Rating: 9.2 / 10

Welcome back, Mr. West. In the much anticipated Kanye West/50-cent battle royale that ensued yesterday, what have we learned?

First, don’t challenge a man whose lyrical content varies from dissertations on Barry Bonds to Snakes on a Plane. Next, if you do want to beef with the worlds

weirdest and yet most accessible emcee, you better be bringing your best. No songs about how many times you have been shot are going to compete with Kanye.

Politics aside, “Graduation” is an album filled with highs and lows. Some songs have the potential to become career definers, while others are throwaways, to put it nicely. However, the beats are solid throughout the album, something we’ve come to expect from Kanye.

The introduction song “Good Morning” is fantastic, and the tracks seem to get better up until the mid-point of the album, where the momentum slows down and some of the songs become somewhat forgettable.

The song I was most excited to hear, “Drunk and Hot Girls,” with one my favorite emcees Mos Def, has to be the worst song on the album, which is a major let down. The collaboration could have become one of my favorite songs by either artist, but I was not pleased with the end result.

However, you do not have to turn the album off after track 6. The song “Homecoming” featuring Chris Martin from Coldplay is one of the more introspective tracks, but it still keeps the listener hooked with great lyrics, a masterful chorus, and excellent backup vocals.

With that compliment, consider that I am not a Coldplay fan and for the most part, I cannot stand Chris Martin’s voice.

The samples and guest appearances make the album even better. Samples and guests include, but are not limited to, Jay-Z, Elton John, Daft Punk, Steely Dan, Lil’ Wayne, John Legend, DJ Premiere, and the king himself, George Clinton.

Any record in which I can type Steely Dan and Lil’ Wayne next to each other in the review gets at least an 8.

Honestly, “Graduation” is great. Anything that can get a chubby white kid to sing about getting his money right while walking down Lucinda deserves high praise. When it comes to mainstream hip-hop, Kanye does it best.

There are some amazing songs on this record. “Good Life” is a song that has to be played loudly from your car on a night drive to really be appreciated like it should.

After the smoke clears on the Kanye/50-cent feud, hopefully Mr. West will be standing tall; he deserves it.

This will be the hip-hop album of ‘07 that everyone can agree upon. (Unless OutKast decides to do the unthinkable and blow our minds yet again).