Tower Blog

Attention Rap & Hip-Hop Fans:

February 22, 2008 by S C

Since the inception of the Tower brand, we have always been deeply rooted with culture and what gives it its pulse. As the legendary teacher KRS One once said, “Rap is something you do… Hip Hop is something you live.” Our staff is comprised of people who live and breathe the Hip Hop culture. We want to infuse the message through the medium while providing all the fresh products, news, and related items you need to get your Hip Hop fix. Our appreciation for all involved within the culture, the industry and its peripherals is sincerely ingrained to Tower’s beliefs and is reflective of the deep catalogue that we provide to our Tower heads. That’s whatsup!

Tower.com’s Rap & Hip-Hop section

Check out this week’s fresh new releases:

• KRS-ONE: Adventures in Emceein
• PASTOR TROY: Attitude Adjuster
• DJ CLAY: Let ‘Em Bleed the Mixxtape

Ye Schools of Thought

Kanye West

2008 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER

Kanye West’s Graduation album is the winner of the following 2008 Grammy Awards:

• Best Rap Solo Performance (”Stronger”)
• Best Rap Song (”Good Life”)
• Best Rap Album

Given the remarkable critical and commercial success of 2005’s LATE REGISTRATION, Kanye West’s rich, rewarding sophomore release, expectations were high for 2007’s GRADUATION. Ever savvy, West flouts those expectations by delivering a record that delivers curveballs while staying true to his sharply sculpted, commercially minded m.o. West’s rapping, never his greatest strength, is still entertaining. He delivers witty, smart, sometimes absurd rhymes (he seems to take more lyrical chances on GRADUATION) that fit nicely with the overall feel of his tracks.

As usual, it’s West’s productions that stand out. While there are examples of his style-defining use of classic R&B samples and background choirs (as on the feel-good highlight “I Wonder”), West streamlines his sound to center on synth-driven lines, giving many of the tracks a retro-electro new wave feel. “Stronger,” for example, another standout, is powered by a vocoder-drenched vocal sample, which implies that West might have been listening to more Kraftwerk than Motown to get hyped. The overall results make for a fun, inventive album that offers proof that West still has tricks up his sleeve.

Official Site - kanyeuniversecity.com
MySpace - myspace.com/kanyewest
Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West

The College Dropout
Late Registration
Graduation

Kanye West – Flashing Lights