In a less enthusiastic review , '' The Independent '' found West 's " immersion in personal misery " uncomfortable and commented that the " stylistic tropes quickly become irritating " . AllMusic editor Andy Kellman stated " no matter its commendable fearlessness , the album is a listless , bleary trudge along West 's permafrost " . Charles Aaron from '' Spin '' criticized the songs ' musical structures , calling the album " a long processional that starts and restarts and never reaches the ceremony " . '' Slant Magazine '' s Wilson McBee panned West 's singing , while Jon Caramanica from '' The New York Times '' singled it out as the " weakness for which this album will ultimately be remembered , some solid songs notwithstanding . " Caramanica wrote that , " at best , it is a rough sketch for a great album , with ideas he would have typically rendered with complexity , here distilled to a few words , a few synthesizer notes , a lean drumbeat . At worst , it ’s clumsy and underfed , a reminder that all of that ornamentation served a purpose " . '' Chicago Sun-Times '' writer Jim DeRogatis stated , " If West had interspersed the more mechanical tracks with some that were the exact opposite — say , simple piano interludes provided by his old collaborators John Legend or Jon Brion — he might have made a masterpiece . Instead , he 's merely given us an extremely intriguing , sporadically gripping , undeniably fearless and altogether unexpected piece of his troubled soul . " '' 808s & Heartbreak '' was voted the tenth best album of 2008 in the Pazz & Jop , an annual poll of prominent American critics . The album was also named one of the ten best albums of 2008 by a number of publications , including the Associated Press ( number four ) , '' The Hartford Courant '' ( number seven ) , '' NOW '' ( number four ) , '' The Observer '' ( number eight ) , '' Vibe '' ( no order ) and '' Time '' ( number six ) . '' Pitchfork '' named '' 808s & Heartbreak '' the twenty-first best album of 2008 . Dan Leroy of '' LA Weekly '' cited it as one of the top ten hip hop albums of the year . '' Jam ! '' named it the top album of 2008 . '' Chicago Sun-Times '' writer Jim DeRogatis included the album on his list of the year 's ten best albums and wrote , " With every listen , the poignancy of these personal tales of loss grows deeper , perfectly matched by the cold , lonely , robotic but nevertheless winning grooves that accompany them . Upon further reflection , it is a brave and daring 4-star effort that deserves to be heard by any fan of adventurous pop music . " '' Time Out New York '' featured the album on its list of the Best and Worst Albums of 2008 . The magazine 's writer Colin St. John cited '' 808s & Heartbreak '' as one of the worst of 2008 , and editor Steve Smith named it third on his best-of list , while calling the album " the year 's most misunderstood triumph . " Despite its accolades , '' 808s & Heartbreak '' was largely overlooked as a contender for the 52nd Grammy Awards . According to '' Vibe '' magazine editor-in-chief Jermaine Hall , West 's controversial incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and the ensuing backlash against West " probably hurt him " , but perceived West 's stylistic change on the album as the primary reason for it not being nominated . West received one solo nomination , Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for " Amazing " , and five other nominations for his guest appearances and collaborational work
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
808s & Heartbreak