808s & Heartbreak (Vinyl)

Following a 2008 of misfortune (the death of his mother, the dissolution of his engagement), hip-hop’s enigmatic impresario Kanye West returned, a bit more somber, slightly more urgent, but still pushing boundaries, on his fourth record, 808s & Heartbreak.

From the first track, the sprawling, drum-n-bass-propelled “Say You Will,” and from the ubiquitous lead single, the propulsive “Love’s Lockdown,” it is clear that West was venturing further into the electronic sound he explored on ‘Graduation.’

Following a 2008 of misfortune (the death of his mother, the dissolution of his engagement), hip-hop's enigmatic impresario Kanye West returned, a bit more somber, slightly more urgent, but still pushing boundaries, on his fourth record, '808s & Heartbreak.'

From the first track, the sprawling, drum-n-bass-propelled "Say You Will," and from the ubiquitous lead single, the propulsive "Love's Lockdown," it is clear that West was venturing further into the electronic sound he explored on 'Graduation.'