For some reason I thought 808 was a gun.

Kanye just released his synth LP titled "808s and Heartbreaks"
Which begged the question - What the hell is an 808?
I thought: "808, could mean 'gat' -- but guns and heartbreak? Too hood for Kanye." So I strolled over to UrbanDictionary.com in search of some clarity

808
a. Slammin ass system

b. Reference to the 'Roland TR-808 analog drum machine'
Released in 1981 and only produced for 3 years, TR-808 creates a deep bass drum [Love Lockdown], snappy snare, and a 'weird cowbell sound' [Say You Will]. Ultimately it is known for its synthesized drum sounds - and every kid in SF seems to be making music with
one.


Ugh, in this case Kanye should have just titled this CD 'Ode to an 808'...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?page=2&term=808