Like Dylan, the new direction made him a genius to some and a traitor to others-a split that highlighted both the divisiveness of his art and the conservative streak in a scene where the imperative to keep it real can be as stifling as it is comforting. You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, Dylan sang-a line, incidentally, from the first electric song of his that most people would have heard (“Subterranean Homesick Blues”). It isn’t hip-hop in the conventional sense.īut you’d have to have a pretty good internal compass to bet your future on where that wind’s gonna take you. At least, it certainly wasn’t when it came out in 2008. Bringing together world renowned artist and designer KAWS with arguably one of the most monumental hip-hop artists of his generation, Kanye West, this original, limited edition print makes for a bold and eye-catching addition to any art collection. But in the intervening years, the album has become a blueprint for an entirely new wave of rap: introverted, melodic, melancholy, confessional-the sound of Drake and The Weeknd on down to Juice WRLD and Lil Uzi Vert. The sale has ended for this item, but check out our other amazing sales. His pain is real (“Coldest Winter”), but his arrogance is, too (“RoboCop”). He recognizes the transitory nature of life (“Street Lights”), but it doesn’t stop him from holding a grudge (“Heartless”).

And no matter how alienated fame makes him feel (“Welcome to Heartbreak”), he can’t quite give it up (“Amazing”). Kanye says he started exploring melody because that’s how teachers taught concepts to him when he was a kid-learning through song. And for all its robotic austerity, 808s is a kind of kids’ album, or at least one that taps into the rush of unsorted emotions that comes with youth.

T pain 808s and heartbreak