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Graduation (album)
''Graduation'' is the third studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on September 11, 2007, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions took place between 2005 and 2007 at several studios in New York and Los Angeles. It was primarily produced by West himself, with contributions from various other producers, including DJ Toomp. The album features Guest appearance#Contemporary music, guest appearances from recording artists such as Dwele, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Mos Def, DJ Premier, and Chris Martin. The cover art and its interior artwork were designed by contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, who later worked on the album art for West and Kid Cudi's 2018 collaborative album ''Kids See Ghosts (album), Kids See Ghosts''. Inspired by Stadium rock, stadium Concert tour, tours, house music and indie rock, ''Graduation'' marked a departure from the ornate, soul music, soul-based sound of West's previous releases as he musically progressed to more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, West began producing for regional artists in the Chicago area. As an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, he co-produced albums such as Jay-Z's ''The Blueprint'' (2001) before signing with the label as a recording artist. West's debut studio album, ''The College Dropout'' (2004), was met with critical acclaim and yielded the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one single "Slow Jamz". He topped the chart on four other occasions with the singles "Gold Digger (Kanye West song), Gold Digger" (2005), "Stronger (Kanye West song), Stronger" (2007), "E.T. (song), E.T." (2011, as a featured artist), and "Carnival (¥$ song), Carnival" (2024). ''The College Dropout'', and five ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stronger (Kanye West Song)
"Stronger" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, ''Graduation (album), Graduation'' (2007). The song was produced by West, with an extended outro handled by Mike Dean (record producer), Mike Dean. It was written by West and Daft Punk were credited as co-writers due to their work being sampled, while Edwin Birdsong also received a credit from a master use of "Cola Bottle Baby". West decided to Sampling (music), sample "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" after first hearing the duo's work when touring in 2006, then made the beat and spent months re-writing his verses. Daft Punk voiced their approval of the song, finding West made the sample suitable for his personality as he ventured outside of hip-hop. After West shared a snippet in May, "Stronger" was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the second single from the album on July 31, 2007, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. A Maximalism, maximalist hip-hop song also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Cudi moved to New York City in pursuit of a musical career, where he first gained recognition for his song "Day 'n' Nite". Initially self-published on his MySpace page, the song became a hit song, hit online and served as a catalyst for Cudi to team up with record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie to record his first full-length project, a mixtape titled ''A Kid Named Cudi'' (2008). Its release helped Cudi rise to prominence and establish a fanbase, catching the attention of rapper Kanye West—who signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label by late 2008. With "Day 'n' Nite" issued as its lead single, his debut studio album, ''Man on the Moon: The End of Day'' (2009), was released to critical and commercial success. It received Music recordi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takashi Murakami
is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial media (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between High art, high and low arts. His work draws from the aesthetic characteristics of the Japanese artistic tradition and the nature of Post-World War II, postwar Japanese culture. He has designed covers for several hip hop albums, namely Kanye West's ''Graduation (album), Graduation'' (2007), Future (rapper), Future's Future (Future album), eponymous fifth studio album (2017), West and Kid Cudi's ''Kids See Ghosts (album), Kids See Ghosts'' (2018), and Juice Wrld's posthumous ''The Party Never Ends'' (2024). Murakami is the founder and President of the art trading company Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. through which he manages several artists. He was the founder and organizer of the biannual art fair Geisai. Life and career Academic background and early career Murakami was born and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Martin went to University College London, where he formed Coldplay with Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion. The band signed with Parlophone in 1999, finding global fame with '' Parachutes'' (2000) and following albums. He has won seven Grammy Awards and nine Brit Awards as part of Coldplay. Having sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, they are the most successful group of the 21st century. ''The Independent'' and ''Evening Standard'' have cited Martin among the most influential figures in the United Kingdom, while ''American Songwriter'' ranked him as one of the best male singers of the 21st century. Early life Christopher Anthony John Martin was born on 2 March 1977 in Exeter, Devon, England. He is the eldest of five children. His father, Anthony ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as '' Vibe''. He formed the hip hop duo Gang Starr alongside American rapper Guru, with whom he has released seven albums. He formed another hip hop duo, PRhyme—with American rapper Royce da 5'9"—in 2014, with whom he has released two albums. Premier has produced each of Gang Starr's releases, as well as many of those by the Gang Starr Foundation. Alongside this, he has been credited with production work on releases for ASAP Mob, AZ, Common, Drake, Eminem, the Game, Griselda, Jeru the Damaja, J. Cole, Jay-Z, Joey Badass, Kanye West, Limp Bizkit, M.O.P., Mos Def, Nas, the Notorious B.I.G., O.C., Rakim, Royce Da 5'9, Run the Jewels, and Showbiz & A.G., among others. Despite mainly working in underground hip hop, he has produce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mos Def
Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social and political issues, such as police brutality, American exceptionalism, and the status of African Americans in the United States. After embarking on his career in 1994, he joined his siblings in the short-lived rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) and guest appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. In 1996, he and fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli formed the duo Black Star, whose debut album '' Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star'' (1998) spawned the singles "Definition" and " Respiration" (featuring Common). His debut solo album, '' Black on Both Sides'' (1999) was met with critical acclaim, along with his fourth album '' The Ecstatic'' (2009). Bey's 2000 single, " Oh No" (with Pharoahe Monch featuring Nate Do ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Born and raised in New Orleans, he was discovered by hometown rapper Birdman in 1993 and signed with his record label, Cash Money Records, at age eleven. He emerged as the label's flagship artist until his departure in June 2018. Carter was first placed in a duo with Cash Money labelmate B.G. in 1994—known collectively as the B.G.'z—and they released the album ''True Story'' that year, although Carter (at the time known as Baby D) appeared on only three of its tracks. Carter and B.G. then formed the Southern hip-hop group Hot Boys with labelmates Juvenile and Turk in 1997, and released their debut album, '' Get It How U Live!'' that year. The Hot Boys gained mainstream success after the release of their second album ''Guer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
T-Pain
Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electronic music, electronic-styled vocal performances. Blending its use with contemporary R&B, R&B and hip-hop sensibilities, T-Pain became a prominent figure in both genres throughout the 2000s. Other music industry artists, such as Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Future (rapper), Future, and Travis Scott, have since utilized Auto-Tune to a similar effect. T-Pain began his recording career as part of the hip-hop group Nappy Headz. He released his debut solo mixtape, ''Back @ It'' independently in 2004, and signed with Akon's Konvict Muzik, in a joint venture with Jive Records, the following year. His 2005 debut single, "I'm Sprung", was quickly met with commercial success, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and rece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dwele
Andwele Gardner (born February 14, 1978), known professionally as Dwele, is an American R&B singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is best known for his guest appearance on Kanye West's 2007 single " Flashing Lights" as well as his often-uncredited performance on West's 2010 single "Power", both of which peaked within the top 30 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Gardner's 2003 debut solo single " Find a Way" narrowly entered the chart and led his debut studio album, '' Subject'' (2003), released by Virgin Records. Biography Gardner was raised on the west side of Detroit in a musical family. He played piano from the age of six, later taking up trumpet, bass and guitar. He was deeply affected by the fatal shooting of his father outside his home when he was age ten, later stating "I learned to put my emotions into music; it was my therapy." He cites Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Roy Ayers, Miles Davis, and Freddie Hubbard as favorite artists, and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guest Appearance
The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are distinguished from the other real artists or fictional characters by not being part of or fitting the usual theme of the cast. They are usually recognisable on their own and only appear once or rarely within that cast. By medium Show business In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other performing group. In music, such an outside performer is often referred to as a guest artist. Classical performance arts Guest appearances have been known in theatre, ballet, and classical music for centuries, with guests both from the home country and from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Studio Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records (78s) collected in a bound book resembling a photo album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP record, long-playing (LP) records played at rpm. The album was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption from the mid-1960s to the early 21st century, a period known as the ''album era''. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The 8-track tape was the first tape format widely used alongside vinyl from 1965 until being phased out by 1983, being gradually supplanted by the cassette tape throughout the 1970s and early 1980s; the popul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
