Below, then, we present covers of every song off 808s and Heartbreak. The preponderance of “Love Lockdown”s alone could keep a cover blog going for weeks. The reason is clear – covering a pop song is much easier than covering a hip-hop song. One fact has remained consistent, though, and that is that this album lends itself to covers better than any other Kanye album. More generous types recognize, however belatedly, that West perversely used Auto-Tune to make his music more human, not less. 808s clearly played a role in shaping West’s undisputed masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, so even the holdouts reluctantly credit the album as a stepping stone to greatness. Three years later, though, people look back on the album more fondly. The fact that he masked his vocal deficiencies with Auto-Tune at the very height of the anti-Auto-Tune fervor made 808s a particularly easy target. Following three critically-acclaimed rap albums, a heart-on-sleeve pop album by a guy who clearly could barely carry a tune proved dead on arrival. Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak was universally derided upon its 2008 release.

808s and heartbreak itunes