#74 Kanye West, 'The College Dropout' (2004)

Previously #298

The debut release by Yeezy makes a significant jump. In the years preceding this record, West was an acclaimed producer for artists such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli but he was never taken seriously as an artist in his own right by the powers that be. True to form, he spent 4 years recording and perfecting what would eventually become ‘The College Dropout.’ Before redefining his production later on, West pioneered Chipmunk Soul, a technique in which he would sample old Soul and RnB records and speed them up. It became a bit of a thing in Hip Hop before West abandoned it for that very reason. Whereas Gangsta Rap was the dominant subgenre in Hip Hop amongst his contemporaries, West rapped about family, religion, racism, materialism and even education. Kanye West had announced his arrival and was a force to be reckoned with.

He proved the naysayers wrong with his breakthrough single, ‘Through The Wire.’ After working late at a California recording studio, West fell asleep at the wheel. West escaped the accident with his life and a shattered jaw, which was wired shut after surgery. He sampled Chaka Khan’s ‘Through The Fire’ and rapped about his experience. The song charted at #15 in the US and catapulted West into the mainstream consciousness. ‘The College Dropout’ features samples by Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Luther Vandross and Bette Midler, amongst others. Like previous Yeezy records, I enjoyed this one. I’ve resigned myself to that fact. Favourites included ‘We Don’t Care,’ ‘All Falls Down,’ ‘I’ll Fly Away’ (beautiful Gospel), ‘Spaceship,’ ‘Jesus Walks,’ ‘Never Let Me Down,’ and ‘Get Em High;’ I loved the interplay with Talib Kweli and Common. It’s a long one but I enjoyed it for the most part.

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