Maps of Music

808s & Heartbreak (2008)

Where the lyrics of 808s & Heartbreak take you, and where it was really made.

West's most debated album was built on a drum machine and Auto-Tune, and it grew out of his mother's death and a broken engagement.

Key places

Sessions at Glenwood Studios in Burbank (2008)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Recording sessions for the album took place at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California, between September and October 2008. The point is placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sessions at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu (2008)

Recording site Avex Recording Studio — Recording sessions for the album also took place at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, during the 2008 sessions. The point is placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Live freestyle recorded in Singapore (2008)

Recording site Singapore — The hidden track Pinocchio Story is a freestyle that was recorded live in Singapore. The point is placed at city-level only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fourth studio album by American rapper Kanye West
• Released November 24, 2008 through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records
• Produced by West with No I.D., Plain Pat, Jeff Bhasker, and Mr Hudson
• Guest appearances by Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, Mr Hudson, and Lil Wayne
• Conceived after the death of his mother Donda in November 2007 and his breakup with fiancée Alexis Phifer in April 2008
• Major departure from his earlier hip-hop records: West mostly sings instead of rapping
• Vocals processed through Auto-Tune over electronic production and a minimalist sonic palette
• Prominent use of minor keys and the Roland TR-808 drum machine
• Lyrical themes include loss, heartache, and West's struggles with pop stardom

Background

• West felt his emotions could not be fully expressed through rapping alone
• He wanted to make a pop album and dismissed the contemporary backlash against pop music
• He later described the music as a new genre he called pop art, a musical equivalent of the visual art movement
• Most of the lyrics are directed at an ex-lover
• Pre-release reaction was mixed, from anticipation to bewilderment
• Upon its release the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200

Recording

• Recorded over about three weeks, September to October 2008
• Sessions took place at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii
• The 808 in the title refers to the Roland TR-808 drum machine
• Kid Cudi co-wrote four songs and was invited to Hawaii to work on the album
• Mike Dean recalled West falling in love with Auto-Tune during remix work for Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy
• T-Pain coached West on using the technology
• The hidden track Pinocchio Story is a freestyle recorded live in Singapore

Cover

• Cover art shows a deflated heart-shaped balloon, in keeping with the minimalist style of the album
• Photographed by Kristen Yiengst and designed by Virgil Abloh and Willo Perron
• The deluxe edition artwork was made by pop artist Kaws
• Complex named it the best rap album cover of the past five years in 2013

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Ye (born Kanye Omari West, June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
• Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago; began producing in the mid-1990s for Chicago-area artists.
• Signed to Roc-A-Fella Records as a recording artist after producing for Jay-Z's label.

Members

• Solo artist; formed the Go-Getters group with GLC, Timmy G, and Arrowstar (1999).

Career

• Debut The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005) earned critical acclaim.
• Released eleven US Billboard 200 number-one albums; five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.
• Known for stylistic shifts from chamber pop to electropop, gospel, and industrial rap.
• Founded GOOD Music label; ventured into fashion with Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Adidas (Yeezy).
• Has 24 Grammy Awards and sold an estimated 160 million records.
• Faced major controversy for antisemitic statements from 2022 and later expressed remorse.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Chris Richards of The Washington Post reviewed it in November 2008 and praised the album
• The album's lyrics and experimentation drew positive reviews upon release
• Critics wrote that West's singing was flat and that his Auto-Tune vocals made him sound robotic
• Reviews were divided, with some critics calling it a triumph and others calling it listless

Reappraisal

• Music journalists regard the album as one of West's most influential works
• Metacritic gave a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from 36 critic scores
• AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.3 out of 10 based on critical consensus
• Many publications named it one of the best albums of 2008, including Time and Pitchfork
• Rolling Stone ranked it number 63 among the best albums of the decade in 2009
• Rolling Stone placed it among the 40 most groundbreaking albums in 2014 and at number 244 on its 500 greatest list in 2020

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 450,000 album-equivalent units in its first week
• Peaked at number four on the Canadian Albums Chart
• Peaked at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart and lasted 29 weeks there
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on January 27, 2009, as West's fourth album to ship one million copies in the US
• Sold 1.7 million copies in the US as of June 2013 according to Nielsen SoundScan
• Its lead single Love Lockdown debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100
• Its second single Heartless was certified septuple platinum by the RIAA
• Certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA in 2026

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was previewed at an event at Ace Gallery on October 14, 2008, hosted with Italian artist Vanessa Beecroft
• Over 700 guests were invited to preview the entire album at that event
• The hidden track Pinocchio Story was included at the request of American musician Beyoncé
• Kid Cudi was surprised with a phone call from West and asked to fly to Hawaii
• West wore an Afro-mullet and a broken-heart-shaped pin during the Love Lockdown premiere at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
• A special edition with Kaws artwork was released on December 16, 2008

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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