Kanye’s Prep Rally

Kanye/Photo: James Dimmock

Last night, Kanye West called his final convocation. Okay, so maybe it was a theater at the New World Stages, but it felt like a school auditorium, one filled with fans, press and some of his get-fresh crew (Don C, Consequence, Mos Def and Q-Tip came through), all eager to hear the forthcoming Graduation. West strutted onstage and kept his spiel short but cocky, proclaiming it would go down as one of the top-ten hip-hop albums ever. Cut to the spotlights and a fittingly un-modest jumbo-screened montage of all things 'Ye: anime and a gang of Jay-Z and Kanye clips.But we're here for the album, people. With no time for cheesy skits (they were left off the album completely), the 13 tracks on Graduation offer a little bit of everything from Kanye and closely rides the line between rap and electronica. People walked in already acquainted with “Stronger,” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “Barry Bonds,” and the cyberleaked snippets of “Champion” and “Big Brother,” but Kanye filled in the gaps (ayo!), offering methodically constructed standout tracks like “I Wonder,” “Flashing Lights” ( West calls it “the girls' version of 'Stronger'”), the celebratory T-Pain collabo “Good Life,” and the boastful ” The Glory.”

Afterward, West returned to the stage to field audience questions and break down the process of how the album came together, often quoting his own lyrics a cappella. The open-mic session turned into typical Kanye, as he shared his aspirations (”I want to be the #1 artist in world, I want the XXL, I want the 5 mics”) and his arrogance (”I got the number one song in the hood with some tight jeans on!”). As the elaborate listening session/visual experience came to a close, the crowd co-signed the LV Don's latest with applause; no fifth-year seniors around here, maing.