There can be trillions of visionary and innovative musicians, but a songwriter will never write a great song unless he or she has felt what it's like to lose everything. Kinda the way a girl scout can't whip up a good glass of lemonade without lemons.

If anyone's rapped with unabashed heart in the hip-hop genre these past few years, it's Kanye West. After three impressive and well-received albums, there is no arguing that he is a visionary not just in his genre but in today's dry popular music climate. But has he written any GREAT songs? Not really, not Sam Cooke or Stevie Wonder great.

But things change quickly. Since last year's "Graduation," Kanye's been through a tumultuous break up with his ex-fiance, and also lost his beloved mother, whom died abruptly a year ago. And thus, his latest musical outing isn't informed by his heart, but by all this heartbreak he's lived in this short burst of time. And as sad as that all is, it's truly made for Kanye's greatest work yet.

Steeped in digital auto tune crooning and icy beats (it's got some glowing dance beats too which fit right into the mix), 808's & Heartbreak is as far away from hip-hop as hip-hop can get. It's more like Daft Punk covering Nina Simone's "Lady In Satin," and that is no exaggeration. The melding of techno, soul, and hip hop here is as smooth and exciting as when Ray Charles first married the sounds of gospel and blues to the world of rock n' roll, thus creating R&B.

I'm not saying Kanye's created anything super new with this album. Nor am I saying it's the album of the year. But Kanye's done something different, something raw, something honest, and something from the soul. More importantly, it's something that no one else in hip hop would ever have the guts to do. In that respect, Kanye is quite possibly this age's finest musical pioneer.

Chances are that Kanye's next album will be back to business with more straight forward hip hop, and that's why this album is all the more great. It's not just a glimpse into Kanye's darkest hour, it's also his finest, truest bid to be great. Every song he writes from now on will be coming from a whole other place.