Kanye West, College Drop Out Review

“Kanye West, College Drop Out - This is an absolutely...”

Written on: 04/10/2004 by Amerikkka

Good Points
Best tracks: Two Words, Never Let Me Down, Jesus Walks, Family Business, Get 'Em High, New Workout Plan

Bad Points
Worst tracks: Breathe In Breathe Out, School Spirit, Most of the skits (although some are funny)

General Comments
Kanye West, College Drop Out - This is an absolutely brilliant album from Kanye West, a classic from the very beginning. All the talk that Kanye is a good producer but can't rap is total rubbish, as he displays pure wit and a sense of humour on his debut album. Personally, I don't want to hear about the money, hoes and rims that many of today's rappers go on about, I want something more REAL. Kanye provides this no end, and when you listen to the beats and lyrics you can see that you're listening to one of us, as Kanye talks about things that almost everyone (no matter their background) can relate to. Kanye says in 'Last Call', "they was looking at me funny coz I didn't have a jersey on or something". What we see on the stage is not a big shot hip hop gangster but "one of us". 'Never Let Me Down' featuring Jay-Z and 'Jesus Walks' are immediate standouts where Kanye focuses on the much deeper issue of racism. 'Two Words' is perhaps the best track on the album, with revolutionary methods of rapping featuring Mos Def and Freeway and the added bonus of the Harlem Boys Street Choir giving a soulful backup and adding to the effect of the beat. Kanye has perfected the old school soul sound that features on many of his tracks and make this a really good listen. Despite the fact that 'Through the Wire' was perhaps overplayed a little, we msut still remember how great this track really is, with the speeded up Chaka Khan's 'Through the Fire' and Kanye's slurring voice through the wired shut jaw gives a real insight into Kanye's feelings and attitude towards the rap game. If there was one downfall, it would be the number of skits that make the album a little too disjointed and means that you have to skip a couple of tracks. However, College Dropout still holds together well and is clearly a true and pure first effort from the best upcoming rapper today.