I wrote this in reply to a friend's blog, but i thought you's might benefit from my KNOWLEDGE of caca!

I've had the Kanye West album for about a week and there are three songs on it that I love. The rest have to grow on me. As a whole though I haven't connected with it just yet. I think it's because the last album, Late Reg, totally leveled me from the door. The producer [John Brion] is someone I GREATLY look up to and the collaborators [JayZ, Jamie Foxx, Adam Levine (lol), Lupe Fiasco, Nas, Paul Wall, the Game, Common, Cam'Ron] are perfect, perfect, perfect. Anyway, this new one... I need to listen to it more to see whether I'll say yay or nay.

Yes, Kanye talks about himself nonstop and he's cocky, arrogant, and annoying. No two ways about it. Still, in my opinion, he's produced the most interesting rap/hip hop music you'll find in the mainstream. He just won't shut his mouth about it though and that turns people off. I don't care though. I'm in it for the music. A fact to keep in mind is... Fifty Cent started this feud. He's as cocky as Kanye, just less annoying.

I guess I'll weigh in on who's gonna win... It's SUPER hard to say. Kanye has the American college markets nailed down, but I feel he's neglected the American pop market with his lack of popular collaborators. Now, 50 has come out of the gate with a REALLY awesome single, Ayo Technology. It's got Justin Timberlake and Timberland on it and that's a high selling, money-making, club killing combo, right there. I haven't heard the entire album, but I know 50 is capable of successful singles, even if the subject is in his pants [like that piece of sh*t, Candy Shop], so he'll definitely nail down the clubs in America. Whereas Kanye holds on to the overseas clubs by sampling Europe's techno club standard, Daft Punk, on his Stronger single. So, they are playing to very different audiences-- a subject I could go on and on about, but hey, this is long enough...

This might surprise some, but I'm going to give the nod to 50. He's gets the win by a fender. I have a feeling his new album will be stronger than Graduation. The singles will kill. His videos won't be arty. His collaborators are super popular. Nowwww, I DO feel that is a cheap way to outsell a competitor who's album has fewer popular collaborators, but HEY! They are in a sales battle and sales in a dirty, unfair business. I feel 50 has it nailed down this time around.

PS: In my opinion, Late Registration is better than anything 50 could ever do, but alas, that's not what's on trial today...