808s & Heartbreak
Monday, December 1, 2008 8:50
Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer
It has been reported that Kanye West recorded the album in under two weeks in Hawaii. As implied by its title, 808s & Heartbreak prominently features the Roland TR-808 drum machine (above). According to West, the fact that Hawaii’s area code was “808″ was incidental, as he had already developed the album’s title before being informed, but the realization inspired him to pursue his direction with the album, which produced an amazing collection of thoughtful songs.
808s & Heartbreak Cover
The album also relies heavily on the voice audio processor technology of Auto-Tune. You will recognize it from Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” and Young Jeezy’s “Put On“. West fell in love with the Auto-Tune and called the man credited with the Auto-Tune revival, T-Pain, for tips. It is also thought that the occasional exaggerated vocal effects produced by Auto-Tune are meant to represent the effect of being heartbroken.
The album’s artwork is also out of control.
