Kaufman, Gil (February 10, 2012). "Kanye West Isn't Only Grammy Album of the Year Snub". MTV. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Reid, Shaheem (July 23, 2007). "Kanye West Says He's Ready To Pit His Album Against 50 Cent's: 'We Ain't Moving' ". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 5, 2007 . Retrieved July 23, 2007. Jahreshitparaden 2007". Swiss Music Charts. Hung Medien (in German). Archived from the original on July 7, 2011 . Retrieved September 22, 2019. a b c Park, Adam (January 7, 2007). "Kanye West 'God Just Brings Collaborations Together' ". Clash. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009 . Retrieved April 13, 2008. It's weird what makes Graduation considered the weak link in Kanye's rap career is something that we've rarely seen from him in such unfiltered fashion - having fun. There's not a whole lot of self-seriousness going on here, it's all more like self-parody, and while it's delivered in an (at times) distractingly uninterested flow, there's not a bad production here other than the all-around abortion "Drunk and Hot Girls". A lot of what made the angle I came at this album from before felt like it was objective, you know, to point at "I Wonder" and wonder why such a beautiful beat had one of Kanye's dullest flows ever on top of it.

Pop CDs of the Year: When the Bard of Wimbledon Triumphed". The Daily Telegraph. London. December 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009 . Retrieved August 6, 2008. a b Breihan, Tom (September 11, 2007). "Ten Favorite Moments on Kanye West's Graduation". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013 . Retrieved September 11, 2007. a b c d e "Best of 2007". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008 . Retrieved January 1, 2019. New Zealand album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved October 20, 2023.

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Graduation won the award of Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the American Music Awards of 2008, while also counting towards West earning the award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. With his two wins at the ceremony, West was the second biggest winner, behind Chris Brown with three awards to his name. West told the crowd during his acceptance speech that despite winning the Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album award, he wanted to give the award to Lil Wayne instead. Though this stands as one of the multiple times that West has given an award of his to someone else, West also has a frequent history of complaining when he does not win an award. [190] a b c d Rizov, Vadim (November 1, 2007). " "Indie 500": Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Joy Division and Pale Young Gentlemen". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013 . Retrieved April 6, 2013.

Chris Martin mud-stomps it a little, his hook is so awkward to me. I prefer the original from the College Dropout days. Radiohead Wins Billboard Critics' Poll in Landslide". Billboard. December 17, 2007. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017 . Retrieved January 1, 2019. a b Crosley, Hillary (September 19, 2007). "Jay-Z, L.A. Reid Weigh in On Kanye/50 Sales Battle". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013 . Retrieved September 19, 2007. End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2007". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015 . Retrieved August 4, 2019. Kornhaber, Spencer (February 18, 2016). "The Life of Pablo and the Terror of Monogamy". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018 . Retrieved November 26, 2019.Graduation 's intricate musical environments take a while to comprehend, and at times they seem at odds with West's confrontational lyrics. But this contradictory music makes sense when heard as an attempt to express an internal struggle – between the Kanye West hip-hop made and the West who can't be contained by it or any other genre. It's hard to stop running with the crowd, even for a trendsetter. But West is on the verge, and moving forward. [45] Mayfield, Geoff (September 12, 2007). "Kanye Well Ahead Of 50 Cent in First-Day Sales Race". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013 . Retrieved September 12, 2007. Cohen, Jonathan (September 20, 2007). "Kanye Caps Banner Week With Hot 100 Chart-Topper". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013 . Retrieved September 28, 2007.

Caulfield, Keith (December 14, 2007). "Ask Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. a b "The Best Albums of 2007". PopMatters. December 20, 2007. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020 . Retrieved January 1, 2019. Russian album certifications – Kanye West – Graduation" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF) . Retrieved September 10, 2019.Crosely, Hillary (September 19, 2007). "Jay-Z, L.A. Reid Weigh in On Kanye/50 Sales Battle". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013 . Retrieved September 19, 2007. a b "The best, the worst, the weirdest". USA Today. December 23, 2003. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008 . Retrieved January 1, 2019. Glover, Scott (November 20, 2008). "Doctor Talks About Donda West's Death". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008 . Retrieved November 23, 2008. a b c Nui Te Koha (August 3, 2008). "Sneaky Sound System Sneaking Their Way to the Top". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014 . Retrieved November 13, 2008. Cent & Kanye West Go Head To Head On Who Has The Best Album". Archived from the original on November 7, 2021 . Retrieved March 2, 2020– via YouTube.