After "Love Lockdown" was released, speculation began over whether or not Kanye West did it as a joke-- a way to comment on T-Pain's success, while whetting appetites for his new album, 808's and Heartbreak. However, Kanye recently confirmed via a listening party that the entire album is made up of sparse electronic production, and surprisingly, vocoder-assisted singing vocals by Kanye. That's right, "Love Lockdown" is the rule, not the exception.

808's and Heartbreak isn't completely without rapping, however. Young Jeezy pops ups for guest bars on a track that West sings on. And in a move for auto-tuner dominance, Kanye is joined on a track by Lil Wayne, who also sings.

Kanye says that the album is about emotional nakedness, and most of the songs are about his breakup with one specific woman. Kanye reserves one song for the memory of his mother, album closer, "Coldest Winter."
 
808's and Heartbreak has been slated for a November release, in order for it avoid collision with Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, for which Kanye serves as producer.