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To achieve the minimalist sonic foundation he’d been yearning for behind his mourning warbles, West, ever the meticulous perfectionist, instructed his team to fly unique drum machines into their Hawaii studio, which would end up being sampled and reprogrammed into Yeezy’s Roland TR-808. Kanye West & Kid Cudi's Kids See Ghosts Makes Live Debut at 2018 Camp Flog Gnaw The pair finally teamed up for their highly anticipated Kids See Ghosts joint project over the summer and closed out Tyler, The Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw with a cinematic set earlier in November, as tantalizing rumors of a 2019 collaborative tour continue to swirl. Ten years ago, the Ohio native and West embarked on what would be a beautiful friendship and a fruitful working relationship, which built a bond that is stronger than ever in 2018. One of West’s best musical abilities has been an innate knack for precisely setting up collaborators in the perfect situation for success, much like Steve Nash or Jason Kidd in their primes executing on the basketball court. “He saw a common connection with our creativity,” Kid Cudi told MTV in 2009. Splashes of Cudi complement West’s genius, pushing the limits of the futuristic project to usher in the new wave of emo-rap. Kid Cudi and Kanye West performs on stage during Good Music Presents at Levi's Fader Fort at SXSW on Main Austin, Texas. “It was a great burst of new energy in the room since all of us had been doing this a long time,” the Killhofer remembers. “You bring people in to inspire some new creativity.” Cudi’s handprints are all over 808 s, as his tuneful sonic influence cuts through the electronic melancholy, even though he’s only officially featured on harrowing LP standout “Welcome to Heartbreak.”
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The most memorable guest appearance comes from a young Kid Cudi, who took full advantage of the opportunity provided. Music artist Consequence, Tony Williams and Canadian singer Esthero, who provided vocals on “Street Lights.” Elsewhere, others that lent their lethal pen for West to sing over included former G.O.O.D. Multi-faceted musician Jeff Bhasker is all over the project with writing credits on seven tracks. I talk about things people are really going through.”Ī talented group of writers helped bring West’s desolate story to life. “The songwriting on this album is incredible. “The basis of the entire album are these 808s following a melody and my life and heartbreak on top of it,” West told KissFM in a 2008 interview. West described his plan to pitch the 808 and use its tone as a powerful instrument rather than a basic bass. Pusha T Thanks Kanye West for 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' in Grateful Instagram Post The goldmine of creativity would also serve as the jumping off point for West’s decorated My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album, which would arrive two years later. Stumbling upon Oahu during the summer of 2008 provided West and his collaborators with a creative safe haven that allowed the Yeezus artist to hone in and flesh out his wrathful vision free of distractions.
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West would find peace and serenity on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, which happened to ironically fall under the area code of 808. It was the end of the Scott Storch era of hip-hop.” It’s either got to be in the song loud as s–t, or not in the song at all. “He was like, ‘We’re going to use this technique,’ which was no hi-hats, Taiko drums and no more than four to six elements in composition of a song.
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“I think this was the first time he decided beforehand the components of the project,” Killhofer tells Billboard. “Real people grow and I wanted to sing my growth.”Īnthony Kilhoffer is a Grammy-winning engineer who has worked closely with West on every one of his albums from The College Dropout through The Life of Pablo. Kilhoffer shared his experiences at studios across the globe that led to 808s & Heartbreak coming together on Nov. That decision for a sharp career pivot would forever change the sound of traditional popular hip-hop, and pave the way for many superstars we see dominating the genre today. “So few hip-hop artists ever advance - their eighth album sounds exactly like the songs from their first album,” West told the VH1 Storytellers crowd of his experimental methodology in 2009. Kanye West's '808s & Heartbreak' Turns 9: Ranking the Album's Tracks
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