"The College Dropout" was the 2004 debut album from the producer-turned-rapper Kanye West. As Kanye started off as a producer for all the big names in Hip Hop such as T.I., Nas and Jay-Z, providing his unique chipmunk sound (where he uses a soul sample and increases the pitch, to give it an Alvin & The Chipmunks sound) to their tunes, which is why he had so many connections, and so many chose to collaborate with him on the album.
(Kan)ye chose to produce the whole of the album, unlike later ones, just to show what he had to offer for other Hip Hop acts, because he was going to contiune to make beats as well as rap no matter how successful this album was (and it was as it sold for 3x Platinum).
1. Intro
2. We Don't Care
This is Kanye's first consicous Hip Hop tune which he made, as he talks on the issues which black people face as the are "...forced to to sell crack, rap, and get a job...", due to the stereotype which we are given, especially in the US.
Kanye has children singing in the chorus, and this enforces the message of the innocent people in the world being dragged down by the actions of a few individuals, who then make it come across as though we will never make it past 25 years old because we will be either killed or waste the rest of our days in prison.
**Five Stars**
3. Graduation Day (Skit)
4. All Falls Down (Feat. Syleena Johnson)
The R&B Grammy-winner Syleena Johnson comes with a nice little meoldy for the chorus which seems to set up the situation for the song. This one is entirely lyrical, and little attnetion should be paid to the beat. Ye when for minimalstic production, to make this clear to the listener that you should focus on what he says.
The track is about the lack of thought some people put into things as they seem to just go with the flow of life and they get caught up in certian situation because of it. The main focus, which he could relate to, was a girl at college who didn't really have any aspirations, but she was there regardless and wouldn't know what to do with the qualifications, and if you are in this type of situation, it is the perfect song to make you make a plan of action for the future.
**Five Stars**
5. I'll Fly Away (Skit)
6. Spaceship (Feat. GLC and Consequence)
This is a refreshing track as ity is just an escape from everything, in terms of it's spacey production and the theme of the track which is just about having fantasies of escaping all the bad things in their lives and just have a moment to go to another wolrd without any troubles. I felt that the execution was there, and it works out as a great chillout tune when your stressed.
**Five Stars**
7. Jesus Walks
This is a very spiritual track and not the type of tune I would listen to because of it's emotionally-charged nature and I felt that Kanye forced it upon us by releaseing it as a single just to prove a point that tracks which are full of sex, drugs, and violence will sell, but religious ones won't, I felt that he only got support because of his popularity up to that point. if he debut with this, we probably would never heard him rap again, espcially with his "Happy Gilmore" lines which have no relation to the track.
Eventhough I didn't like the thoughts behind the track, I though that the track itself was good, as it addresses many issues which most would shy away from, but he thought he could get awa twith it, and even if it failed, he would have production to fall back onto.
**Four Stars**
8. Never Let Me Down (Feat. Jay-Z)
When you seprate this from the album itself, it does sound like something that you would end an LP off with it's low tones and deep bass, but it's only halfway into the album and I felt that it was wrongly positioned (it would do better in the place of "Family Business" more than here).
A sample of "Maybe It's The Power Of Love", is chipmunked and placed as a hook for this track, and it seems to create a reassuring sound in the background as Ye and Young Hov (Jay-Z) get their flow on. Jay-Z talks about how he has got to a stage where he doesn't need to rely on others and how he will help Ye on his way up.
**Five Stars**
9. Get 'Em High (Feat. Talib Kweli and Common)
I was slightly surprised by waht I heard in this track as it features two of the best conscious MCs in the game and Kweli's contribution was really a waste, because he just referes to everyhting that Kanye talks about in the early stages as it's all about him trying to pick up girls based on the contacts which he has.
On the flipside, about half-way through Common comes on and simply kills it. His lines are completly disconnected to anything that was said by the other two, and he just does his own thing by talking about the sorry state of Hip Hop (much earlier than most noticed a decline), and the effects this has had on society in general.
**Five Stars**
10. Workout Plan (Skit)
11. New Workout Plan
If it wasn't Kanye behind this, then I doubt that I would listen to this more than once, but this is Kanye's only pop rap track on the album and it is a dance number, I expect that he did this to attract the widest range possible, but this may have damaged him in terms of respect from the conscious "backpack" MCs. I found it to be quite a good workout song, so it serves it's purpose with the pumping beats which seem to thump out the bass for the duration of the track.
**Four Stars**
12. Slow Jamz (Feat. Twista and Jamie Foxx)
Although "Through The Wire" was the first single to hit the streets, this was the first official single from Kanye and he was backed up by one of the most underrated MCs in the game and a fellow Chi-towner in Twista as well as the comedian-turned-actor-turned R&B singer Jamie Foxx.
The track is really what Kanye is about as nearly all of his samples come from '70s and '80s soul grooves, and he talks about his love for chilling to this type of music, but then the quick-rapping Twista changes everything up like only he can.
**Five Stars**
13. School Spirit (Skit)
14. Breathe In Breathe Out (Feat. Ludacris)
First of all Kanye comes by dissing "ice rap", the type of rap which focused on the money, cars and bling;. causing Ye to apologize to the pure consicous MCs, Kweli and Mos Def for having to hear it. He just disses the rapper would we buy anything that is seen as popular just to be popular when you can shine by being alternative as these MCs have.
I was happy to hear Luda on here to show his opinion on this type of rapping as he is a boarderline rapper who you are never too sure about, in terms of whether he is a "ice" or pop rapper, then sometimes he comes with concsous lyrics.
**Five Stars**
15. Lil' Jimmy (Skit)
16. Two Words (Feat. Freeway and Mos Def)
This track has a great concept to it in that all of the lines are two words long. It sounds strange, but somehow it is pulled off. I felt that it was only because of the MCs which chose to take on this challenge, I had a lot of confidence in Mos Def, but Freeway and Kanye, I didn't think would be able to carry it out, but they did.
This one works on having them make thought-provoking two-word sentences which force the listener to take a second to think about what has been said, and espcially when Mos Def comes, you are throw back by his politcal views which shine through with these simple lines; showing how much much can be given in so little.
**Five Stars**
17. Through The Wire
This is the best display of Kanye's all-round talent from production to rapping, but also his creativity as he took advantage of what most would consider to be the worst situation a recording artist could be in (stuck in hospital with his mouth wired shut as he was caught up in a car accident in 2002.
I thought that he used the most apporpriate samle for this as Chaka Khan's "Through The Fire" was chipmunked and slightly altered vocals to make it sound like "Wire is being siad. The emotion of her voice is only improved on by the chipmunked style of it, and it makes you
This was recorded only two weeks after the accident and his jaw was being held together at the time, so it's amazing that he could rap the rhymes so well, it only sounds off when you hear him now, but it's not that different. Ye was having difficulty convincing Roc-A-Fella that he could ake it as a rapper, and this one was the which got him the deal, because he showed that he could really bring fire, even with the the disablity wich he faced at the time. He chose to rap all bout his times at the hospital and he was really about to paint the pictures in your mind with the annoynace of only being able to have liquids other things he was unable to do.
**Five Stars**
18. Family Business
I though that this was the only weak track from the album, and I would prefer to just overlok it rather than see it as a weak link because there is so much quality on the album, that I would prefer to ignore this was even here.
**Two Stars**
19. Last Call
This is one of very few outros which I would be happy to listen to as a track on it's own, seperately from the LP, because you remain engaged throughout. This is just a fun track with a hard beat, but there is a soft rhythm which smooths it out to make it seem as if we are being drawn to a close.
This gentle melody allows Kanye to just talks us through his journey, and it's interesting to hear his struggle to be noticed by people at the Ro for so long, being rejected so many times aqs other producers such as Just Blaze were being just, so he didn't really have a place, but as his style was so different, he was able to be given a break, and have his production used on some of the best artists work.
**Five Stars**
Most of the poeple that I've spoke about the album to enjoyed listening to the skits, and said that they were some of the best parts of the album, but I just don't do skits, so it doesn't matter how funny people say they are I just came to listen to music. I think that I got this response from others because the majority of them were really Hip Hop fans, they were casuals who enjoyed his different type of rapping, which was refreshing in the time when gangsta rap ruled.
I feel that this was a very important album for Hip Hop, and in a few years it will be regarded as a classic, because it was a stage in the development for a new sub-genre of Hip Hop; Hipster Rap, with key acts such as The Cool Kids (my favourite group at the moment), Mickey Factz and Kidz In The Hall. This was because he used an underground rap style, but had support from so many mainstream rappers, allowing him pave the way for the alternative skater rappers, who may just make it big in the future (as Lupe Fiasco).
This is an essential album for all, no matter what type of music you are into, because there is something for eveyone, it has so much to offer, so don't be ignorant by reading Hip Hop and switching off, Kanye is different.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
College Drop Out, the debut from the most sought-after hip-hop producer not named ... more
Pharrell, delivers the unthinkable: West magically sledgehammers home his opinions on taboo topics over beats that are equally daring. The envelope-ripping beats shouldn'...
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Advantages: Masterful Production, Great Eye-Opening Songs and Lyrics, Positive, Introspective, Thought-Provoking Disadvantages: Lack of Complex Lyrics, Too Many Skippable Skits, Some Weaker Tracks, Ego-Trip
Advantages: Masterful Production, Great Eye-Opening Songs and Lyrics, Positive, Introspective, Thought-Provoking Disadvantages: Lack of Complex Lyrics, Too Many Skippable Skits, Some Weaker Tracks, Ego-Trip
Advantages: You will absolutely love the album and it will be like music to your ears (no pun intended) = ]. Disadvantages: A bit too many skits on the album but they are good nonetheless.
Advantages: Fresh voice on the hip hop scene just what it needed Disadvantages: Too many skits and too many tracks put in simply to make up the numbers
Advantages: Exellent selection of songs, good beats, individual style. Disadvantages: Some explicit lyrics making it unsuitable for a younger audience, the skits can be annoying.
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Jun 7th, 2008
exceptional by (17%):
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