808s & Heartbreak is the upcoming fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West. The album is scheduled to be released on November 25, 2008. West announced on his blog that he has finished the album.[1] It was originally announced for a December 16 release, but West pushed the date three weeks earlier because he wanted to release the music as soon as possible.[2] The album was originally rumored to be entitled A Good Ass Job by the magazine Billboard, though it was later revealed by online hip-hop and fashion magazine Urban Lookout that the correct name would be 808s & Heartbreak.[4] This was later confirmed through the rapper's online blog.
The first single from the album was "Love Lockdown", which has been performed live and has aired on the radio.[5] The official version of the song was posted onto West's blog on September 16 and is being played by radio stations. The song was premiered at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[6] The second single is announced as "Heartless".[2] Another song revealed is "Welcome to Heartbreak", which appeared on a poster for an 808s & Heartbreak listening event that took place on October 14.[7]
As of September 13, the album was being recorded in Hawaii.[8] On September 24, West announced that he had finished the album and would be releasing it sometime in November. In his blog, he wrote "I changed my album to November something cause I finished the album and I felt like it..I want yall to hear it as soon as possible".[3] West later stated that the album would be released on November 25, 2008.[2]
T-Pain announced that he has been working with West.[9] In an interview with URB, rapper Kid Cudi (signed onto West's label, GOOD Music) stated he was working in the studio with West on 808s. Kid Cudi also revealed that he will be featured on two of the songs on the album.[10]
On October 16, West released an excerpt of "Coldest Winter" on the radio station Power 106 in Los Angeles. The chorus incorporates elements of the song "Memories Fade" by the band Tears for Fears.[11] The song "Anyway" was leaked onto the Internet. The rapper Kid Cudi is featured on the chorus.
The entire album is sung by West with the aid of Auto-Tune, aside from one verse by Young Jeezy, a duet with Lil Wayne, and background vocals by Kid Cudi. West has stated that he loves using Auto-Tune and is dismayed that the term has been commonly associated with being "wack". He considers the technology "the funnest [sic] thing to use." West compared the situation to when he was a child and thought the color pink was cool until someone told him "it was gay". He went on to state how the views of society can rob people of their confidence and self-esteem. West also classified 808s & Heartbreak as pop music and expressed that, "People think pop is bad, but Michael Jackson was pop and who can compare to him?"[12]
West revealed that the song "Coldest Winter" is about his late mother, Donda West, who passed away in 2007. He also stated that the other songs on the album deal with another person he was close to, but had not specified a name. This person was speculated to be West's ex-fiancée Alexis Phifer.[12]
Mike Dean noted that during the Hawaii sessions for the album, West insisted that each track had to feature TR-808-generated drumming. "[N]o typical hip-hop beats. They've gotta be tribal drums." Dean also stated that the song "Robocop" is expected to receive additional treatment by Herbie Hancock before the album's release.[13]
Kanye West hosted a special listening event to promote the album. Rap-Up.com subsequently reported a track list based on what could be heard at the gathering.[12] MTV.com further specified track names of the album.[14]
# Title Length
1. "Welcome to Heartbreak"
2. "Heartless" 3:29
3. "Love Lockdown" 4:16
4. "Robocop" 3:53
5. "Anyway" (featuring Kid Cudi) 4:48
6. "Streetlights"
7. "Say You Will"
8. "Real Bad News"
9. "Amazing" (featuring Young Jeezy)
10. "Tell Everybody That You Know" (featuring Lil Wayne)
11. "Coldest Winter" 2:49
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