kanye west graduation album cover alternate

“When I was creating material for this album, I was experiencing writer’s block,” he says.

“With ‘Stronger,’ you hear it and you go, ‘Wow, this is incredible.'”ĥ0 Cent has had trouble with Curtis from the start. Kage, music director for Denver hip-hop station KS107.5. “With 50’s singles, you shrug your shoulders and think, ‘I hope he comes out with something good with the next one,'” says John E. James, program director for Phoenix hip-hop station Power 98.3.Īnd while 50’s singles “Amusement Park” and “Straight to the Bank” hew closely to the formula he established with his 2002 breakthrough hit, “In Da Club,” Kanye’s record advances the experimental vibe of 2005’s Late Registration, including collaborations with T-Pain, Chris Martin, Mos Def and Lil Wayne, and samples of Steely Dan, German art-rockers Can and Daft Punk. “In hip-hop you’re only as good as your last hit, and Kanye’s got the bigger hit right now,” says Bruce St. What do I do? Do I send flowers? Do I send my condolences?” But most retailers and radio programmers interviewed pick Kanye, whose current single, “Stronger,” is Number Six on Billboard‘s Hot 100 – while none of 50’s four singles have climbed higher than Thirty-two. “Mine will sell and his will still be on the shelf,” he tells Rolling Stone. Dre – will come out on top, even vowing to stop releasing solo discs if it doesn’t. The move sparked speculation about opening-week sales: 50 declared that Curtis – which features Eminem, Justin Timberlake and Dr. “Do you know how great this shit is for hip-hop?” “When I picked that date, I was like, ‘People are going to talk about this so much,'” says Kanye. The friendly competition went public last month when Kanye moved up the release date for his forthcoming album, Graduation, to September 11th – the same day 50’s Curtis drops – setting up a showdown between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars.

He’d go over and play ‘Mo Money, Mo Problems’ for Jay-Z, and it would fuck him up.” “50 said ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’ was his favorite song, so I said, ‘OK, that’s my first single,'” says Kanye. Three months ago, 50 Cent and Kanye West met up to listen to each other’s albums.

Kanye west graduation album cover alternate