Kanye West climbed to the top of the hip-hop universe by beating rappers at their own game, using catchy beats and intelligent lyrics in his first three studio albums to establish himself as the best artist in the rap game. In 808’s & Heartbreak, West strays from the usual and sings, rather than raps, his way through the entire album.

With help from Auto-Tune technology, West makes his ambitious concept work by piecing the track list together in a way that turns the album into a book-on-tape. West tells the story of feeling alone in his triumph of the music industry and how he wishes that he could return to normality.

The album opens with “Say You Will,” where West sets the tone for the following tracks by letting the throbbing beat of the song flow for the final three minutes unaccompanied by lyrics. The next track, “Welcome to Heartbreak,” dives into the emotional theme of the album, concentrating on West’s loneliness and his inability to interact with the normal society. He sings, “Chased the good life, all my life long/ Look back on my life, all my life gone/ Where did I go wrong?” West emphasizes his longing for a normal life, rather than life in the spotlight.

“Heartless” and “Love Lockdown,” the only two singles released on the album, focus on West’s inability to express his love. “Heartless” specifically portrays West as the victim of a bitter break up, possibly referencing his recent break up with his fiancé.

808’s features only two collaborations, which is notable considering the many guest appearance that usually clutter West’s albums. Young Jeezy makes an appearance on “Amazing,” one of the best songs on the album. The hottest rapper in the business, Lil Wayne, joins West on “See  You in My Nightmares.” One of the only songs that seems out of place, having Lil Wayne’s name attached to the track allows the fact that the song is the worst on the album to go unnoticed.

“Coldest Winter” uses a heavy beat to accompany the most lyrically intense song on the record, where West seems to lose faith in love all together.

Though West strays from what made him famous in this experimental album, even the most die-hard rap fans must appreciate what West has accomplished with 808’s. He created an entirely new brand of hip-hop and, though West will most likely return to his more familiar style of rap, he proved that he is the most talented rapper in the industry by stepping far outside of any rapper’s comfort zone to create a very respectable album.