Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak album is a huge deviation from his first three studio albums. West’s main concern in writing 808s was the issue of redundancy. He did not want to remake his old music—he did not want to make another College Dropout. He believed that real artists are able to innovate their sound: “Real people grow, and I wanted to share my growth” (The Most Unruly 2017). In doing this, West was inspired to use new sounds and instruments in his melodies, opting for monk choirs, tribal percussion, and most prominently, the sounds of the Roland TR-808 drum machine.
Kanye West in the studio, circa 2005
“Kanye West Drum Kit.” The Producer’s Plug, 2020, https://theproducersplug.com/product/free-kanye-west-drum-kit-download/.
West’s desire for the 808 can be traced back to his Chicago roots. He was invested in affecting crowds the way house music did, so he fully invested in the 808’s ability to drive the melodies throughout his album (The Most Unruly 2017).
In writing his most bold and risky song, “Love Lockdown”, West started producing 808 percussion melodies before writing lyrics. He wanted to mimic the melodies and production of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”. Collins’ method of drum programming in his 1981 signature song was unique in that the “reverb was manipulated to make the drums hit hard, but still sound dull and lifeless” (The Most Unruly 2017). West distorted and crunched the 808 with tribal drums to create an accented, new electronic thump and atmospheric effect. For the lyrics, he initially recorded gibberish over the melody. American songwriter Saul Williams was called to help interpret the gibberish and create a story. He helped him write something that was not “desperate” but “vulnerable” (The Most Unruly 2017).
“In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins
“Love Lockdown” by Kanye West
In writing the rest of the album, West also spent some quality time with the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. He inspired him to create pop art. Jackson “gassed (West) up” and gave him the confidence to sing, although he had a difficult time hitting certain notes. Jackson gave him the courage to be bold in his risky choice to lean on autotune—a sound that had only been introduced by into the world of popular R&B and rap just a few years prior by T-Pain with his hit “I’m Sprung” (McGuire 2011). Therefore, the uniqueness of this choice would make West a worldwide brand. Singing was important to West for 808s because it gave him the signature sound of his album; he wanted to juxtapose taiko drums and monk choirs with autotune to create futuristic live performances, yet somber rhythms and painful lyrics. He received the monk choir vocal samples from the Kadockadee Kwire featuring Glenn Jordan, Phillip Ingram, and Jim Gilstrap (West 2008).
As far as the Roland 808 drum machine goes, it was introduced in the 1980s as it became a staple of that era’s hip-hop scene. West brought back this outdated sound and blended it with the new sound of autotune to create his album. Ultimately, West revolutionized pairing autotune with the drum machine by his heavy reliance on them not to produce masculine and aggressive beats—but to reveal his heartbreak through revolutionary performances (Tjora 2009, 165).
“Paranoid” by Kanye West featuring Mr Hudson
In “Paranoid” featuring Mr Hudson, West juxtaposes the suspenseful atmosphere of the scattered 808 percussions with the upbeat new wave sound of the blips and keyboard, specifically within the first 50 seconds of the song (McGuire 2011). This cheerful rhythm is a much-needed break from the rest of his songs on the album. However, the lyrics of “Paranoid” are on track with the theme of the rest of the album—a somber introspection of the deteriorating relationships in his life. In his first verse starting at 0:50, he recites “Tell me right now / You really wanna spend your whole life alone? / A little time out might do you good, might do us good / Before we be done for good.” This results in a texture that is somewhat confusing. It sounds like a 1980s R&B song that you can dance along to, but after closer examination, one realizes that West’s content is much darker—he is bringing attention to his lover’s selfishness in seeking other relationships. This is a clear example of West’s willingness to take risks with this album. He combines the 808 drum machine and autotuned tragic lyrics—two foreign substances of the rap genre—to push the boundaries and change the framework of possibilities for the genre completely.
In his music videos, West used visual storytelling techniques of pop art. His videos for “Paranoid” and “RoboCop” speak to the controlling nature of selfish lovers; “Say You Will” boasts “minimalistic production” with a heavy atmosphere to portray West’s attempt to detach himself from his ex-fiancée Alexis Phifer (Holmes 2018); “Coldest Winter” explores themes of coldness and death as he says goodbye to his mother Donda. Overall, he uses sound and visuals to speak to the concept of lost innocence.