"Graduation" is coming on September 11, for Mr. West. With the Daft Punk sampled "Stronger" debuting at number 47 debut of the week on the Billboard Hot 100, Kanye looks like he's on track to release another hit album.

"That melody just hit me so hard," West says when asked about the song's inspiration. "I mean, it's the music. It wasn't a gimmick thing."
"That's not atypical of Kanye," Def Jam president and West mentor Jay-Z says. "It's been his pattern since day one. He always has to push the envelope. That's his cross to bear."

Last year Late Registration debuted to the tune of 860,000 units. Aside from a few mega stars in hip-hop not many can sell numbers in that range and no other hip hop artists would be hanging out while creating a song with Sting, Bono and John Mayer.

Other artists recognized West as a unique talent capable of transcending genre boundaries. "I was sitting in Sting's dressing room at Live 8," Def Jam's Waples recalls. "And Sting, Bono, John Mayer and Kanye were making up a song. In that moment I understood why he was able to be there. 50 or T.I. would never be able to be in that room."

Kanye has only enlisted a few artists to appear on Graduation.

On "Graduation," only Coldplay's Chris Martin, T-Pain, Mos Def and DJ Toomp made the cut as guest contributors, because, as West says, "When I hear the records of my favorite bands -- the Killers or Coldplay -- you only hear one voice from start to finish," a departure from the recording trend of duets and guest vocalists.
West proudly cops to being influenced by such left-field albums as Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's 2006 solo effort, "The Eraser," while crafting the music for "Graduation." And though he may feel liberated from hip-hop's sonic constraints, one has to wonder if his new sound is going to translate with the Brooklyn bodega regulars.

["Graduation" day nears for Kanye West]