Kanye west 808s and heartbreak era
West crafted buzzsaw synths and icy three-note melodies juxtaposed with eclectic sonic flourishes - like monk choirs on project opener “Say You Will,” which lets the somber instrumental run through for an ominous three-minute outro, allowing listeners to drown in West’s sorrow. Japanese Taiko drums add a cinematic touch to an atypical radio hit in “Love Lockdown,” the first single shared at the 2008 MTV VMAs, as the tune went on to peak at No. “That’s what gives all those unique sounds on songs like ‘Say You Will’ and ‘Paranoid,” Kilhoffer explained. 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 Yeezy has since used this very same strategy with Travis Scott for Yeezus and unleashed Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Desiigner on Pablo. “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. There’s just something to do with that island that made great music,” Kilhoffer says.Ī talented group of writers helped bring West’s desolate story to life. That same energy was brought to the studio every night, as Yeezy and his collaborators exchanged trailblazing ideas that would ram their head against the metaphorical brick walls of the genre. “Oahu set the precedent for this album and Dark Fantasy. Mornings were filled with competitive pickup basketball games, a favorite hobby of West’s. 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. “I think this was the first time he decided beforehand the components of the project,” Killhofer tells Billboard.