Kanye's Fatal Flaw

"I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny/And what'd I do? Act more stupidly"

Can't Tell Me Nothing, Kanye West

At least Kanye West knows what his flaws are. And that recognition and the humanity that he injects into most of his songs, are what people like about Kanye. But it's hard to root for Kanye, who says he's been an underdog his whole life, when he pulls publicity stunts and acts like an ass.

Regardless of his public persona, Kanye as an artist has been one of the most progressive in recent pop music. His latest effort, Graduation, is a fitting end to his school series, showing a developed artist who blends his talents behind the boards as well as in front of the mic to make more than just beats and lyrics. Kanye composes songs.

Singles Stronger and Can't Tell Me Nothing set a very high bar for the artistic range that Graduation would display. Though both songs talk about the weakness of lust, the underlying theme of personal strength triumph in the end. The latest single, Good Life, is a feel-good jam with a strategically-placed P.Y.T. sample. Other than that song, Kanye has focused less on singles and more on solid, album-sustainable tracks.

Barry Bonds is a ball-grabbing, b-boy stance bravado duet with rap's most prolific rambler Lil' Wayne. Homecoming, plays off of Common's I Used To Love H.E.R., and turns Kanye's beloved hometown into a lady. Big Brother, the song that everyone has waited to here, is a peek inside the somewhat enigmatic relationship between Kanye and his mentor/boss Jay-Z. Nothing in this song as contraversial as people once thought; it is nice to see rappers show appreciation for one another. Drunk & Hot Girls is a dramatic ode to club hoes, that features Mos Def in the unconvetional role of wingman. Flashing Lights is introspective, featuring instrumentation you can see Naomi Campbell stomping to and vocals by Dwele.

The album isn't as sonically diverse as Late Registration. However, Kanye spreads his wings as he journeys into Japanese art, Austrailian and European music and electronica. The album is an interesting and fitting end to his series; as an emcee and producer, Kanye has come a long way from being known for his chipmunk-sped up soul samples. He has learned to take so much of himself out of the production, in order to contribute to the seemlessness of the song. So many rappers depend so much on over-produced backgrounds, it takes away from the overall feel of the music. Kanye has developed a convincing music/lyric balance.

And then he goes on MTV and acts like an ass. And then he goes and participates in this ridiculous and staged feud with 50 Cent. It gets harder to separate the humble, everyman that opens up on Kanye's albums from the jerk who whores for the media. The guy isn't perfect, and he isn't afriad to admit that though. So as long as he doesn't start pissing on little girls like fellow Chicagoan R.Kelly, I hope his shenanagans and big head doesn't ruin his career.