Kanye West leaned heavily on the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which was invented in 1980 by Ikutaro Kakehashi, engineer and founder of the Roland Corporation. Kakehashi was born in Osaka, Japan, and was always “fascinated” by machines and repairing watches when he was only a young boy (Matsa 2017). He went on to study mechanical engineering at the university level.
Ikutaro Kakehashi, inventor of the Roland TR-808 drum machine
“I Believe in Music: An Introduction to Ikutaro Kakehashi, Creator of Roland.” In Sheeps Clothing, 24 Mar. 2021, https://insheepsclothinghifi.com/ikutaro-kakehashi-roland/.
In 1960, Kakehasi worked for Ace Electronic Industries making electronic instruments before breaking off in 1972 and creating Roland Corporation. The Roland Corporation led the way in synthesizers and drum machine innovation, specifically with its development of the TR-808 (Matsa 2017).
Released in 1980, what made the TR-808 stand out from its competitors was its very unique sound. The machine was designed by modulating drum percussions, effectively causing kicks and snares to sound electronic (DM 2021). This electronic sound allowed for the TR-808 percussions to become the quintessential sound of the “1980s”. Overall, the machine has become famous in modern music because of its booming, nostalgic low-frequency bass drum sound.
Roland TR-808 drum machine
DM. “I Believe in Music: An Introduction to Ikutaro Kakehashi, Creator of Roland.” In Sheeps Clothing, 24 Mar. 2021, https://insheepsclothinghifi.com/ikutaro-kakehashi-roland/.
Initially, many critics saw the TR-808 as nothing more than a toy because of its unique sound—it did not use actual drums and percussion instruments, but rather more mechanical and synthesized versions of these sounds. This drove many away because synthesization had not really become popular yet with the general public. However, there were producers that incorporated the TR-808 into their music and found massive success. While the 808 was originally a commercial flop (Roland discontinued it after only three years), it has outpaced all other drum machines in notoriety, being used by numerous producers in songs such as Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”, Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock”, and the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.”
More recently, the TR-808 has seen its use in rap and hip-hop increase greatly with artists like Migos, Future, Metro Boomin, Lil Durk, and Kanye West using it to great effect (Hasnain 2017). Many artists love its booming low-frequency bass drum, which has recently become the driving force behind many hit songs, especially in the Trap and Drill genres. West’s 2008 album 808 and Heartbreaks is an homage to the synthetic percussion instrument, utilizing it in every song on the album to great effect. Ultimately, West’s use of the 808 allowed him more wiggle room to express himself after experiencing heartache following the death of his mother and the breakup of his engagement.