hip.hop :: review

Kanye West :: The College Dropout

Roc-a-Fella, 2004

by Tom Donnelly

Since he produced the classic “This Can’t Be Life” collaboration between Jay-Z, Beanie Siegel, and Scarface, Kanye West has gradually become one of the most in demand producers in the hip-hop game, and with good reason. His soulful backing tracks, usually laced with some long forgotten chorus to an obscure r & b hit, are a near guarantee for top ten status. Along with fellow newcomer Just Blaze, Kanye has created the signature sound of Roc-A-Fella records. Most producers would be happy staying behind the scenes and counting their money, but not Mr. West: the Chicago hitmaker wants to rap now, too. The question is, can he?

Mostly it’s great. The two smash hits, “Slow Jamz” and the brilliantly titled “Through the Wire”(a song rapped entirely through West’s wired- shut jaw) are probably the best radio friendly rap singles thus far in 2004. The rest of the album is packed with beats other acts would use for their lead singles five years from now. More than that though, Kanye can actually flow- check the rhymes: “She’s so precious with the peer pressure/ She couldn’t afford a car so she named her daughter Alexis” (“All Falls Down.”) “You ain’t gotta get heated at every house warmin’/ Sittin’ here grillin’ people like George Foreman” (“Family Business.”) Best of all, on “Last Call;” “Killin’ y’all niggas on that lyrical shit/ mayonnaise color Benz, I push Miracle Whips.” However, it is up for debate whether Kanye could carry an entire album. Even if he couldn’t he was smart enough to call on an A-list of guest stars to help him out. Jay-Z, Freeway, Twista, and Mos Def all turn up to lend a hand. West’s worst musical sin is having Ludacris guest on “Breathe in, Breathe out” just to do the hook without dropping a verse. (Although it sounds like Kanye may have had more than a little assistance from Luda on his verses.)

The only problem here is that Kanye never misses a chance to piss all over the merits of a college education, or indeed any sort of higher education. He repeatedly calls diplomas worthless, which may be true in the rap game, but he needs to remember that A) not everyone can be a super talented producer with a deal on Roc-A-Fella, and B) his audience is largely high school kids. Most people know that Kanye West is a one in a million kind of success story. The average high school kid doesn’t.

Regardless of this, The College Dropout is enjoyable from start to finish, and there are no songs here that listeners are likely to just skip over. That’s a rare thing in any genre of music nowadays.

2004 1-42 Online