Graduation

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Insightful, fairly clean, and never ever boring.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Kanye West has done it again. Yes, there are the usual four-letter words here, but there's also some brilliant songwriting with subtle "stay in school" and "never give up" messages, and hip-hop that samples vintage Steely Dan (gotta be a first!).

  • Mostly thoughtful, self-revealing stuff about the challenges of becoming a man in a complex world, including some words of wisdom: "If you admire somebody you should go ahead and tell um/People never get the flowers while they could still smell um," "For me givin' up's way harder than tryin'," and "You graduate when you make it up outta the streets."
  • Some visceral lyrics about violence, mostly expressing an anti-violent message, as in "Just last year Chicago had over 600 caskets/Man, killin's some wack s--t."
  • More flirty and funny than explicit, especially on the punchline of "Drunk and Hot Girls" ("I thought I'd be with you for only one night/Now I'm with this girl for the rest of my life").
  • Fondness for the "F" and "S" words, but not nearly as tediously as on some other hip-hip CDs. The "N" word is used a few times.
  • Clothing and car brands are mentioned; CD package contains ads for ringtones.
  • Not the biggest deal here: The occasional quick reference to drinking.

What's the story?

Fine performances, exquisite production, and incredibly diverse musical influences make Kanye West's GRADUATION a standout CD. The inspired songwriting includes subtle "stay in school" and "never give up" messages. One song that shines, "Champion," uses a sample of Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" as a recurring theme in between lyrics about a dad sacrificing for his kids "like Will Smith and his son in the movie/I ain't talkin' 'bout the rich ones." Other high points are the single "Stronger," with Daft Punk and Edwin Birdsong, and an inspired collaboration with Chris Martin of Coldplay on "Homecoming."


Is it any good?

 

Applying imagination and witty intelligence to tracks that make strong but subtle use of guest performers (T-Pain, Lil' Wayne, Mos Def, Dwele, DJ Premire), this artist refuses to be limited by the conventions of his genre.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how Kanye West doesn't have to rely on shock value to put out popular -- and talented -- albums. What takes the place of the racist and sexist lyrics found in so many other rap CDs? Families can also talk about the apparent obsession with school, whether it be dropping out or graduating. What do you think is the real story here? What does it take to see school through to graduation? Why is it important?


This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Educator and Parent of 11 year old
March 28, 2010
 
Buy the edited version
This gives out good role models, "stay in school" messages, but expletives, so buy the edited version.

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
he mad it
now thats what im tlaking about i have hem on my i-pod all of his al,s he had to ge a good rateing b/c he has come a long way so he mad it

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 18 year old
October 13, 2009
 
for tweens and older
i love the CD it tottaly rocks!!!

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Parent of 14 year old
October 24, 2009
 
stong langugaue

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 13 years old
July 17, 2009
 
10+
I LUV MY FAVORITE SONG IS GOOD MORNING. 1 F-bomb, and I S-bomb. i like the music video a LOT

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Teen, 18 years old
November 17, 2008
 
Best Album
Kanye is the best. His songs are absolutely fantastic!

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
great album
Great album. thats all i have 2 say....

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Teen, 14 years old
March 5, 2010
 
This Album Is Awesome
this album is awesome! there is some strong language like f**k & n**** and milder language like s**t, a**, d*mn, h*ll, etc. this album has great rhythm and wide style with deep language. the artword is extremely awesome. it has positive messages. the clean version censores the language so i suggest you buy it isntead.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 14 years old
September 19, 2009
 
The song "Stronger" has the most offensive language: "f*ck" is used once, "sh**" is used four times, and there is one use each of "d*mn" and "hell".

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Good stuff
I usselly dislike this kind of music, But I found this very good.

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Artist:Kanye West
Release date:September 11, 2007
Label:Roc-A-Fella
Genre:Hip-hop
Parental advisory:Yes
Edited version available:Yes

This review was written by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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