Short answers, pulled from the story.
Graduation sold over 957,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. It also sold over 437,000 copies on its first day alone.
West was primarily inspired by touring with U2 on their Vertigo Tour in 2006, watching Bono open stadium shows and seeking to write rap songs with similar anthemic power. He drew on house music, euro-disco, arena rock bands including the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, and indie rock acts such as the Killers, Keane, and Modest Mouse.
Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami designed the cover art and oversaw the album's art direction. The collaboration began when West visited Murakami's Kaikai Kiki studio in Asaka, Japan. Murakami later reproduced the artwork in a three-minute animated music video for the opening track "Good Morning".
Yes. Graduation sold over 957,000 copies in its first week compared to Curtis's 691,000, making it one of the largest simultaneous dual-debut sales weeks since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. In its second week, Graduation also outsold Curtis 226,000 copies to 143,000.
Graduation won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, making it West's third consecutive album to win that prize. At the same ceremony, "Stronger" won Best Rap Solo Performance and "Good Life" won Best Rap Song.
Graduation is widely credited with shifting hip-hop away from gangsta rap conventions toward more introspective and electronically influenced styles. West's defeat of 50 Cent in the 2007 sales competition opened commercial space for artists including Kid Cudi, Drake, and Lupe Fiasco. The album's synth-driven production also influenced a generation of hip-hop producers, including Future, Young Chop, and Metro Boomin.