Kanye West808s & Heartbreak

Built entirely on programmed Roland TR-808 drums and bare analog synths after Kanye's mother died and his engagement ended. Auto-Tune splits the difference between R&B croon and the glacial loneliness of '80s new wave. "Love Lockdown" thumps a tribal heartbeat against a stark piano figure that echoes through empty space. "Heartless" is impossibly catchy and rawly vulnerable. "Street Lights" is the most aching of all, a frozen meditation on being alone. Polarizing at first, it became arguably the most influential hip-hop album of the 2000s, the blueprint for Drake, Kid Cudi, and Travis Scott. Cold, sad, and gorgeous.