“Graduation” by Kanye West
“Graduation” features a diverse variety of beats in all its tracks that makes it distinguishable and a stand-alone album. The album contains 13 songs that are original and addictive. Songs like “Good Life,” “Champion” and “Flashing Lights” are perfect examples of creative hip-hop songs. No two tracks are similar to each other, which brings more variety to the album.

West uses many different elements of sound including piano and other techno samples and successfully incorporates them into the album to make it a distinct and creative piece of art. About half the tracks also feature other big music artists such as T-Pain and Lil’ Wayne. These artists help add to the album by giving it more variety, but it doesn’t incorporate them so much as to make it seem like a group album. It still shines as West’s.

The album brings a new rhythm and tune so that the album can be listened to constantly without it getting old.

The album boasts two singles and one more upcoming single. The top single of the album and also number one on Billboard is “Stronger.”

“Stronger” features a distinct beat that most people fall in love with upon hearing it. The beat is innovative and the song lyrics are unconventional. Although the song borrowed some elements from the French duo, Daft Punk, the song is incorporated into one unprecedented masterpiece. “Harder, better, faster, strong” is the phrase that pulls most listeners into the song and is the sample taken from Daft Punk. the single features a distinct techno undertone combined with traditional hip-hop sounding rhythms. The beat makes the song shine brighter than the rest of the album because of its unexpected twists.

Although it is a good album, “Graduation” doesn’t make you addicted to the album as “College Dropout” and “Late Registration” did. The songs are usually the type that you get to like first, and then love.

“Curtis” by 50 Cent
“Curtis” features a 17-track album with one of its track already a single; 50 Cent uses elements from his previous albums, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” and “The Massacre,” to bring “Curtis” up to par. Many of the tracks in “Curtis” are the same beats and examples that were presented in his first two albums. Most of “Curtis” is not new, and the album will seem dull when listening to it for the first time.

The album is also divided up between hard songs and soft songs. Because of this, the tracks don’t work together when listening through it. This makes the album hard to listen all the way though because the qualities of the songs are different from each other.

The lyrics of the album also do not stand out. The themes of the album are very similar to “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” and “The Massacre.”

“My Gun Go Off,” “Fully Loaded Clip” and “Amusement Park” are some songs of the album that sound like plain old 50 Cent musically and lyrically. “Amusement Park” sounds extremely similar to his previous single “Candy Shop.”

The album doesn’t add many new beats or songs that are unique, with the exception of the single, “Ayo Technology.”

The song features and original beat and tune that makes it the best song of the album. Justin Timberlake sings the chorus, which gives the song a more lively feeling to it. Other artists that joining 50 Cent throughout Eminem, Akon and Mary J. Blige. The guest artists in the album make “Curtis” seem like a group album instead of a solo album because there is so much spotlight on the guest artists that it takes away from 50 Cent’s credibility in making his own songs. In fact, most of the album hits include guest artists.

Other notable songs include “Follow My Lead,” “Straight To the Bank” and “Curtis 187.”

There are some hits that make “Curtis” stand out, but the album doesn’t clobber the listener with much variety. 50 Cent is just the same old 50 Cent. “Curtis” lacks the creativity and originality that would set it apart from 50 Cent’s first two albums.