and indie-pop singer-songwriter Feist for being among his favorite musicians and having considerably profound influence on the sound of Graduation.[17] Due largely to these factors and the inclusion of layered electronic synthesizers, West believed that his record took hip-hop in a different direction. He also acknowledged that the differences did not in and of themselves make Graduation a good album; however, he felt it was an accurate representation of the music he was listening to and inspired by at that time.[17]

Recording and track leak

West's experiences on arena rock tours such as U2's Vertigo Tour (pictured) inspired his direction for the album.

West began working on Graduation immediately after releasing his second studio album Late Registration.[20] By late September 2005, West had already completed three songs for the album, which he intended to contain a total of twelve tracks.[20] Around the time of the recording of the third studio album, 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. The former musician had been recommended to West by multiple of his friends, including English disc jockey Samantha Ronson, all of whom claimed his music and the way he dealt with the press reminded them of Dylan. West also listened to his most 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.[21] Additionally, West would often test his new songs on his iPod, in his office, in dance clubs and just about anywhere people might listen to his music. He would then make adjustments to the tracks based on feedback he received, repeating the process as many times as necessary.[17]

In comparison to previous albums, Graduation features fewer

Mos Def and ALBe. Back, and famed hip-hop record producer DJ Premier are featured in individual tracks primarily to deliver melodic hooks and refrains.[23] However, though he originally intended for Graduation to be completely devoid of guest rap verses, West decided to invite New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne on the track "Barry Bonds".[24] At the time, the two MCs had been working together, with West contributing to the production of Lil Wayne's sixth studio album Tha Carter III.[25] As for the absence of skits, West explained, "There's just serious songs, hooks, chords, and ideas. No special effects or antics ... and no fake Bernie Mac!"[18] West instead decided to record two earthy musical interludes in place of the hip-hop skits. He incorporated African sounds and polyrhythmic percussion into both.[18] However, for unknown reasons, the two musical interludes were omitted from the studio album.[26]

Many songs on Graduation contain

The Record Plant in Los Angeles to begin recording tracks for his third studio album.[28] Mitchell later admitted that while she previously didn't know who West was and never really cared for hip-hop music, the collaboration has changed her views.[27]

Connie Mitchell contributed vocals to several songs on the album.[26]

During an interview with Billboard, West revealed that he had worked with Chris Martin, the lead singer of the British alternative rock band Coldplay, on a song entitled "Homecoming", and that it could possibly be released as the lead single for Graduation.[29] The collaboration occurred the year before when West and Martin met one another during an impromptu jam session at the Abbey Road Studios in London, England.[30] West had just finished performing at a show that had been held at Abbey Road and the band just so happened to be recording their music in the recording studio at exactly the same time.[6] The song in itself is actually a re-vamping for "Home (Windy)", a track that originated from a demo tape dating back to the year 2001.[31] It was made available two years later under the new title "Home" on West's 2003 mixtape Get Well Soon... and also on the advance copy of West's debut studio album The College Dropout, which due to a leak was never released.[9][32][33] This original version possesses West's once trademark classic soul vocal sample production style, with singer John Legend on the chorus, which contains lyrics that are different than Martin's.[32] This is due to the fact that Martin asked West to change the song's lyrical content.[34]

Widely considered by

audio mastering process.[36] West admitted that he actually did not really care for the single, but he was pressured into releasing it by his record label Def Jam Recordings. However, West has since clarified that he doesn't retain any lingering animosity whatsoever towards his record label in regards to this.[18]

Graduation started taking definite form around the time of the filming of the

number-one hit single inside a club compared alongside Timbaland's 2007 single "The Way I Are", which was his favorite hip-hop beat at the time, West enlisted the record producer to assist him in redoing the drum programming.[18][40]

The third studio album also sees the return of composer and multi-instrumentalist

Mos Def, who just after his voice experiences a four-second audio delay, also delivers the song's reverb-filled bridge.[43]

More than any other song on the entire studio album, the epic stadium-rap

double-time rhyme schemes. He stresses each syllable in each word in the minimalist first verse.[46] West then transitions to a faster, more fluid flow for the more intricate second and third verses. West considered the release of "I Wonder" as the album's fourth single. But he instead chose "Flashing Lights", which he refers to as the "coolest" track from the studio album.[4][47]

The track "Everything I Am" features turntable scratches by famed record producer DJ Premier

The hip-hop beat for "The Glory" was originally made for West's GOOD Music associate, close friend, and fellow Chicago hip-hop artist Common, whose seventh album, Finding Forever, was being produced and recorded by West simultaneously with Graduation.[48][49] As was the case with both their previous albums, certain tracks that West originally crafted for Finding Forever that Common declined eventually ended up on his own studio album.[50] "Everything I Am" was yet another song intended for Common but was passed on, a fact which West addresses within the opening lines.[51] The record features turntable scratches contributed by famed hip-hop record producer DJ Premier.[45] After West had played the demo for "Everything I Am" over the phone for DJ Premier and asked him what he thought of it, DJ Premier then replied that he enjoyed the lyrics and the innovative beat and offered to scratch over it.[52] When working on the track, and while following the numerous instructions that were supplied by West, DJ Premier took seven different styles of scratches, including drum breaks, then cut all of them up into different rhythms, and scattered them all throughout the track, providing West with many different ideas to choose from.[52]

While written by West, who envisioned its concept and chorus while riding an elevator, the soul-baring Jay-Z dedication "

Tony Williams, Jay-Z became quite emotional after West played a part of "Big Brother" for him in the studio for the first time.[54] During an interview with Rolling Stone, West himself recalled that it was "a very serious moment".[21] When asked for his opinion, Jay-Z replied that he considered "Big Brother" a fair portrayal from a little brother's perspective. Jay-Z went on to say that he also thought that the song was "brilliantly written" and voice the belief of it being West's best song since "Jesus Walks" as far as structure and emotion.[36][55]

Although "Bittersweet Poetry" appears as a Japanese

soundscape of his second studio album, it was subsequently unincluded.[32]

Musical style

With Graduation, West made a departure from the soul samples of The College Dropout and the heavy orchestration of Late Registration.

Euro-disco, a European form of electronic dance music.[9] Going further, a columnist for Slant Magazine asserted that the album's hip-hop beats would be "European-club-worthy" were they stripped of the vocals.[19] Most importantly, Greene perceived that West had developed an affinity with electronic synthesizers.[9] Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot commented on the incorporation of synthesizer sounds, saying he viewed Graduation as "an album steeped in keyboard tones, in all their richness and variety".[63] Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork surmised that the album demonstrated a new electronic production style, specifically noting its modulated electronic noises.[64] By contrast, AllMusic's Andy Kellman wrote, "Though the synthesizer use marks a clear, conscious diversion from Kanye's past productions, highlights ... are deeply rooted in the Kanye of old, using nostalgia-inducing samples, elegant pianos and strings, and gospel choirs".[65] Graduation has been regarded as a pop-rap album by music journalists Brad Callas,[66] Joshua Botte of NPR,[67] AbsolutePunk,[68] Vice magazine's Eric Sundermann,[69] Jay Willis of GQ,[70] and The Atlantic's Spencer Korhaber.[71]

West retracted much of the orchestral production that had characterized Late Registration; he replaced the production with heavy,

electro-disco rhythms, and a wide array of audio-effects into his hip-hop production.[64][73][74] All the while, West buried his signature kicks and snares deep beneath the decomposing layers of synths into the bottom of the mix.[6][8] Though he continued to use vocal samples, West gleaned them before also pushing the samples underneath the synths, causing them to "sound like voices trapped in a huge machine, not like organic, subliminal connections to a mythical black-music past".[3] As always is the case with his productions, West does not reply nor settle simply on samples alone. Instead, there lies a sense of multi-layered music evidently within each track.[75] Even in new, unfamiliar musical surroundings, West retained both his self-confidence as well as his close attention to sonic detail.[9] As a result of this, the album contains numerous random, semi-audible sounds that may seem challenging to notice during the first few listens.[42] The sounds range from keyboard arpeggios to crowd cheers and hard rock guitars; they act as a supplement for the atypical samples and the layered electronic synths.[75] Throughout Graduation, West included enough subtle instrumental flourishes and studio embellishments to warrant a repeated, close, and careful listening experience.[9][76] According to Ann Powers from the Los Angeles Times
, the album's subtly dark tone was a byproduct of the inevitable toll placed on West as an artist, "an innovator in a genre that he must at least partially destroy to renew", who was torn between his devotion to hip-hop tradition and his "restless artistic drive":

Graduation's intricate musical environments take a while to comprehend, and at times they seem at odds with West's confrontational lyrics. But this contradictory music makes sense when heard as an attempt to express an internal struggle – between the Kanye West hip-hop made and the West who can't be contained by it or any other genre. It's hard to stop running with the crowd, even for a trendsetter. But West is on the verge, and moving forward.[45]

Despite the latter of the two's predominant synthetic attributes and the overall electronic sound, the emphasis placed on

song structures and express composed introductions, bridges, and codas, all of which showed attention to detail.[9][77] For Graduation, West produced songs that combine hip-hop beats with anthemic refrains and continued to employ his skill in layering keys, strings, and vocals to obtain the melodies of samples.[78] Through acting as his own producer, West managed to maintain quality control over the album's music to ensure that "his productions build momentum even when they revolve around a handful of repeated samples [and] nearly every song on Graduation is memorable for both its hooks and its overall sound".[79] As the album progresses, its textures become harder and denser with every track.[63] Under the belief that Late Registration had been far too indulgent, poorly arranged, and oversaturated with unnecessary sonic accoutrements, West took measures to simplify Graduation.[21] West crafted the album to contain less ornate production, not have any hip-hop skits, and be sequenced to produce a tighter, more cohesive package.[80]

Songs

"Flashing Lights"
"Flashing Lights" contains manipulated vocals over a string-laden backbeat and showcases a stuttering synth sequence.
"Stronger"
"Stronger" is built around a Daft Punk vocal sample and also features West's forceful delivery exhibited on the album.
Problems playing these files? See media help.

Graduation opens on a sparse note with "

toasting vocal style.[43] The soul-fired track "I Wonder" starts off with its piano-based refrain, which contains samples of "My Song" by Labi Siffre.[63] It then proceeds to morph into a myriad of interlaced synths that are impacted by distorted snare drum strokes (taken from "Ambitionz az a Ridah" by 2Pac, which samples the drums from "Pee-Wee's Dance" by Joeski Love) and ethereal electric keyboards.[64] During the bridge, the chord progression changes and the song adopts a heavy string section that emulates the melody of its synths. The composition then enters an instrumental passage and finishes off with a sweeping string arrangement.[64]

"Good Life" utilizes multi-tracked, interlocking vocals that harmonize with guest singer T-Pain's

strings, "Flashing Lights" emits synth twinklings before transforming into a moderately-paced, synth-driven beat. After the introduction, in which Mitchell's processed vocals repeat the titular hook four times, West raps the two verses, each one followed by the chorus sung by Dwele coupled with the hook. Following a break, the song enters a passage where its heavily manipulated hook echoes in and out before the coda draws the composition to a close.[26] "Stronger" is built around a sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk, while its echoing deep, hallow drums affect the electronic sound.[26]

Being composed with nothing more than a

8-bit beat with the more elegant, traditional sound of a classical piano.[30]

Lyrics and themes

West wrote lyrics expressing an ambivalence towards his newfound wealth and fame.

In comparison to previous albums, which were largely driven by observational commentary on matters pertaining to social welfare, Graduation is more introspective in nature and addresses personal themes.[78][84] West stated that he wanted to make inspirational music and placed more focus on individual perspective and experience that listeners could connect with in an attempt to create "people's theme songs".[2] Dismayed that the messages behind his complex lyricism were frequently lost on listeners and didn't carry well during live performances, West made an attempt to simplify his lyrics and use more skeletal rhyme schemes for more straightforward verses while concentrating on speaking volumes with sparser wording on Graduation.[2] Having committed a significant amount of time towards elevating his storytelling abilities by listening to folk musicians, West manages to form a lyrical narrative within nearly every song on the album.[21] West dedicated a majority of the album towards conducting an analysis himself and conveying his ambivalent outlook on his newfound wealth and fame. As such, West's subversive songwriting fluctuates between playful self-aggrandizement and critical self-doubt.[8] While confident, extroverted and celebratory at face value, many songs contained on Graduation were thematically distanced and retained melancholic subtext.[65] Some music critics remarked that compounded with West's urgent, emotive rapping style, the record sounded as if he were experiencing an existential crisis.[85]

The free-associative "Champion" is primarily composed of motivational lyrics, but West also briefly touches on the strained relationship he had with his father–who divorced from his mother when he was just three-years-old–eventually reaching the conclusion that even with their ups and downs, in the end, his father was a champion in his eyes.[86] West described "Stronger" as an "emancipation", as he uses the song to vent his frustration over mistakes he has made in the past.[37] He describes his tribulation's with music critics and media causing his return as a "Stronger" rapper, as the song title implies.[87] "I Wonder" carries an introspective tone, retaining a chorus about finding one's dreams, while West uses the verses to describe the struggle a person experiences in determining the meaning behind their life and achieving those dreams.[42] Inspired by watching Bono open stadium tours, West concentrated on speaking volumes without using too many words on the song and delivers his raps in an exuberant, staccato manner.[2] Using the same vocal styling, "Flashing Lights" tells the operatic narrative of man contemplating the complexities of a tragic relationship. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" serves as West's reflection on his fame and is characterized by bitter remorse and defiant self-awareness. West begins the song by expounding his conflicted feelings regarding wealth and desire, describing a compulsion to spend that overwhelms any and all other objectives in life.[42] He ties this into his perceived overall inability to keep himself together even as he grows into an increasingly prominent figure in the public eye.[63]

West regains his lyrical dexterity on "Barry Bonds", a competitive, though friendly battle with Lil Wayne in which the two MC exchange

high school dealing with people coming down on her.[21]

"

Jay Z, whom he feels so close to that he sees him as a brother. Within the song, West dually details his love and admiration as well as his envy and antagonism towards Jay Z, metaphorically equating their relationship to that of a sibling rivalry.[21] West also uses the song's chorus as a subsidiary dedication to his mentor No I.D., who first taught him how to produce music.[89] Similar to its musicality, the songwriting characteristics of the album-closing track, "Good Night" alludes to West's next musical progression. The majority of song is composed of repetitive recitations of its choruses and bridges by Mos Def and Al Be Back. West melodically raps only one single verse in which he nostalgically reminisces over taking trips to the museum with his grandparents. As his verse draws to a close, West chastises that a person can't dwell on the past, and charges himself with living his life like he has no tomorrow. In retrospect, with the death of his mother Donda West less than two months after the album was released in addition to the dissolution of his engagement with fiancée Alexis Phifer, the trace amounts of melancholy found scattered throughout Graduation would all but envelop West's next studio album, 808s & Heartbreak.[90][91][92]

Artwork

Dropout Bear being pursued by a monstrous cloud within the interior artwork of Graduation.

West collaborated with Japanese contemporary artist

artwork expresses colorful, pastel imagery influenced by Murakami's affiliation with Superflat, a post-modern art movement influenced by manga and anime.[97] Its production process took place over the course of several weeks, with West constantly visualizing new images and emailing the ideas to Murakami and his team.[98] Bringing the educational theme expressed by West's previous albums to a close, the visual plotline of the images contained within the liner notes lead up to a graduation ceremony that takes places within a fictional college institution situated within a futuristic metropolis called Universe City.[48]
Murakami explained the metaphor behind the artwork saying:

The cover is based on Kanye's theme of student life. School. It's a place of dreams, of righteousness, a place to have fun. It's also occasionally a place where you experience the rigid dogma of the human race. Kanye's music scrapes sentimentality and aggressiveness together like sandpaper, and he uses his grooves to unleash this tornado that spins with the zeitgeist of the times. I too wanted to be swept up and spun around in that tornado.[99]

The artwork's storyline centers around "Dropout Bear", West's

anthropomorphic teddy bear mascot.[100] The story begins on a rainy day with Dropout being awoken by his alarm clock and running out of his apartment to his car, modeled after a DeLorean. When the car's engine dies, he is forced to find an alternative means of transportation.[94] Dropout attempts to hail a cab but it speeds right past him, soaking him with puddle water. He then tries to get onto a metro rail but just misses it as it pulls away. Left with no other options, Dropout is reduced to pursuing his goal on foot. As he races down sidewalks, populated by multi-eyed, living mushrooms, Dropout is pursued by a monstrous rain cloud that attempts to swallow him whole.[101] Eventually, Dropout Bear arrives at the university and makes it to his ceremony just in time to stand before his colleagues, a wide variety of anthropomorphic creatures like himself. The visual story concludes with Dropout Bear being shot out of a cannon from the university into the sky into another stratosphere on the back cover.[26]

The cover art for Graduation was cited as the fifth best album cover of the year by

cel-shaded animation within a three-minute animated music video for the opening track "Good Morning".[101] After collaborating with West on the artwork and video, Murakami later worked with him on the cover art for West and Kid Cudi's eponymous debut studio album, Kids See Ghosts (2018).[103]

Marketing

Publicity over the album's release date pitted West in a sales competition against rapper 50 Cent (pictured).

While hosting a listening session for his second studio album Late Registration on August 3, 2005, at Sony Music Studios, West revealed that he wanted to schedule the release of Graduation sometime around October 2006.[104] Several months later, on March 28, 2007, West appeared on the Los Angeles radio station Power 106. He said that he was working on his third album and Common's seventh album Finding Forever and rapped a few lyrics from one of his songs in a cappella.[105] On May 11, it was announced that the release date for Graduation was September 18.[48] West debuted the album's lead single "Can't Tell Me Nothing" on the New York radio station Hot 97 on May 15.[106] He then released a free mixtape under the same name onto the Internet on May 27.[107] The mixtape features preview clips of songs that would appear on Graduation and showcases various artists signed onto West's record label GOOD Music as well as collaborations with other unaffiliated musicians.[108] It also contains "Us Placers", the debut song of Child Rebel Soldier, a supergroup West formed with Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell.[107]

At the end of May,

Jay Z welcomed competition, feeling that it would be prosperous for hip-hop and the date became permanent.[112]

The album's release generated much publicity over a sales competition with 50 Cent's Curtis.[113][114] Three months prior to the September 11 release date, West extended his gratitude towards 50 Cent for the enthusiasm and excitement the friendly competition had produced. Though confident that he would emerge victorious, West said that he would be perfectly fine with losing to 50 Cent, saying that he'd rather, "be #2 on that day rather than come out and be #1 on a day nobody cares about".[115] In an interview for USA Today, 50 Cent expressed his view on the idea of a sales competition, stating "It's great marketing – for Kanye West. But I sell way more records than Kanye West, and I generate way more interest than Kanye West. They think they can match us up, but they'll find out when that week goes by and the sales come back. This is no rivalry".[116] "Mine will sell and his will still be on the shelf," 50 Cent told Rolling Stone.[117] On August 10, 50 Cent confirmed during an interview with SOHH that he would end his career as a solo recording artist if Graduation were to sell more copies than Curtis in the United States.[118] However, 50 Cent later retracted his statement within an MTV interview due to his contract agreements with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.[119] But most retailers and radio programmers interviewed picked West, whose single, "Stronger", was Number Six on Billboard's Hot 100 -while none of 50's four singles climbed higher than the thirty-second spot.[117]

West performing before a crowd at V Festival on August 18, 2007, in Chelmsford, England.

West spent a significant amount of time promoting Graduation during his trip to the

Westminster Central Hall in London, England on August 20.[120][124] The guests were greeted by staff members wearing graduation robes and mortarboard caps in reference to the title of West's third studio album Graduation. At the end of the concert, a shower of silver confetti and ticker tape reading Touch the Sky fell from the ceiling onto the audience while the actual "Touch the Sky", which was the fourth single from Late Registration, was played on the speakers.[124][125]

After he returned to the United States, West joined 50 Cent onstage for a surprise performance before an audience of over 20,000 people at a show held on August 22 in

2001: A Space Odyssey.[2] Two days later, on the morning of August 30, the clean version of the album leaked onto the Internet.[128] In a survey conducted by Billboard, results displayed that an estimated 44% of readers predicted that Graduation would sell more units over 50 Cent and Kenny Chesney.[129] Projections for first week scans based on early store sales reports indicated towards the 575,000–700,000 range for Graduation, while Curtis was projected in the 500,000–600,000 range.[130] West and 50 Cent appeared on a 106 & Park special titled: "Kanye West vs. 50 Cent: The Clash of the Titans", which aired on September 11. They both performed, had solo interviews, and a joint interview.[131][132] The episode was the second-highest viewed music series telecast in BET history behind 106 & Park's tribute to Aaliyah in 2001.[133]

Commercial performance

It's a great promotional tool. To me, it's the greatest thing ever. I think people should do it more often. I'm a fan of both albums. Hip-hop needs this right now.

Timbaland, on the sales competition between West's Graduation and 50 Cent's Curtis.[113]

On the first day of its release, Graduation sold over 437,000 copies.[134] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, grossing a total of over 957,000 copies in its first week in the United States alone.[135] Graduation became West's second consecutive studio album to top the Billboard 200 and also debuted at number-one on the album charts in the United Kingdom and Canada.[136][137] It was within the very same week that "Stronger" topped the Billboard Hot 100, selling over 205,000 digital downloads and giving West his third number-one single.[138] The album registered the best first-week sales totals of any record released within the last two years, with the last being West's own Late Registration.[139]

Additionally, Graduation became ranked as the 15th highest sales week for an album since

Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, as well as the highest sales week at the time of its release for an album since 50 Cent's The Massacre (2005).[140] It also set the record for the largest week of an album digitally downloaded, registering over 133,000 paid downloads, beating Maroon 5's previous set record of 102,000 for It Won't Be Soon Before Long.[141] Graduation's first week sales of 957,000 and Curtis's first week sales of 691,000 marked only the second time ever since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan that two albums debuted within the same week with totals surpassing 623,000 copies in the United States. The first occurrence of such an event was in September 1991, when Guns N' Roses conjunctively released Use Your Illusion I, which sold 685,000 copies, and Use Your Illusion II, which sold 770,000 copies. The first week sales totals of Graduation and Curtis have outsold the first week sales totals of Guns N' Roses' two albums.[140] 50 Cent showed graciousness in regards to his defeat.[142] In a statement released to the Associated Press, he said, "I am very excited to have participated in one of the biggest album release weeks in the last two years. Collectively, we have sold hundreds of thousands of units in our debut week. This marks a great moment for hip-hop music, one that will go down in history".[142] After years of slumping sales, the album competition between the two releases and the resulting record breaking performances both albums demonstrated was considered to be a "fantastic day for hip-hop".[114]

West performing at the United Center in Chicago on the album's supporting tour.

In its second week on the Billboard 200, Graduation outsold Curtis, 226,000 copies to 143,000.[143] By the next week, on October 3, 2007, the former had sold a total of 1.3 million copies in the US.[144] By year's end, Graduation was the third most-downloaded and best-selling album of 2007 on iTunes Store.[145] Graduation became West's third consecutive studio album to sell over two million copies in the United States, and it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping two million copies on October 18, 2007.[146] As of June 14, 2013, Nielsen Soundscan reported that the album has since grossed over 2.7 million copies in the US.[147] The 957,000 copies sold in the first week of Graduation's release stood as the sixth largest first week sales in hip hop history up to January 7, 2019.[148]

In the United Kingdom, Graduation debuted at number-one on the UK Albums Chart dated September 22, 2007.[149] As of January 22, 2021, the album has been certified Double Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), with sales of 600,000 copies in the UK.[150] In 2018, Official Charts Company revealed that Graduation was the 25th highest-selling rap album in the UK in the 21st century.[151] For the issue date of September 20, 2007, Graduation debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart.[137] On January 10, 2008, the album was certified double platinum by Music Canada for sales of 200,000 copies.[152]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[153]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[65]
The A.V. ClubB+[23]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[78]
The Guardian[72]
Los Angeles Times[45]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)A−[154]
NME6/10[30]
Pitchfork8.7/10[64]
Rolling Stone[80]
Spin[155]

Graduation was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on 32 reviews.[153]

Reviewing for

Puff Daddy's late 1990s pop-rap, but more skilled: "Its music is a rush of designer adrenaline, its personality insatiable self-justification. It's the paradigm ya love to hate".[155] Pitchfork critic Mark Pytlik complimented the accessibility of West's sonic experimentations, finding it impressive and innovative how he assembled seemingly disparate elements on the songs.[64] Greg Tate, writing in The Village Voice, dubbed him "the most genuinely confessional MC in hip-hop today" and said, "bouts of narcissism aside, Graduation contains killer pieces of production".[156] Stylus Magazine's Jayson Greene said it "serves as a document of West's maturation" and, "musically, at least, it's the most accomplished thing he's ever done".[9] In Rolling Stone, Nathan Brackett wrote of West's evolving and increasingly experimental, genre-bending production and said although he lacks Jay-Z's "formal mastery", West has "grown as a writer ... given the lousy year hip-hop has had, the music needs his spazzed-out, neurotic creativity more than ever".[80] Josh Tyrangiel from Time wrote, "West plunders the best [samples] and meticulously layers every track with enough surprises that there are thrills and discoveries a dozen listens in".[76]

Some reviewers were more qualified in their praise. For MSN Music, Robert Christgau deemed Graduation a "minor success" in which "every single track offers up its momentary pleasures—choruses that make you say yeah on songs you've already found wanting, confessional details and emotional aperçus on an album that still reduces to quality product when they're over". However, he felt West spent too much of the album rationalizing his obsession with his fame in sketchy fashion and occasionally awkward rhymes, "little stuff like his failure to convert 'this'-'crib'-'shit'-'live'-'serious' into a rhyme" on "Champion" or "'at bay at a distance' into an idiom" on "Big Brother".[154] Dorian Lynskey from The Guardian said West often "undercuts rap cliches with wit and ambivalence", but observed some disappointing lyrics such as on "Can't Tell Me Nothing", which he said revealed his limited perspective.[72] Slant Magazine critic Eric Henderson found West's lyrics "only transparently expressive", saying that the songs' hooks "grab your ear on the first listen (notably bypassing your brain), your balls on the second, and your soul from there on out", and described West's production as having "adopted a beefy, synth-glam sheen".[84] Dave Heaton from PopMatters felt that though the album is good, it lacks the epochal feel of Late Registration, with songs that "aren't as richly dressed" and he claimed that West "doesn't seem to be trying as hard".[42]

Rankings

Graduation was named to year-end lists for 2007 by multiple publications.

Idolator poll for 2007, which surveyed 452 critics, Graduation was ranked at number eight.[165]

Graduation later appeared on numerous other best albums lists. Pitchfork listed the album at number 87 on their ranking of the best albums of the 2000s,

Complex placed it at number 2 on their list.[167] Rolling Stone listed Graduation at number 45,[168] and it finished second on its readers list.[169] Complex ranked the album at number one on their list of the 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade (2002–2012).[170] Graduation was later included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, landing at 204 on the 2020 update.[171] It also appeared at 470 on NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 2013 list.[172]

Rankings for Graduation
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Amazon Top 10 Albums of 2007
3
[161]
Billboard 2007 Billboard Critics' Choice poll
8
[173]
Blender Top 10 Albums of 2007
4
[161]
Cleveland Magazine The Best Albums of 2007
6
[174]
Complex
 		The 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade (2002–2012)
1
[175]
The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s
2
[176]
Consequence of Sound
 		Top 50 Albums of 2007
8
[177]
Entertainment Weekly 2007 Readers Picks
1
[158]
Idolator
 		Idolator's 2007 Pop Critics Poll
8
[165]
LAS Magazine Top 10 Albums of 2007
5
[161]
The Morning News The Top 10 Albums of 2007
8
[178]
My List Pad Top Music Albums of 2007
3
[159]
NME 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
470
[179]
NPR Best Hip-Hop of 2007
3
[180]
Paste Top 100 Albums of 2007
15
[181]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2007
18
[182]
The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s
87
[183]
PopMatters The Albums of 2007
3
[160]
Prefix Top 10 Albums of 2007
6
[161]
Rolling Stone Top 50 Albums of 2007
5
[162]
100 Best Albums of the 2000s
45
[184]
500 Greatest Albums of All Time
204
[171]
Spin The 40 Best Albums of 2007
4
[163]
Stylus Magazine Top 10 Albums of 2007
6
[185]
Thought Catalog Top 27 Rap Albums of 2007
2
[186]
Time Top 10 Albums of 2007
10
[187]
Time Out The Best Albums of 2007 (Mike Wolf's List)
7
[188]
Treblezine Top 10 Hip-hop Albums of 2007
2
[189]
USA Today USA TODAY's Music Staff Year Review
1
[157]
The Village Voice The 2007 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll
6
[164]

Industry awards

Graduation won the award of

Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. With his two wins at the ceremony, West was the second biggest winner, behind Chris Brown with three awards to his name. West told the crowd during his acceptance speech that despite winning the Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album award, he wanted to give the award to Lil Wayne instead. Though this stands as one of the multiple times that West has given an award of his to someone else, West also has a frequent history of complaining when he does not win an award.[190]

At the

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, while "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was nominated for Best Rap Song.[191] The six awards that the album led to West contending for at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were among his total of eight nominations for the ceremony, making West the most nominated music artist of that show.[204]
Graduation was a contender for numerous other industry awards.

Year Organization Award Result Ref.
Awards and nominations for Graduation
2007 HipHopDX Awards Album of the Year Won [205]
2008 American Music Awards
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album
 Won [190]
BET Hip Hop Awards CD of the Year Nominated [206]
ECHO Music Awards
 Album of the Year Hip-Hop / R&B Nominated [207]
Grammy Awards Album of the Year Nominated [191]
Best Rap Album Won
Fonogram Hungarian Music Awards Best Foreign Rap or Hip-Hop Album of the Year Won [208]
NAACP Image Awards
 Outstanding Album Nominated [209]
Swiss Music Awards Best Album Urban International Nominated [210]

Legacy and influence

The sales battle [between Curtis and Graduation] serves as the final battle, the winner-take-all rumble between the present (

postmodern
movement.

—Andrew Doscas, PopMatters (2014)[211]

The critical reception and commercial success of Graduation left a profound influence on both

Drake to The Weeknd".[217] Irish rock band U2 has imparted that touring with West on their Vertigo Tour in turn had a significant effect on their own music as well in regards to the band's twelfth studio album No Line on the Horizon (2009).[14] Lead singer Bono elaborated that West's rapping inspired him to utilize more percussive consonants for his songwriting and vocal performance.[14]

West's third studio album, particularly with its two

electro-infused club music in the late-2000s.[213][13] The number-one hit "Stronger" was leading part of a wave of synthesizer-driven music which combined danceable electro beats with an accessible pop format.[213] It was succeeded by the high chart placings and multi-platinum sales of singles by artists and bands ranging from "Just Dance" (2008) by singer Lady Gaga to "Right Round" (2009) by rapper Flo Rida.[218][13]

Graduation marked a musical progression towards synth-based production in regards to the art of crafting hip-hop beats.[216] The studio album demonstrated West's shift from sample-orientated hip-hop production and more towards digital synths and drum machines generated by digital audio workstations (DAW).[216] While samples are present throughout the album, they were fewer in number and not nearly as prominent.[216] As hip hop producer Anthony Kilhoffer recalled to Billboard in 2017 for Graduation's 10th anniversary, "I think it was the first time having a heavy hand in the use of electronic music in hip-hop. Previous to that it was very R&B influenced, tracks like 'Stronger' and 'Flashing Lights' contained very electronic type of elements. This was way before EDM became mainstream, and marked the end of the jersey-wearing era in hip-hop".[219] Since Graduation's release, countless other record producers have followed suit in blurring the lines of conventional hip-hop with the incorporation of electronic production.[220] This synth-driven production approach has since been adopted by artists including Future, Young Chop, and Metro Boomin.[216]

Graduation has been credited with paving the way for rappers, such as Drake (left) and J. Cole (right), to find mainstream success without conforming to gangsta rap conventions.

The outcome of the highly publicized sales competition between 50 Cent's Curtis and West's Graduation has been accredited to the commercial decline of the

Drake—who lacked the interest or ability to create narratives about any past gunplay or drug-dealing".[221] The Michigan Daily columnist Adam Theisen asserts that West's win once and for all "prove[d] that rap music didn't have to conform to gangsta-rap conventions to be commercially successful".[222] Rolling Stone remarked that "While Kanye West's decisive triumph over 50 seems inevitable in retrospect, it's easy to forget how much of an underdog he was at the time. The College Dropout and Late Registration sold a combined 7 million copies in the U.S., but 50 Cent's own first two albums, Get Rich or Die Trying and The Massacre, sold nearly 14 million, almost exactly twice as much. West had the last laugh: Graduation sold nearly a million copies in one week, and rap became the playground of emotional heroes like Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, Drake and J. Cole".[223] In retrospect, Highsnobiety writer Shahzaib Hussain recognizes Graduation in West's opening trilogy of highly successful, education-themed albums that "cemented his role as a progressive rap progenitor".[224]

Going further, Noah Callahan-Bever,

MCs to take notes. .. While gangsta rap still has a seat in the ever-expanding classroom of hip-hop, vulnerability and experimentation now serve as the leading candidates in creating your prototypical MC. Because of songs like 'I Wonder', 'Flashing Lights' and 'Stronger'", the hip-hop artists of today "cling on to Kanye's indomitable body of work like a go-to study guide".[226] The competition between 50 Cent and West, when the two released their studio albums on the same day, was penultimate in a series of articles that lists fifty key events in the history of R&B and hip-hop music, written by Rosie Swash of The Guardian. Swash wrote that it "highlighted the diverging facets of hip-hop in the last decade; the former was gangsta rap for the noughties, while West was the thinking man's alternative".[227]

Track listing

Credits adapted from liner notes.[26]

Graduation track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."
Dante Smith
  • Laura Nyro
  • Landsberg
  • Pappalardi
  • Ventura
  • Weinstein
    		• 3:32
    12."Homecoming" (featuring Chris Martin)
    		3:23
    13."Big Brother"
    • West
    • Davis
    		Toomp4:47
    Total length:51:23
    iTunes and Australia bonus track
    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    14."Good Night" (featuring Al Be Back and Mos Def)
    • West
    • J. Miller
    • Al Be Back
    		3:07
    Alternative Business Partners bonus track
    Young Jeezy
    )
    • West
    • Mitchell
    • Davis
    • West
    • Toomp
    		4:08
    United Kingdom bonus tracks
    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    14."Good Night" (featuring Al Be Back and Mos Def)
    • West
    • Daniels
    • J. Miller
    • Reid
    • Beckford
    • Maragh
    • West
    • J. Miller
    • Al Be Back
    		3:06
    15."Stronger" (A-Trak Remix)
    • West
    • Bangalter
    • de Homem-Christo
    • Birdsong
    		West4:34
    Japanese bonus tracks
    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    14."Good Night" (featuring Al Be Back and Mos Def)
    • West
    • Daniels
    • J. Miller
    • Reid
    • Beckford
    • Maragh
    • West
    • J. Miller
    • Al Be Back
    		3:06
    15."Bittersweet Poetry" (featuring John Mayer)
    		West4:01
    France and Spotify bonus tracks[231][232]
    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    14."Stronger" (A-Trak Remix)
    • West
    • Bangalter
    • de Homem-Christo
    • Birdsong
    		West4:34
    15."Stronger" (AD Remix Main)
    • West
    • Bangalter
    • de Homem-Christo
    • Birdsong
    		West4:48

    Notes:[26]

    • ^[a] – co-production
    • ^[b] – additional production
    • ^[c] – extended outro co-production
    • ^[d] – bridge section

    Sample credits:

    Personnel

    Credits are adapted from liner notes.[26]

    • Kanye West – executive producer, primary artist (all tracks), producer (all tracks except 13)
    • Lil Wayne – featured artist (track 7)
    • Mos Def
      – featured artist (track 8), backing vocals (8, 11)
    • T-Pain – featured artist (track 5)
    • Dwele – featured artist (track 9)
    • DJ Premier – featured artist, DJ scratching (track 10)
    • Young Jeezy
      – rap vocals (track 6)
    • Jay-Z – executive producer, additional rap vocals (track 1)
    • Chris Martin – additional vocals (sung by) (track 12), piano (track 12)
    • Connie Mitchell – additional vocals (tracks 1-2, 6, 9)
    • Tanya Herron – additional vocals (track 8)
    • John Legend – backing vocals (tracks 5, 11)
    • Ne-Yo – backing vocals (track 5)
    • Jalil Williams – additional backing vocals (track 11)
    • Jehireh Williams – additional backing vocals (track 11)
    • Daphne Chen – violin (tracks 5, 8)
    • Eric Gorfain – violin (tracks 5, 8)
    • Luigi Mazzocchi – violin (tracks 4, 9)
    • Charles Parker – violin (tracks 4, 9)
    • Igor Szwec – violin (tracks 4, 9)
    • Emma Kummrow – violin (tracks 4, 9)
    • Olga Konopelsky – violin (tracks 4, 9)
    • Gloria Justen – violin (tracks 4, 9)
    • Peter Nocella – viola (tracks 4, 9)
    • Leah Katz – viola (tracks 5, 8)
    • Alexandra Leem – viola (tracks 4, 9)
    • Alma Fernandez – viola (track 5)
    • Wired Strings – string section performed by (track 11)
    • Gus Dudgeon - producer (track 1)
    • DJ Toomp - producer (tracks 5, 6, 13, 14)
    • Mike Dean – keyboards (track 3, 7), music arranger (3), string arrangements (5, 8), recording engineer (3), guitar (3), mixing (5-8, 10, 12), producer (3, 5)
    • Jon Brion – keyboards (track 4), percussion (12), record producer (8)
    • Darryl Beaton – keyboards (track 6)
    • Andy Chatterley – keyboards (tracks 1, 3, 8, 11)
    • Chris Rob – keyboards (track 6)
    • Richard Dodd – cello (tracks 5, 8)
    • John Krovoza – cello (track 5)
    • Jennie Lorenzo – cello (tracks 4, 9)
    • Tim Resler – bass (tracks 4, 9)
    • Vincent "Biggs" James – bass guitar (track 7)
    • Omar Edwards – piano (tracks 4-5, 10), keyboards (3, 11) synthesizer (4-5, 8), synthesizer bass (8).
    • Nottz Raw – producer (track 7), recording engineer (track 7)
    • Tony Rey – recording engineer (track 6)
    • Seiji Sekine – recording engineer (track 3)
    • Greg Koller – recording engineer (tracks 4, 8, 12)
    • Bruce Buechner – recording engineer (track 12)
    • Andrew Dawson – recording engineer (all tracks), mixing (tracks 2, 4-6, 9, 12-13)
    • Anthony Kilhoffer – recording engineer (tracks 1-6, 9-12), mixing (1, 11)
    • Anthony Palazzole – assistant recording engineer (track 2, 5-10, 12)
    • Andy Marcinkowski – assistant recording engineer (tracks 2, 5-10, 12-13)
    • Richard Reitz – assistant recording engineer (tracks 3, 6)
    • Jared Robbins – assistant recording engineer (track 3)
    • Kengo Sakura – assistant recording engineer (track 3)
    • Bram Tobey – assistant recording engineer (tracks 1-6, 8, 10-11)
    • Matty Green – assistant recording engineer (tracks 1, 9, 11-12)
    • Nate Hertweck – assistant recording engineer (tracks 1-6, 10-11)
    • Jason Agel – assistant recording engineer (tracks 1-6, 8, 10-11)
    • Keke Smith - production coordination for DJ Toomp (tracks 5, 6, 13, 14)
    • Tracey Waples – marketing
    • Al Brancch – marketing
    • Takashi Murakami – artwork
    • Carol Corless – package production
    • Eric Hudson – all other instruments (track 9), producer (9)
    • Warryn Campbell – producer (track 12)
    • Larry Gold – string arrangements, string conductor (tracks 4, 9)
    • Rosie Danvers – string arrangements (track 11)
    • Sandra Campbell – project coordinator
    • Sean Cooper – sound designer (track 12)
    • Tommy D – string section producer (track 11)
    • Vlado Meller – mastering
    • Terese Joseph – A&R
    • Kyambo Joshua – executive producer
    • Manny Marroquin – mixing (track 3)
    • Kazuhiro Mizuno – design
    • Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds – A&R, producer (track 11)
    • Timbaland – additional drum machine (track 5), additional music programming (3)

    Charts

    Certifications

    Certifications and sales for Graduation
    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    Australia (ARIA)[303] Platinum 70,000^
    Canada (Music Canada)[152] 2× Platinum 200,000^
    Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[304] 3× Platinum 60,000‡
    Germany (BVMI)[305] Gold 100,000‡
    Iceland (FHF)[306] Gold 2,500‡[307]
    Ireland (IRMA)[308] Platinum 15,000^
    Italy (FIMI)[309] Gold 25,000‡
    Japan (RIAJ)[310] Gold 100,000^
    New Zealand (RMNZ)[311] 3× Platinum 45,000‡
    Russia (
    NFPF)[312]
    		 Gold 10,000*
    Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[313] Gold 15,000^
    United Kingdom (BPI)[314] 2× Platinum 600,000‡
    United States (RIAA)[315] 7× Platinum 7,000,000‡

    * Sales figures based on certification alone.
    ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
    ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

    See also

    References

    1. Viacom. Archived
      from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
    2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Reid, Shaheem (August 29, 2007). "Kanye's Graduation: Inside The NYC Listening Party For West's So-Called 'Comeback'". MTV. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
    3. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (August 29, 2007). "Kanye West's Graduation: A Preview". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
    4. ^ a b c d Laws, Angel (October 5, 2007). "Exclusive Interview W/ Kanye West". Concrete Loop. concreteloop.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
    5. ^ Japie, Stoppelenburg (September 30, 2007). "Music Reviews – Kanye West: Graduation". No Ripcord. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
    6. ^ a b c Park, Adam (January 7, 2007). "Kanye West 'God Just Brings Collaborations Together'". Clash. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
    7. ^ "Kanye West Interviewed". Clash. April 12, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
    8. ^ a b c Cowie, Del (October 2007). "Recently Reviewed". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
    9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Greene, Jayson (September 10, 2007). "Kanye West Graduation – Music Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
    10. ^ Powers, Ann. September 10, 2007. Hip-hop's Man of Two Minds Archived October 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    11. ^ Power, Ed (March 12, 2007). "Kanye Goes Where Other Rappers Dare Not Tread". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
    12. ^ "Fall Preview: Music". Newsweek. September 2, 2007. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
    13. ^ a b c Dugan, John (May 14, 2008). "New Mutants". Time Out Chicago. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
    14. ^ a b c Calloway, Sway; Vena, Jocelyn (March 10, 2009). "U2 Take Cues From Kanye West, Jay-Z". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
    15. ^ a b Serwer, Jesse (August 13, 2007). "Kanye West". Time Out New York. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
    16. ^ Denslow, Michael (November 15, 2010). "Album Review: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
    17. ^ a b c d Danton, Eric (August 11, 2007). "Man With a Message". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
    18. ^ a b c d e f Kathwadia, Rajveer (August 15, 2007). "Online Review: Kanye West – Graduation". RWD Magazine. Archived from the original on August 21, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
    19. ^ a b c d Rizov, Vadim (November 1, 2007). ""Indie 500": Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Joy Division and Pale Young Gentlemen". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
    20. ^ a b MTV News Staff Report (September 23, 2005). "For The Record: Quick News On Kanye West, R. Kelly, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Spoon, Elvis Costello & More". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
    21. ^ a b c d e f g Scaggs, Austin (September 20, 2007). "Kanye West: A Genius In Praise of Himself". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
    22. ^ Crosley, Hillary (August 6, 2007). "'Graduation' Day Nears for Kanye West". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
    23. ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (September 11, 2007). "Kanye West: Graduation". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
    24. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (August 14, 2007). "Kanye West And Lil Wayne Counting On 'Barry Bonds' For A Hit Single". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on December 29, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
    25. ^ Barshad, Amos (December 10, 2010). "Photos: Kanye West's Career Highs — and Lows 19 of 24". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
    26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Graduation (Media notes). Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    27. ^ a b c Nui Te Koha (August 3, 2008). "Sneaky Sound System Sneaking Their Way to the Top". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
    28. ^ a b c d e Confidential, Sydney (March 10, 2007). "Connie Hits Hip-hop". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
    29. ^ a b Crosley, Hillary (January 19, 2007). "Kanye Rolling With Chris Martin On New Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
    30. ^ a b c d e Pattison, Louis (September 13, 2007). "Kanye West: Graduation". NME. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
    31. ^ Lynch, Joe (April 22, 2013). "10 Things We Learned From Kanye West's Pre-Fame Mixtape". Fuse. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
    32. ^ a b c d Benbow, Julian (September 11, 2007). "After the Hip-hop Hype". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on September 20, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
    33. Complex. Archived from the original
      on January 19, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
    34. Complex. Archived
      from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
    35. ^ Caramanica, Jon (August 26, 2007). "The Education of Kanye West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
    36. ^ a b c Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 20, 2007). "Jay-Z's Brotherly Love". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
    37. ^ a b c d Reid, Shaheem (June 20, 2007). "Kanye West's 'Stronger' Video: Japanese Motorcycle Gangs, Mad Scientists — And Cassie". MTV. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
    38. ^ a b c Luke, Bainbridge (August 11, 2007). "It's Kanye's World". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
    39. ^ Tingen, Paul (December 2007). "Secrets of the Mix Engineers: Manny Marroquin". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
    40. ^ Reid, Shaheem (August 21, 2007). "Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent for Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other'". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
    41. ^ a b c Scaggs, Austin (September 20, 2007). "Kanye West: A Genius In Praise of Himself". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
    42. ^ a b c d e f g h i Heaton, Dave. Review: Graduation Archived December 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. PopMatters. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    43. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (September 11, 2007). "Ten Favorite Moments on Kanye West's Graduation". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
    44. ^ Caramanica, Jon (August 26, 2007). "The Education of Kanye West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
    45. ^ a b c d Powers, Ann (September 10, 2007). "Hip-hop's Man of Two Minds". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    46. ^ Nishimoto, Dan (January 8, 2008). "Best Albums of 2007: Picks 10 to 1". Prefixmag. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
    47. ^ Crosely, Hillary (September 19, 2007). "Jay-Z, L.A. Reid Weigh in On Kanye/50 Sales Battle". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
    48. ^ a b c Bland, Bridget; Reid, Shaheem; Richard, Yasmine (May 11, 2007). "Kanye West Says He's 'Ready To Take Over The World Once Again'". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on June 1, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
    49. ^ Frehsee, Nicole (June 8, 2007). "Common Preps New Album 'Finding Forever' With Help From Kanye, Lily Allen". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
    50. ^ Reid, Shaheem (May 23, 2006). "Common, Kanye Going For 'Glory' On Raw, Soulful New Songs". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
    51. ^ Richards, Jason (September 20, 2007). "How Not To Be Common". Now. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
    52. ^ a b Crosley, Hillary (November 30, 2010). "DJ Premier Talks Kanye West's 'Mama's Boyfriend'". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
    53. URB. Archived from the original
      on October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
    54. ^ Ryon, Sean (January 10, 2012). "Tony Williams Recalls Kanye West Showing Jay-Z "Big Brother"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
    55. ^ Crosley, Hillary (September 12, 2007). "50 Cent, Kanye West Continue Rivalry On 106 & Park". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
    56. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (April 22, 2005). "West Shows Off 'Diamonds' With Jay-Z". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2006.
    57. ^ "Kanye West, Keyshia Cole and John Mayer Recording Bittersweet". April 9, 2006. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2008 – via YouTube.
    58. ^ Moss, Cory (November 18, 2004). "Kanye West And John Mayer Collaborate But Won't Elaborate". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
    59. ^ a b Mcalley, John (December 20, 2007). "Entertainer of the Year: Kanye West". Spin. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
    60. ^ S., Nathan (February 18, 2015). "Is Kanye West's "Graduation" Album a Masterpiece?". DJBooth.net. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
    61. ^ Comer, Sean (August 13, 2013). "Give Life Back To Music 08.19.13: Kanye West – Graduation". 411MANIA. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
    62. ^ S., Nathan (February 18, 2015). "Is Kanye West's Graduation Album a Masterpiece?". DJBooth.net. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
    63. ^ a b c d e f Greg Kot (August 31, 2007). 'Graduation' day arrives: Kanye West exploits his growing pains Archived May 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
    64. ^ a b c d e f g Pytlik, Mark (September 11, 2007). "Kanye West: Graduation". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    65. ^ a b c d Kellman, Andy. "Graduation – Kanye West". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
    66. ^ "Which Kanye is Apex Kanye?". Medium. August 24, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
    67. ^ Botte, Joshua (March 23, 2018). "Are Kanye West And Michael Scott From 'The Office' The Same Person? Yes". NPR. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
    68. ^ "Critics Reviews for The Life of Pablo". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
    69. Noisey
      . December 4, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
    70. ^ Willis, Jay (August 30, 2017). "Late Registration Was the Last Great Album by the Old Kanye". GQ. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
    71. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (February 18, 2016). "The Life of Pablo and the Terror of Monogamy". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
    72. ^ a b c Lynskey, Dorian (September 7, 2007). "Kanye West, Graduation". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on October 5, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
    73. ^ Jones, Kevin (December 2007). "Beats & Rhymes: Year in Review 2007". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on January 28, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
    74. ^ Johnson, Brett (September 10, 2007). "Review: New CDs From 50 Cent, Kanye West". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
    75. ^ a b Manne, Jesse (March 5, 2008). "Album Review Kanye West Graduation". Prefixmag. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
    76. ^ a b Tyrangiel, Josh (December 6, 2007). "Top 10 Albums". Time. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
    77. ^ Kim, Serena (September 12, 2005). "Kanye West – Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella)". Vibe. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
    78. ^ a b c Drumming, Neil (September 7, 2007). "Graduation". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    79. ^ Pareles, Jon. Topics/People/L/Lil Wayne Review: Graduation Archived September 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    80. ^ a b c d e Brackett, Nathan (September 4, 2007). "Graduation". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    81. ^ a b D., Spence (September 12, 2007). "Kanye West - Graduation Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
    82. ^ Breihan, Tom (June 20, 2007). "Kanye West Premiers the "Stronger" Video". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
    83. The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original
      on June 17, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
    84. ^ a b Henderson, Eric. Review: Graduation Archived June 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
    85. ^ "Pop CDs of the Year: When the Bard of Wimbledon Triumphed". The Daily Telegraph. London. December 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
    86. ^ Mcalley, John (December 20, 2007). "Entertainer of the Year: Kanye West". Spin. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
    87. ^ Crosley, Hillary. Billboard: The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment119.32(August 11, 2007): 22-24.
    88. Paste Magazine. August 15, 2007. Archived
      from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
    89. ISBN 0-9767735-6-2
      .
    90. ^ Glover, Scott (November 20, 2008). "Doctor Talks About Donda West's Death". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
    91. ^ McGee, Tiffany. "Kanye West's Fiancée 'Sad' Over Breakup". People. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
    92. ^ Dombal, Ryan (August 19, 2009). "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 100-51". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
    93. ^ Martin, Francesca (August 1, 2007). "Kanye West Mixes Manga and Music With the 'Warhol of Japan'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
    94. ^ a b Gopnik, Blakel (May 4, 2008). "Toying With Catastrophe". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
    95. ^ Vogel, Carol (April 2, 2008). "Watch Out, Warhol, Here's Japanese Shock Pop". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
    96. Kaikai Kiki. Archived from the original
      on April 9, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
    97. ^ Barthel, Mike (October 15, 2010). "Understanding Kanye: Sweet, Sweet Robot Fantasy, Baby". The Awl. David Cho. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
    98. ^ Lumpkin, Bernard; Stolz, Kim (April 4, 2008). "Kanye West Album-Cover Artist Takashi Murakami Talks About Working With 'Ye, At His NYC Exhibit Opening". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
    99. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 28, 2007). "Kanye's Work of (CD) Art". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
    100. ^ Heffernan, Virginia (August 8, 2008). "Kanye on Keyboards". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
    101. ^ a b Dukes, Rahman; Reid, Shaheem; Richard, Yasmine (May 21, 2007). "Mixtape Monday: Kanye West Glows In The Dark; Pharrell Brings The B-More Beats". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
    102. ^ "Weekend Rock List: Best Album Covers of 2007". Rolling Stone. December 28, 2007. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
    103. ^ Lu Stout, Kristie (January 11, 2013). "Interview with Japanese Artist Takashi Murakam". CNN. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
    104. ^ Reid, Shaheem (August 5, 2005). "'Can He Do It Again?' – Kanye West Says New LP Backs Up His Bragging". MTV. Archived from the original on October 2, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
    105. ^ "Kanye West Premiers Rap From New Album". NME. March 28, 2007. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
    106. ^ "Kanye Releases 'Nothing,' Plus Mary J., Phil Spector, Bono, Lindsay, Christina, Rihanna & More". MTV. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on May 18, 2007. Retrieved May 15, 2007.
    107. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem; Richard, Yasmine (May 30, 2007). "Kanye West Says MTV Movie Awards Snubbed Mel Gibson's Apocalypto". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2007.
    108. ^ Reid, Shaheem; Rodriguez, Jayson (June 4, 2007). "Mixtape Monday: 50 Didn't Bite Jim Jones; Kanye Keeps GOOD Music Intact". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on June 6, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
    109. ^ "Kanye West Changes Graduation Date; Plus 50 Cent, Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan & More, In For the Record". MTV. Viacom. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
    110. ^ Reid, Shaheem (July 19, 2007). "Kanye West And 50 Cent Set For Epic Battle: Both Releasing Albums On September 11". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
    111. ^ "Kanye West Declines Debate With 50 Cent, Calls It 'Stupid'". Baller Status. August 8, 2007. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
    112. ^ Reid, Shaheem (July 30, 2007). "Jay-Z Calls Kanye West And 50 Cent's LP Face-Off 'A Fantastic Thing For Hip-Hop'". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
    113. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem. 50 Cent Or Kanye West, Who Will Win? Nas, Timbaland, More Share Their Predictions Archived November 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. MTV. Viacom Retrieved on December 24, 2009.
    114. ^ a b Rodriguez, Jayson (September 19, 2007). "Kanye West Pounds 50 Cent in First Week Of Album Showdown". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
    115. ^ Reid, Shaheem (July 23, 2007). "Kanye West Says He's Ready To Pit His Album Against 50 Cent's: 'We Ain't Moving'". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 5, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
    116. ^ Jones, Steve. September 9, 2007. 50 Cent isn't worried: He's rich with confidence Archived February 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. USA Today. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
    117. ^ a b Rock & Roll: Kanye vs. 50 Cent. Serpick, Evan. Rolling Stone (Sep 6, 2007): 26.
    118. ^ "50 Cent Says He'll Quit If Kanye West Outdoes Him; Plus Lily Allen, D'Angelo, Beastie Boys, Norah Jones & More, In for the Record". MTV. Viacom. August 10, 2007. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2007.
    119. ^ Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Tim Kash (2007-08-15). 50 Cent Explains Last Week's Blowup, Says 'I Will Be #1 on September 11' Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine. MTV. Viacom Accessed 2007-09-15.
    120. ^ a b c Reid, Shaheem (August 21, 2007). "Kanye West Thanks 50 Cent for Much-Hyped Rivalry: 'We Push Each Other'". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
    121. ^ eskay (August 18, 2007). "Video: Kanye Previews Champion & Big Brother". Nah Right. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
    122. ^ Gittins, Ian (August 20, 2007). "V Festival – Chelmsford and Stafford". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
    123. ^ "Kanye West Plays Tribute to Amy Winehouse at V Festival". NME. August 18, 2007. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
    124. ^ a b "Kanye West Gives Shout Out to Jay-Z During Intimate Gig". NME. August 21, 2007. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
    125. ^ Urdang, Ben (July 20, 2007). "Kanye West @ Westminster Central Hall, London". musicOMH. OMH. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
    126. ^ Reid, Shaheem (July 23, 2007). "Jay-Z, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Diddy, T.I., Ciara, Swizz Beatz Make Hip-Hop History at NYC Show". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
    127. ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan (July 17, 2007). "Billboard Bits: Kanye West, John Legend, Starbucks". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
    128. ^ Crosley, Hillary (August 30, 2007). "West's 'Graduation' Leaked". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
    129. ^ "Thoughts On Who Will Sell More Albums On September 11?". Billboard. September 7, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
    130. ^ Christman, Ed (September 11, 2007). "Early Sales Projections Put Kanye Ahead Of 50, Chesney". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
    131. ^ "50 Cent & Kanye West Go Head To Head On Who Has The Best Album". Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2020 – via YouTube.
    132. ^ "BET 106 & Park with Kanye West And 50 Cent". Getty Images. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
    133. ^ "BET's '106 & Park' Scores Impressive Ratings for Tuesday's 'Clash of the Titans' Featuring 50 Cent and Kanye West". BET Pressroom. September 13, 2007. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
    134. ^ Mayfield, Geoff (September 12, 2007). "Kanye Well Ahead Of 50 Cent in First-Day Sales Race". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
    135. About.com
      . Retrieved December 25, 2009.
    136. ^ Sexton, Paul (September 17, 2007). "Kanye Defeats 50 Cent On U.K. Album Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
    137. ^
      Canoe, Inc. 2007. Archived from the original on December 26, 2004. Retrieved September 21, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link
      )
    138. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (September 20, 2007). "Kanye Caps Banner Week With Hot 100 Chart-Topper". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
    139. ^ Harris, Chris (September 19, 2007). "Kanye West, 50 Cent Leave Competition in the Dust On Albums Chart". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
    140. ^ a b Mayfield, Geoff (September 18, 2007). "Kanye Crushes 50 Cent in Huge Album Sales Week". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
    141. ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (September 21, 2007). "Kanye West's Sales Triumph, By The Numbers: He Thumped 50 Cent In Almost Every Market". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
    142. ^ a b Crosley, Hillary (September 19, 2007). "Jay-Z, L.A. Reid Weigh in On Kanye/50 Sales Battle". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
    143. ^ Hasty, Katie (September 26, 2007). "Reba Outmuscles Kanye, 50 To Score First No. 1". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
    144. ^ Hasty, Katie (October 3, 2007). "Rascal Flatts Races To No. 1 In Debut-Heavy Week". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
    145. ^ Montgomery, James (December 11, 2007). "Fergie, Maroon 5, Amy Winehouse Are iTunes' Most-Downloaded Artists Of 2007". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
    146. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America (Prometheus Global Media). December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
    147. ^ Cibola, Marco (June 14, 2013). "Kanye West: How the Rapper Grew From 'Dropout' to 'Yeezus'". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
    148. ^ "Top 10 Rap Albums That Sold The Most in Their First Week". SA Hip Hop. January 7, 2019. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
    149. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
    150. ^ a b "Certified Awards Search". British Recorded Music Industry. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
    151. ^ White, Jack (May 4, 2018). "The UK's Official Top 40 biggest rap albums of the Millennium revealed". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
    152. ^ a b "Canadian album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation". Music Canada. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
    153. ^ a b "Reviews for Graduation by Kanye West". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
    154. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (October 2007). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    155. ^ a b Aaron, Charles (November 2007). "Doo Wah Diddy". Spin. 23 (11): 114. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
    156. ^ Tate, Greg. Review: Graduation Archived May 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. The Village Voice. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
    157. ^ a b "The best, the worst, the weirdest". USA Today. December 23, 2003. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    158. ^ a b "Readers' Picks". Entertainment Weekly. December 21, 2007. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    159. ^ a b "Top Music Albums of 2007". My List Pad. May 3, 2014. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    160. ^ a b "The Best Albums of 2007". PopMatters. December 20, 2007. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    161. ^ a b c d e "Best of 2007". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    162. ^ a b "The Top 50 Albums of 2007". Rolling Stone. December 17, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    163. ^ a b "The 40 Best Albums of 2007". Spin. December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
    164. ^ a b "The 2007 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    165. ^ a b "Idolator Pop 07: Albums". Metacritic. March 7, 2008. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    166. ^ "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 100-51". Pitchfork. August 30, 2009. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
    167. Complex. September 9, 2009. Archived from the original
      on September 12, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
    168. ^ "100 Best Albums of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. July 18, 2011. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
    169. ^ "The Decade-End Readers' Poll". Rolling Stone. December 8, 2009. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
    170. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade". Complex. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
    171. ^ a b "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
    172. ^ "NME The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time : October 2013". Rocklistmusic. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
    173. ^ "Radiohead Wins Billboard Critics' Poll in Landslide". Billboard. December 17, 2007. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    174. ^ Sweeney, James (December 30, 2007). "From Amy Winehouse to The Shins: The best albums of 2007". Cleveland. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    175. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade". Complex. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
    176. Complex. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original
      on August 12, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
    177. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2007". Consequence of Sound. January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    178. ^ Womack, Andrew (December 19, 2007). "The Top 10 Albums of 2007". The Morning News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    179. ^ "NME The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time : October 2013". Rocklistmusic. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
    180. ^ Yates, Don (December 24, 2007). "Best Hip-Hop of 2007 Changes the Game". NPR. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    181. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2007". Paste Magazine. November 26, 2007. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    182. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2007". Pitchfork. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    183. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. October 2, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
    184. ^ "100 Best Albums of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. July 18, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
    185. ^ "Stylus Magazine closes with some 2007 lists". Brooklyn Vegan. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    186. ^ Adaso, Henry (November 26, 2007). "Top 27 Rap Albums of 2007". Thought Co. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    187. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (December 9, 2007). "Top 10 Albums of 2007". Time. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    188. ^ "The Best Albums of 2007". Time Out. December 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    189. ^ Terich, Jeff (December 12, 2007). "Top 10 Hip-hop Albums of 2007". Treblezine. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
    190. ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (November 24, 2008). "Kanye West, Chris Brown Win Big at American Music Awards". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
    191. ^
      National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original
      on December 8, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
    192. ^ Grein, Paul (March 31, 2020). "Post Malone, The Weeknd & More Early Front-Runners for Album of the Year at the 2021 Grammys". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
    193. ^ Reid, Shaheem (February 1, 2008). "Kanye West: Will The Grammys Reward His Confidence In Graduation?". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
    194. ^ Tady, Scott (February 8, 2008). "Grammy preview and predictions". The Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020.
    195. ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 14, 2007). "Ask Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008.
    196. ^ "2008 Grammy Awards: Winner Predictions". Slant Magazine. January 26, 2008. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020.
    197. ^ Pedersen, Erik (February 6, 2008). "Grammy Predix: Album of the Year". E!. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020.
    198. ^ Orloff, Brian (February 10, 2008). "All Eyes on Kanye West, Amy Winehouse at Grammys". People. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020.
    199. ^ Panos, Maggie (February 10, 2015). "9 Grammys Upsets Heard Round the World". Pop Sugar. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020.
    200. ^ Edelstone, Steven (February 14, 2017). "10 Terrible Grammy Album of the Year Snubs". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018.
    201. ^ Kaufman, Gil (February 10, 2012). "Kanye West Isn't Only Grammy Album of the Year Snub". MTV. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020.
    202. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (January 27, 2020). "The 21 best album of the year nominees that got robbed at the Grammys". Insider.
    203. ^ "Epic Album of the Year Snubs: The 2000s". BET. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
    204. ^ "Kanye and Amy lead Grammys field". BBC News. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
    205. ^ "2007 HipHopDX Awards". HipHopDX. December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
    206. ^ "Lil Wayne Tops BET Hip-Hop Award Nominations With 12 Nods". XXL Mag. September 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
    207. ^ "Echo Pop: Suche". Echo Pop. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
    208. ^ "Winners 2008". Fonogram. August 12, 2016. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
    209. ^ "2008 NAACP Image Awards Winners". NAACP. February 14, 2008. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
    210. ^ "Swiss Music Awards 2008". Hitparade. January 28, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
    211. ^ Doscas, Andrew (September 23, 2014). "The Future Is Now, and It Is Odd: A Retrospective on Hip-hop in the '00s". PopMatters. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
    212. ^ a b c Burney, Lawrence (September 11, 2017). "Kanye West's 'Graduation' Gave Birth to Rap's First Real Rock Star". Noisey. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
    213. ^ a b c Frere-Jones, Sasha (March 30, 2009). "Dance Revolution". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
    214. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2007". Stylus Magazine. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
    215. Respect. Harris Publications. February 14, 2014. Archived
      from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
    216. ^ a b c d e Peat, Mark (April 2016). "The Musical Journey of Kanye West". Neutral. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
    217. ^ Boult, Adam (December 16, 2011). "Poll: Which Is the Greatest Kanye West Album?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
    218. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (December 17, 2008). "Slaves to synth". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
    219. ^ Saponara, Michael (September 19, 2007). "Grammy-Winning Engineer Anthony Kilhoffer Recalls Memorable Studio Sessions From Kanye's 'Graduation' Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
    220. ^ Newton, Matthew (December 2008). "Is Sampling Dying?". Spin. 24 (12). SPIN Media LLC: 32. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
    221. XXL
      : 114.
    222. ^ Theisen, Adam (February 18, 2015). "Rap's Latest Heavyweight Championship". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
    223. ^ Shipley, Al. Kanye West's 'Graduation': 10 Things You Didn't Know Archived February 3, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
    224. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (November 23, 2008). "Renegade Man: The Legacy of Kanye West's '808s & Heartbreak'". Highsnobiety. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
    225. Complex. Archived
      from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
    226. ^ Lamarre, Carl (September 11, 2017). "Vic Mensa, KYLE, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie & More Reflect on Their Fondest Memories of Kanye's 'Graduation' Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
    227. ^ Swash, Rosie (June 13, 2011). Kanye v 50 Cent Archived August 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
    228. ^ "John Legend Credits / TIDAL".
    229. ^ "Graduation Kanye West − Album, singles et concerts" (in French). Virgin Mega. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
    230. ^ "Graduation (Alternative Business Partners)".
    231. ^ "Graduation + 2 remixes Kanye West − Album, singles et concerts" (in French). Virgin Mega. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
    232. ^ "Graduation (French Limited Version)".
    233. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    234. Pandora Archive
      .
    235. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Kanye West – Graduation" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    236. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kanye West – Graduation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    237. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kanye West – Graduation" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
    238. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
    239. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    240. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kanye West – Graduation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    241. ^ Sexton, Paul (September 24, 2007). "Kingston, Blunt Rule On U.K. Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
    242. Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland
      . Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    243. ^ "Lescharts.com – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    244. GfK Entertainment Charts
      . Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    245. ^ "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Αλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
    246. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Kanye West". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    247. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    248. ^ "グラデュエーション | カニエ・ウェスト" [Graduation | Kanye West] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
    249. ^ "Charts.nz – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    250. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    251. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    252. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    253. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    254. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kanye West – Graduation". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    255. ^ "Kanye West | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
    256. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
    257. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
    258. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
    259. ^ "Jesus Is King On This Week's Albums Chart". FYIMusicNews. November 3, 2019. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
    260. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2024. 7. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
    261. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 2 – 2024" [The Music – Albums – Week 2 – 2024] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
    262. ^ "2021 32-os SAVAITĖS (rugpjūčio 6-12 d.) ALBUMŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. August 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
    263. OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry
      . Note: Change the date to 23.02.2024–29.02.2024 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved March 7, 2024.
    264. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard. November 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
    265. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
    266. ^ "Top 100 Albums 2007". ARIA. Archived from the original on July 28, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
    267. ^ "European Top 100 Albums (Year end) 2007". Billboard. January 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
    268. ^ "Jahreshitparaden 2007". Swiss Music Charts. Hung Medien (in German). Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
    269. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2007". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
    270. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums (Year end) 2007". Billboard. January 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
    271. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Year end)". Billboard. January 13, 2008. Archived from the original on November 19, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
    272. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2007" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
    273. ^ "Top 50 Urban Albums 2008". ARIA. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
    274. ^ "UK Albums Chart 2008" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
    275. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums (Year end)". Billboard. January 13, 2009. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
    276. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Year end)". Billboard. January 13, 2009. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
    277. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums (Year end)". Billboard. December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
    278. ^ "Top 100 Urban Albums 2017". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
    279. ^ "Top 100 Urban Albums 2018". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
    280. ^ "Top 100 Urban Albums 2019". ARIA Charts. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
    281. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
    282. ^ "Album Top-100 2021". Hitlisten. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
    283. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
    284. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2022" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
    285. ^ "Album Top-100 2022". Hitlisten. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
    286. ^ "2022 metų klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
    287. ^ "Årslista Album, 2022" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
    288. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
    289. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
    290. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart for 2023". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
    291. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2023" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
    292. ^ "Rapports annuels 2023" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
    293. ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
    294. ^ "Album Top-100 2023". Hitlisten. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
    295. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved January 3, 2024.
    296. ^ "Album Top 100 - digitális és fizikai értékesítés alapján - 2023" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
    297. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2023". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
    298. ^ "Årslista Album, 2023". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
    299. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2023". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
    300. ^ "End of Year Albums Chart – 2023". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
    301. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
    302. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
    303. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
    304. ^ "Danish album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
    305. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kanye West; 'Graduation')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
    306. ^ "Tónlistinn – Plötur" [The Music – Albums] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
    307. ^ "Söluviðurkenningar" (in Icelandic). Félag Hljómplötuframleiðenda. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
    308. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2007 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
    309. ^ "Italian album certifications – Kayne West – Graduation" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
    310. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved October 19, 2019. Select 2007年10月 on the drop-down menu
    311. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
    312. ^ "Russian album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). Retrieved September 10, 2019.
    313. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Graduation')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
    314. ^ "British album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
    315. ^ "American album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 11, 2024.

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Graduation_(album)&oldid=1219698058"