When thinking of a graduation most times people come to the conclusion that things are…well dull. It’s usually two, sometimes three hours of agonizing boredom.

Everything from the shy valedictorian who trips and stumbles over the speech they wrote two months before, or the ever so excited ramblings of the superintendent who sounds like they just woke up and just wants to go back to sleep.

Yes graduations are usually far from exciting, and the graduating class is usually itching to throw their caps in the air and get on with their lives.

So, how fitting that Kanye West would come along and drop and exciting album and name it after on if the most boring events in human history. In keeping with his tradition of naming his albums after school oriented subjects, 2004’s “College Dropout and 2005’s “Late Registration”, Kanye brings us “Graduation”.

“Graduation”, one of the many September 11th albums coming out this year, may be one of the biggest surprises in this year of lackluster Hip Hop sales. Where you might expect Kanye’s newest offering to be just as full and sweeping as “Late Registration” it simply isn’t.

Just like a graduation it is an album that takes it’s time and slowly draws you in. At first listen it becomes increasingly clear that there isn’t a “Gold Digger” or a “Jesus Walk” to speak of. None of the beats jump out and grab you like the two aforementioned songs do. Songs like “Stronger” and “I Can’t Tell Me Nothing” come extremely close, but they’re not quite they’re…which ends up being a good thing.

On this new outing with Kanye you won’t find yourself skipping to a particular track more than others, and in turn leaving your Itunes play count a little lopsided.

Instead The album seems to sneak up and stay with you. So instead of an album you might love straight off just because of one or two tracks “Graduation” plays like an album you like at first, then grow to love a month later after realizing you played nothing but it on repeat since you got it.

It’s because tracks like “Stronger” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” don’t drown out the other songs and allow for the listener to explore the other goodies ‘Graduation” has to offer.

To say Kanye did this on purpose might be a bit much, but if he did then he’s a better producer than people give him credit for.

As a lyricist Kanye continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Lines like “In my past / your on the other side of the glass/ of my memory’s museum/ I’m just saying/ hey Mona Lisa, come home/ you know you can’t roam without Caesar” from the hypnotic “Flashing Lights” point out his growth nicely.

He flexes his storytelling muscles on “Big Brother” an ode to his friend, label mate, and idol Jay-Z. On “Barry Bonds” he seemingly out performs Lil Wayne with ease and raps circles around the self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive”.

He even uses the them of a graduation speech, on “Good Morning” poking fun at valedictorians and delivering his dissertation using a sampled Jay-Z line get his point across.

Add this with his witty charm and cocky demeanor and it easy to forget this is the same guy the said he “doesn’t try hard”. Although, just like in a graduation, there are some dry spots. “Drunk and Hot Girls” is by far the worse song on the album.

Even Mos Def, who makes an appearance way to late in the song, couldn’t save it. The premise is nice though, and if you take the time to listen the lyrics aren’t bad either. Its just that it never is quite the song you wish it was.

In retrospect “Graduation” may not be the Kanye West where all used to. The Kanye West of 2005 is definitely not the Kanye West of 2007.

While he still holds the brash and cockiness that makes people love him or hate him he surprisingly takes a quieter route with this new disc.

While still not the masterpiece the “Late Registration” was “Graduation” is proof that Kanye can still make an album worth buying, something that Hip Hop has missed this year.

Where Kanye goes now that his an alum to the game has yet to be seen, but if its anything like what we’ve seen before you can rest assured that he will around for class reunion flashing his accomplishments.