The Top 10 Hip Hop Albums Of The Decade. #2 Graduation (2007) - Kanye West

I have a lot of patience for talent and talent is something Kanye West has a lot of. For “Graduation”, it’s critical to strip away the artist in order to appreciate the artistry. Nobody composes big, celebratory hip hop tracks like Kanye. And on “Graduation” he was firing on all cylinders, improving on his impressive first two albums with inventive samples, lush instrumentation and pulsating drum patterns. Listen to the run of amazing tracks. “Stronger”, “Flashing Lights”, “Homecoming”, “Good Life”, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”; these records weren’t just good, they were special. Give them another spin right now and they'll sound better than they did two years ago. That's the hallmark of a true classic. Say what you want about what a jackass he is, but no artist did more to write the soundtrack of our lives in the 2000’s than Mr. West and “Graduation” was his greatest triumph. Being the best in the world at what you do is no excuse for bad behavior but that shouldn’t stop us from honoring a pitch perfect rap album.