Graduation is rapper Kanye West's third album from Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam. Graduation was released on Sept. 11, 2007 in a feud with 50 Cent to see who could sell more albums. Kanye's Graduation album features 13 tracks with 2 bonus tracks and is Kanye's first album to not feature any skits. Also, Lil Wayne is the only other "rapper" featured on the album. Kanye chose to try to make this a solo album and only enlisted other R&B singers for the hooks and choruses. Graduation's album artwork was designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
Kanye West's Graduation album sold 957,000 copies in it's first week and has now sold over 2.2 million copies to date worldwide. Kanye West outsold 50 Cent's album, released on the same day, by over 200,000 copies.
To date there have been 5 singles off the Graduation album: Can't Tell Me Nothing, Stronger, Good Life, Flashing Lights and Homecoming. It's unknown if Kanye will be releasing any more singles from his album now that the album is over 10 months old.
Some of the other stand out tracks on Graduation include: Champion, I Wonder, The Glory and Big Brother, which is a song paying homage to Kanye's mentor and "Big Brother", Jay-Z.
Some noteworthy guests on the album and the album's bonus tracks, include: Lil Wayne, John Mayer, Chris Martin, T-Pain, DJ Premiere and Mos Def. Graduation won a Grammy for Best Rap Album of the Year.