Kanye West Album: “The College Dropout [PA]”

When I first saw the name Kanye West it was when I realized that he was the one that produced Beanie Sigel's "The Truth", which was a song from Beanie Sigel's solo CD. I would see Kanye West's name once again on Jay Z's "Dynasty: Roc La Familia" CD. Kanye produced a nice collaboration with Jay Z, Scarface and Beanie Sigel called "This Can't Be Life". He used an old Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes song and all three rappers had nice verses on the song. Other well known Kanye produced beats are also "Get By" by Talib Kweli, "Takeover" by Jay Z and "Guess Who's Back" which is another collaboration with Jay Z, Scarface and Beanie Sigel. The first time I heard Kanye West rap was on "Champions" featuring Young Chris, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron & Twista from the Paid In Full soundtrack. I wasn't sure if Kanye would release a CD but by the sounds of his debut CD, we definitely have a classic on our hands.

His first single, "Through The Wire" sampled the old Chaka Khan slow jam, "Through The Fire". Kanye detailed the near fatal car accident that he was in and he basically did the whole rap, "through the wire". "Slow Jamz" is an interesting collaboration between Kanye, Twista and Jamie Foxx. Twista clearly steals the show but Kanye produces the track and he also has a nice verse on the song as well. His current single, "All Falls Down" samples a song from Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged CD. Lauryn wouldn't clear her vocals on the song so Kanye had Syleena Johnson sing the chorus. Kanye has a clever way of rapping. He likes to use metaphors, sometimes humorous, and you can tell that he is intelligent by the words that he says in some of his verses.

"Jesus Walks" is my favorite song on the CD. Kanye talks about God in a way that no other rapper has before and Kanye plays off of the fact that if he wasn't the person that he was that no one would even pay attention to what he is saying. He is sending a message saying that there is nothing wrong with pubicly diplaying your love for Jesus Christ. While the song may not be played in a club or on local radio stations, his message is loud and clear. Jay Z accompanies Kanye West on "Never Let Me Down". Jay has two "fire" verses inbetween Kanye and J Ivy. This song also serves a motivational song as the chorus goes: "When it comes to being true, atleast true to me, one thing I found, one thing I found is that you'll "Never Let Me Down". "Get 'Em High" features Talib Kweli and Common and definitely contains the best lyrics on the CD. We have an Erykah Badu less Common sounding like he did on "I Used To Love Her" and Talib at his best as well after Kanye raps to verses at the beginning of the track. Other stand out tracks include "Spaceship" where Kanye takes you back to almost an oppressive way of how people came up in the world, "We Don't Care" where Kanye has his own version of a kid's national anthem, "Two Words" featuring Mos Def and Freeway where it's nice just to hear Mos Def rapping and not see him in a movie or a play and the hilarious "New Workout Plan" where Kanye claims to have the remedy for all of the ladies' problems.

I also can't exclude "Family Business" and "Last Call". Kanye plays off of habits in alot of families today like the aunt you don't eat food from and many other things. On "Last Call" Kanye finishes "The College Dropout" right as he raps for about 5 minutes and he gives you a summary of how he came up in the producing and rapping game.

The only negative thing that I can say about this CD is that there are too many skits on "The College Dropout". However, the skits don't mess up the flow of the whole CD like on some rappers' CDs. Overall, you can't afford to miss what may be the best rap CD of 2004. Kanye West has clearly outdone himself on this CD.

James' Top 5

1) Jesus Walks

Kanye West's debut album is, in one word, refreshing. In a day and age where Nick Cannon and 50 Cent rule the radiowaves, Kanye West provides a smart, witty and touching album that enlightens the mind and soothes the soul.

Being a member of the Roc-a-fella camp, one would think that Kanye would be quick to jump aboard the bling band-wagon. While he devotes a song or two to his love of money, he also offers insight into other matters in his life (school, family, God, and his near-fatal car crash experience). On 'Last Call' (the album's twelve minute finale), Kanye talks to his audience, as opposed to MC'ing. Over a beautiful saxophone sample, Kanye describes his slow rise to fame, and the prices he paid to get there.

The album is intresting, with Kanye sampling Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Luther Vandross to name a few. His beats have an old-school feel to them, re-touched with a new school flavour. Kanye's MC'ing skills are not as dynamic as his production, but are strong nonetheless. His flow proves that he can ride a beat with words, and his lyrics show how introspective the man can be. On 'Jesus Walks', Kanye rhymes "I ain't here to argue about his facial features/or here to create atheists into believers/I'm just tryin' to say the way school needs teachers/the way Kathie-Lee needed Regis/that's the way I need Jesus".

"The College Dropout" is not revolutionary, nor will it change the face of hip-hop. It lacks the impact of Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic', or Nas' 'Illmatic'. Quite simply, "College Dropout" is a rare gem in a fabricated industry that promotes violence, money and sex. Kanye dares to be different, and treats all hip-hop fans (backpackers, mainstreamers alike) to a soul-filled, truthful, catchy album that will undoubtedly develop a cult following.

I bought this cd thinking i would only like two songs (All falls down and slow jamz), but when i first listened to some of the other songs, they blew me away. He has awesome rhymes and creativity you wont find in 50 or eminem (not that i have anything against them). It isnt about violence and drugs, but has lyrics that have some thought in them. The way they did slow jamz is way better than the way they did it on the radio. I know if you buy this cd, you will find yourself listening to more than one song over and over again. For those parents who cant have all the dirty language, the cd edits it out perfectly and everything i have listened to so far has been clean. P.S.- Rock on, Kanye.

For the last three years, rap and hip-hop quality has gone downhill (with few exceptions). Obviously, most of these artists are mostly in the industry for the money, causing the music to sound unoriginal and uninspired. Therefore, they became careless of the final result. However, in early 2004, Kanye West released his debut album "College Dropout". The timing was perfect. This gave the genre a breath of fresh air, proving that rap and hip-hop can still be outstanding. Many other artists have demanded his production on their tracks since this release: Alicia Keys, Brandy, Twista, and others.

Through his songwriting, rapping, and producing, he created the best rap album this year. This is one of the best debuts in rap history. His beats are always catchy and original. Occasionally, he combines his signature hip-hop beats with another genre: gospel, R&B, dance, and pop. Such variety gives this album the interesting swings. Despite the numerous sampling from other songs, he manages to make these tracks his own. Lyrically, he explores many issues that many modern-day rap artists wouldn't dare, especially religion ("Jesus Walks") and urgent issues that corrupt this world everyday ("We Don't Care"). His passionate powerful messages keep audiences listening closely. His words are obviously true to his heart as expressed beyond them whether he's raunchy or sweet.

"College Dropout" is a great rap album for those looking for a great escape from the common mainstream nonsense. This album proves that Kanye West will be a superstar for a long time.

***Expect Kanye West to lead the 2004 Grammy nominations with minimim nine: Album of the Year, Record of the Year ("Jesus Walks"), Best New Artist, Producer of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Male Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and twice Best Rap/Sung Performance ("Slow Jamz" w/ Twists & Jamie Foxx and "Let's Talk About Love" w/Brandy).

OK, in a time where people are infatuated with blacks calling themselves "gangstas" and bragging about being shot up, Kanye West kicks down that stereotype wearing a Polo shirt w/ the collar flipped up, and his Louis Vitton backpack. The production, lyricism, and humor on this CD is amazing, the only downside is that on a few of his skits he degrades the value and importance of college. As a black male currently attending a prestigious college, I feel that this is the only let-down on the cd. Besides that, it is an instant classic.

1. Intro (skit) - n/a

2. We Don't Care - 4/5

3. Graduation (skit) - n/a

4. All Falls Down ft. Syleena Johnson - 4/5

5. I'll Fly Away

6. Spaceship ft. GLC & Consequence - 3/5

7. Jesus Walks - 5/5

8. Never Let Me Down ft. Jay-Z & J.Ivy - 5/5

9. Get 'Em High ft. Talib Kweli & Common - 4/5

10. Workout Plan (skit) - n/a

11. The New Workout Plan - 5/5

12. Slow Jamz ft. Twista & Jamie Foxx - 4/5

13. Breate In, Breathe Out ft. Ludacris - 4/5

14. School Spirit 1 (skit) - n/a

15. School Spirit - 4/5

16. School Spirit 2 (skit) - n/a

17. Lil' Jimmy (skit) - n/a

18. Two Words ft. Mos Def, Freeway, Harlem Boys Choir - 4/5

19. Through The Wire - 5/5

20. Family Business - 5/5

21. Last Call - 4/5

Overall, this is a classic CD. Well worth the money you spend. Everyone should purchase this and not download it. There are things on this cd that were never on the downloads (such as redone beats, added verses, etc.). This is rap music. This is Kanye West...