The College Dropout

not gonna give one second of streaming credit to this moron. 0 stars - eat shit you nazi pig

I had never listened to a Kanye West album before. I really only knew him as the egotistical buffoon who married a Kardashian. I never saw the appeal. But I get it now. This is a fantastic album. I still don't like Kanye as a person, but I can't deny his talent.

Hard pass. No streaming revenue for bigots.

This will likely be the one and only album I will not listen to. I will not contribute to his bottom line. Kanye can go fuck himself with a fist punch up his ass today at the present moment.

West is an antisemitic, homophobic, racist, misogynist. And his music isn't much better. Annoyingly, I can't give minus or zero stars.

Editorial note: As I refuse to support Kanye West following his comments praising Hitler and the Nazi’s, I’ll use this and any future Kanye album recommendations as an opportunity to support and review an album from an artist/band with Jewish heritage that is not included on the 1001 albums list. Since they have just wrapped up their annual 8–Nigh run of live shows to celebrate Hanukkah, today I’ll be reviewing an album from Yo La Tengo. Enjoy… Yo La Tengo - Electr-O-Pura (1995, Matador records) 1993’s “Painful” was a critical success for Yo La Tengo: a noisy, experimental, yet subdued and dreamlike LP that felt like it could be the American answer to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. On 1995’s “Electr-O-Pura”, Yo La Tengo opens things up even further. It’s a sprawling set of songs and while it’s not quite the cohesive record “Painful” is, its patchwork style makes it a more unpredictable and unique listen. If Yo La Tengo has a signature sound, it’s actually two different sounds. They’re capable of being one of the loudest feedback driven guitar acts on the planet one minute and, the next, one of the most quiet, subdued and beautiful indie rock acts to ever grace a stage. Ask anyone who has seen them live, they move between guitar squall and introspective quietness with an ease that’s comparable to flicking a switch. Here on “Electr-O-Pura”, they often layer waves of swirling guitar feedback over softly sung, catchy tunes to great effect, like on the opener “Decora” or the indie rock classic “Tom Courtenay”. Other songs, like “The Ballad of Red Buckets”, “Don’t Say A Word” (Hot Chicken #2)and the immaculate “Pablo and Andrea” start from an inverse position: mostly clean sounding, minimal song structures with fuzzy guitar leads acting as a compliment rather than a driving force. The cornerstone of any Yo La Tengo record is the vocal interplay and harmonies from guitarist Ira Kaplan and drummer Georgia Hubley, indie rock’s coolest husband and wife duo. On “Electr-O-Pura” both are in fine form, though that is par for the course throughout their career. James McNew, the last in a long line of bassists for YLT (he’s been with the band since 1992, but was preceded by several dozen bass players before that), keeps the songs anchored amidst the haze of guitar feedback, ethereal melodies, and is usually in lock step with Hubley’s inventive percussion. When the haze clears momentarily and his fuzzed out bass takes the lead at the end of “Flying Lesson (Hot Chicken #1)”, a feedback and guitar noise laced motorik jam, McNew steals the show, even if only for a few short seconds. Yo La Tengo close out “Electr-O-Pura” with “Blue Line Swinger” a driving, 9-minute wall of guitar noise and feedback. Georgia’s breathless vocals and pounding drums propel the song. McNew’s bass again provides the anchor and layers upon layers of Kaplan’s guitar lifts the song in to the sonic ether. It’s prime Yo La Tengo, one of their highest highs in a career full of high points. Electr-O-Pura ranking: 4.5/5 Kanye ranking: 0/5

At the time of The College Dropout's release, every pop rap record consisted of bad gangsters rapping about the difficulties of growing up in Detroit, robbing stores and spraying your rivals with a glock. Kanye changed this with humorous, touching lyrics, extremely rhythmic optimism, fire beats, and a touching and honest view of his own faith and failures. He inspired a generation of rappers to express themselves more genuinely and explore more alternative forms of hiphop, and it's something I still greatly admire him for. An easy 5/5.

This anti-Semite piece of garbage has no place in my life. I wouldn’t have listened to this if you paid me. Absolute trash.

Phenomenal record. I just wish the man himself was as quality a person as this music is.

The man's a genius. Probably a bell end too. The mix of styles here is breathtaking. Pop hits, Street anthems and vulnerable moments all mixed with humor and a good range of subject matter. Its one of the best hip hop albums of all time. 5/5

Refuse to listen to Kanye. Boo Kanye.

Antisemetic.

Excellent album.... yeezy at his best. It was all down hill from here!

I never understood the hype about him. I think I get it now.

Kanye West: The College Dropout: 8/10 Love the upfront and direct production style. Kanye’s bars are spot on, and the various features actually blend well with the album. Good mix of catchy more mainstream songs and deeper more contemplative tracks as well. All the beats slap too. Jesus Walks hits different with that backup choir👌🏽 Slow Jamz is a bop with that sweet R&B groove. Kanye kinda be spittin fax in School Spirit. The skits are hilarious too😂 The only negative I can find is that the album is a little longer then it needs to be.

Fuck Kanye

0 stars. 1st (and last) Kanye album I ever listened to. 76 mins of my life that I could have spent getting a root canal.

Lots of big names but not much impressive stuff. Not sure why this is considered great. It hits lots of topics and is generally inoffensive I guess. Maybe it was more meaningful in its time.

Fuck em

Motherfucker. Kanye West is an awful human being but he makes music too good to pass up. HIs debut is magnificent. Everything he made until JIK is magnificent. I hate this man. The only songs I'd drop from TCD are Never Let Me Down and maybe Get Em High. Besides those two? Untouchable in its icon status. I wish he'd shut the fuck up. But thank you for making Family Business.

One of his best albums, so different in themes and production where Kanye started to develop his style.

One of the best rap albums of the 2000s. Amazing production and great lyrics.

I’m not listening to Kanye. I don’t have a problem with rap, just don’t like Kanye.

Probably a be of the best debut albums of all time. Besides the skits there isn’t a bad song on here. A much more humbler time in Kanye’s career. Also one of my top 3 Kanye albums depending on my mood. Could listen to this daily it’s stellar, exciting, fun, rhythmic. It’s just that good. 9.3/10 without skits. 8.7/10 with skits.

Phenomenal album. Great production and cohesive album. A debut album with a mix of both production and rapping from Kanye West. The start of Kanye's eponymous soul/vocal pitching for beats and background vocals rather than contrived and often boring hard hitting drums and bass that plagued early 90s/00s hip hop.

This album is certainly an influential "classic". Pre-fame/early Kanye was able to be poignant and a little poppy without all the pretentiousness that muddies his later works. You can tell that this is someone with a unique voice and playful sensibilities, while also being eager/hungry, earnest, and appreciative.

I miss the old Kanye

Kanye is obviously a musical genius. The emotion flowing out of this work is enormous. It's 100% clear why he became a superstar. This is a brilliant album. I guess the lesson I take away from this is: when you are prescribed medication for your mental illness, take your damn meds.

It all falls down🥲🥲

I like how he said Versace. 9/10

One of the first rap albums I've ever owned, and an album that showed me that rap wasn't all singles and materialism. The skits are great, the songs are better, and I still maintain "All Falls Down" is one of the best rap songs ever recorded. Production is Kanye classic... I could go on and on. Favorite tracks: "All Falls Down", "Family Business", "We Don't Care", "Never Let Me Down"

Younger listeners may not recall a time when Kanye West was a major tastemaker in hip hop, but this album made waves when it was released. And it wasn’t just the incredible beats-from wrestling with religion in Jesus Walks to the sardonic School Spirit, Kanye speaks frankly and cleverly about black culture and the absurdities of fame; and in doing so, changed the direction of hip hop.

In case you're a completionist but you don't want to listen to this, I've got some great news: it's no longer in the latest editions of the book, so you don't have to!

I really really really despise this dude and cannot even get through perhaps fine albums because of how much I dislike him.

This is the first album on the list that I've already heard. It's Ye, man, how can you not love it? Absolutely a bona fide classic, five stars.

Erm what else is there to say other than your a bellend

Ez classic. Every song is amazing. Even the Chad skits. Normally skits make me so PISSED.

Separate art from the artist. Great album really. Kanye has had an undeniable impact on hip hop and rap and music in general really. Not sure if this is the most groundbreaking album of his but it def has some great stuff on it. I like the story telling aspect

Perfect. The best hip hop debut

Kanye at his best.. thoughtful lyrics, tight rhymes and spotless beats/samples. Hard to believe his level of awareness and introspection at this time. You can feel a sense of relief and appreciation for those that contributed to him getting a shot. Love the skits, interviews and features which add to the already monster production value. All falls down, spaceship, never let me down, through the wire

9/10. The only major complaint I have is that it drags towards the end, as it is quite long and frontloads some of the best songs. Might bump to a 10 on review, tbh

To all the people that's drug Dealing just to get by, stack your money til it gets sky high!

01) Intro (Skit) - / 02) We Don't Care - 7,5 03) Graduation Day - 5,0 04) All Falls Down - 8,5 05) I'll Fly Away - 5,0 06) Spaceship - 7,0 07) Jesus Walks - 9,0 08) Never Let Me Down - 8,0 09) Get Em High - 7,0 10) Workout Plan (Skit) - / 11) The New Workout Plan - 7,0 12) Slow Jamz - 9,0 13) Breathe In Breathe Out - 7,0 14) School Spirit (Skit 1) - / 15) School Spirit - 7,5 16) School Spirit (Skit 2) - / 17) Lil Jimmy (Skit) - / 18) Two Words - 8,5 19) Through the Wire - 9,0 20) Family Business - 8,0 21) Last Call - 8,5 TOTAL: 7,59 (76/100) There's something seriously wrong with Kanye and all that parading with his half-naked new wife... I liked Kanye's music for the first few albums but since "Yeezus" it all went down. And his behavior certainly didn't help that. I would probably rate this higher ten years ago, but in this day and age, it is what it is... A very good debut album by a future a**hole nazi lunatic.

I really dig it. Kanye was great before he went full douchebag

Lots of people are rating this based on who Kanye is now. I can honestly say I've always had a problem with him and his music. Any egotistical issues he has now was probably fed by his fans from early on. At the time when this album was released, the music was fresh and different, but the lyrics, however clever, and his voice have always been obnoxious to me. So I can only take a little Kanye every few years. Maybe every few decades now.

Horrible!!!

Yuck’s ville

Zero stars. And to think that I thought that he sounded like garbage when he wasn't trying to be musical.

Nope. Found it tedious.

Best album ever

He's lost some marbles but damn the dude can make an album

Even better than I remembered. Kanye when he was still likeable

one of kanyes best, glld to listen to how raw his original stuff used to be, really original with amazing production, really fun listen with no bad songs.

Undoubtedly one of Kanye’s best albums but still pretty uneven. Really this one feels like four parts. Part 1: Intro -> Spaceship. Production is good but not up to Kanye’s lofty standards. Kanye’s rapping really lets him down on this part of the album. Its substandard. 3 * Part 2: Jesus Walks -> Get ‘em High. Excellent stretch. Jesus Walks may be Kanye’s best song overall with immaculate production, Get ‘Em High probably features Kanye’s best rapping. Part 3: Workout Plan -> Slow Jamz. Feels like Kanye is trying to get laid here. Bizarre skits mixed with below average songs. 2 * Part 4: Breathe In Breathe Out -> Last Call. Excellent closing stretch with long drawn out skits slowing the role a bit as Kanye (fairly and somewhat hilariously) rails against college. Through the Wire has sensational production even if the rapping lacks and Family Business shows Kanye’s range almost bridging Pharcyde and Chance the Rapper with a beautiful track. The outro on Last Call is rambly as hell, but also pretty interesting even if it showcases Kanye’s narcissism 5*

workout plan is one of my faves, absolute.

How does someone get so many different people featured on their debut album? That's not a rhetorical question. Someone please explain that to me. ....nevermind, I finished listening to "Last Call". I understand now. There is some really cool foreshadowing in this album. "School Spirit" has the line 'I'ma get on this TV mama, I'ma, I'ma break ish down', which is now better known in his song "Good Life". "The New Workout Plan" introduces the auto tune lines for J-Cole's "Work Out", and what will further evolve with the auto tune in Graduate. This is a great foundation that Kanye was able to build on and evolve throughout the years. The dude came out swinging, and if it wasn't for his more recent fall from grace and mental freak-outs, he would definitely be more in the conversation for greatest of all time.

I didn't want to like this, given that Kanye's an asshole, but goddam, I enjoyed this. Listened twice, will return.

Listening to this album again after many years hasn't changed my mind on him. Kanye is a gifted producer, mid rapper and he turned out to have a despicable personality. This album gets three stars for the beats alone.

Ugh. This album got me through some tough times, and was the first album that made me realize rap is more than bling and women. But man he is one terrible human, and you can already see it on some.of these songs. Now more than ever I can't tell if he's a genius or just an idiot who every one looked into the meani of his music a little too much

That was gruelling. First thing first: this album is at least half an hour too long. Second thing second (and maybe most important): this is just an "okay" rap album. Third thing third: this album hasn't aged well. (Kanye himself has aged LESS well.) Lastly (kind of): it's ludicrous that Ludacris was probably paid good money for a bad feature. I remember hearing so much hype for this album for the year or so between its release and me picking a copy of the CD to see what the fuss was about. And even that dozen and a half years ago I did not understand why people were raving about it so much. It's not that great. It's not horrible either, but I think it's quite unspectacular. There are a couple of good hooks, a solid handful of sweet beats and all the requisite and expected features of the era, but Kanye's emceeing isn't revolutionary or particularly exciting and his lyrics ain't really that deep. I came into this prepared to eat crow and maybe find out I'd been wrong about my assessment of this back in '05 and really did my best to set aside my feelings about present-day Kanye while listening, but I still just can't fuck with it.

While I can see why this is such an influential album, I just can't get past the raging anti-intellectualism strung through this entire album.

Hey, remember high school when Kanye still made good music and wasn’t a POS nazi? Yeah, me too. I used to have this on repeat back in the day, but I refuse now to give any streaming revenue to this a**hole. Eat shit, Ye.

Mental illness is not an excuse for being an asshole.

Excellent album. Maybe sags a little in the middle but so many great tracks. Obligatory disclaimer, yeah he said some bad words but this is a music list not a people pure from wrongdoing list. I'm sure this list is peppered with people who've done worse.

I miss the old Kanye, straight from the 'Go Kanye Chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye

I'm both a psychiatric and addictions registered nurse and a Kanye West fan. I've observed Kanye's career with equal amounts of hope and dread for many years now. In nursing school we watched a clip of Kanye on Jimmy Fallon speaking honestly and thoughtfully about the reality of being bipolar. Imagine having mental illness involving delusions of grandeur, believing you're one of the most important people on earth, except that in your case, you kind of are one of those people-- and on top of that, you're surrounded by sycophants who pay their bills by cosigning every paranoid or grandiose thought in your head. In this way I feel like Kanye has never really had a chance to get mentally healthy the way he was on this album. There are flashes of what's to come on The College Dropout. Ye drops a few self-deprecating bars, then gleefully raps about how his inflated ego keeps him afloat. He also constantly references surviving that brutal car wreck which maimed him and was clearly a traumatic event for him. But overall, it's someone that younger people never had the chance to know, sadly: an optimistic, wise-cracking genius who seemed to be very aware that he was on the brink of superstardom. I loved this album so much when it came out. These days, I cherish it as an almost perfect work of art created before the artist's mental health fell to an unimaginable, possibly irretrievable low point. I used to feel joy when I listened to The College Dropout. Now I feel nothing but sadness and yearning. I know that Kanye symbolizes something different to everyone. To many he is a mouthpiece for true evil, and that is a fair way to view this man. To me he's a symbol of the colossal failure of the mental health system I'm a willing participant in. It is hard to me to square the era of Kanye we hear on The College Dropout with the man he has become today. I miss the old Kanye.

It was so good And then it all fell down

Even in the best of times with Kanye, this is one of the albums I found to be decently overrated. It's very good, obviously, but the compliments about it always felt over the top for me. Until now. Maybe I'm just more cynical, or have more of an understanding of the world, or maybe those two aren't mutually exclusive, but this album connected with me on this listen way more than it ever did before. Plus, so much of this album was immensely ahead of its time musically. Kanye has grown into one of the worst celebrities ever the course of my life, but the music is unfortunately undeniable. Favorite track: Jesus Walks

Jesus walks with him

the get em high beat is so fire. This album kicks off a series of events that i don't think anyone could've predicted #YE2024

Peak

Really enjoyed this! Definitely gonna be coming back to this one. Never let me down was one of my favs.

5/5

9/10 album, some of my favorite kanye songs in here

An absolute classic. Never going to be upset about listening to this one.

one of my favorites of all time. This is kanye at his rawest and funniest which along with crackin samples and productions, are the main reasons anyone should be listening to kanye in the first place, and this album got those. Its funny to look back on the way “wake up mr west” has evolved over the years. before i had listened to his earlier stuff i had assumed it was a butler gently waking him up. favorite songs: all falls down, space ship, jesus walks, the new workout plan, slow jamz, through the wire

best album of all time

Perfect

A classic and a beginning of an era. Lots of nostalgia but I’m pretty sure I’m not alone to say that it holds up.

Such a fun listen. Super well composed album. Felt like a compete unit, rather than just a bunch of songs put together. Especially the songs with features.

A real jam. The skits were super cool and the whole concept is super well realized

Oh Kanye, you're so problematic and yet so fuckin great at this music stuff. This album is fantastic from start to finish. I remember the first time I heard Jesus Walks, it stopped me in my tracks and grabbed all my attention. I forget how good Kanye was before he lost any sense of reality. It's so easy to see him as a bit of a joke now, but this album is easily one of the best hip hop albums ever recorded. Just so damn good.

Six stars

Legendary hip hop album. Too many skits though

Nr. 163/1001 Intro NR We Don't Care 4/5 Graduation Day NR All Falls Down 4/5 I'll Fly Away 3/5 Spaceship 5/5 Jesus Walks 5/5 Never Let Me Down 5/5 Get Em High 3/5 Workout Plan NR The New Workout Plan 3/5 Slow Jamz 4/5 Breathe In Breathe Out 5/5 School Spirit Skit 1 NR School Spirit 4/5 School Spirit Skit 2 NR Lil Jimmy Skit NR Two Words 4/5 Through The Wire 4/5 Family Business 5/5 Last Call 4/5 (3x) Average: 4,12 Another great Kanye album. On par with MBDTF.

West has become such a controversial figure, it can be hard to remember why he's so famous in the first place. Humble beginnings. In the late '90s and early 2000s, West was up-and-coming producer who was scrapping together beats for anyone who would buy them. It wasn't until 2000 that he would land a job as the in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella and, in 2001, producing a number of tracks on Jay-Z's acclaimed album The Blueprint. Despite his beat-making prowess, West had greater aspirations to be signed as a rapper. This was not easy, however, as his image was not "gangster" enough for many labels. Despite these struggles, Roc-A-Fella decided to sign him in order to retain him as a producers. Thus, College Dropout came to fruition. I get the feeling that West know this was a sink-or-swim debut for him, and he delivered an album that swims laps around everyone else. The College Dropout leverages West's signature chipmunk soul production that gives much of the album it's distinct personality similar to that found on the West-produced Jay-Z album The Blueprint. Mixed with a healthy amount of skits and features, this album feels like it never loses steam through it's 70-minute runtime. West's ability to consistently deliver high-quality songs is a testament to his dedication to his art. This most evident on his first single Through the Wire, where he raps with his jaw wired shut following a car crash. Not only is his debut consistently good, but it's also both funny and touching when it needs to be. Rarely does an album feel perfectly weighted in terms of features, production, and levity all at once. Does it run a little long? Sure, but I can excuse it for being such a heavyweight album. Realistically, I could not cut a single track from The College Dropout, it's just too damn good. It's been 20 years since this album released. Two decades. It was about a decade ago when I first heard it, and Kanye West seemed to continue attracting controversies even then. For everything great about West, there at least two disparaging things that makes everyone hesitate. All things removed, it makes The College Dropout feel like an album frozen in time. When Kanye is talking about his experiences and struggles coming up as a producer/rapper on the final track Last Call, I don't think of that as the same guy who currently being sued for discrimination against his black employees. It can't be.

Man I miss the ol kanye. I’m mean come on, this album has so much nostalgia. Jesus walks was probably one of the first rap songs that I can actually remember listening to on the radio. I also vividly remember when this song came out, I was in the lobby waiting to get my allergy shots and my mom picked up a magazine and Kanye was on it shirtless on a cross with a crown of thorns. My mom, obviously appalled but it was the first time I can actually remember something being controversial in pop culture and that actually enticing me. A slew of other good songs, all falls down is def one of my fave Kanye’s, and i kinda forgot about breathe in breathe out, I feel like that song was always played at lame dances and stuff. Relatively simple beats and a decent variety of features to change it up some. I know we’ve said it before on these reviews before but gosh dang, I forget how annoying it is to listen to a rap album with all these skits. Why was this a thing

I miss the old Kanye, straight from the 'Go Kanye Chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye

Notes - Debut album by Kanye west - a collection of some older beats that he had saved for himself over the years of being a producer, as well as some new ones - featuring jay z, common, jamie foxx, ludacris - whole album themed around college, the transition to adulthood, money, drugs - some skits sprinkled throughout - i didnt enjoy it as much as mbdtf - its good, but you can tell kanye still needed some more trial and error to fully land in his style Fav - Through the wire - i love the beat in this song and how specific the lyrics are Least fav - Get em high - Found the beat a bit annoying and the verses didn’t blow me away 4/5

Slow Jamz mate what a banger

Very good, a lot like Graduation.

“I’m not going to support this Nazi by listening to his music. I mean, I’ll listen to all the other Nazis, pedophiles, rapists, abusers, and general pieces of shit on this list, but not this particular one. Aren’t I enlightened?” - y'all stupid motherfuckers. Fuck y'all. Kanye West has gone insane as many geniuses do but this is a great album. The beats are solid, the subject matter goes beyond the stupid gangsta cliches rappers constantly spout, and it’s actually funny pretty much throughout. But enjoy being morally pure by not listening to this and maybe spin some RHCP instead.

So, Kanye..... as a producer he is extremely talented. but as a rapper he is so bad! his lyrics are worse than a child's rhyme book, yet when backed with the right hook and a monster beat people eat it up. I really wish he would go the route of Dr Dre, give us the next big rapper using his talent as a producer so we never have to hear him speak again.

Loses a mark for being Kanye

I have never heard this before. It's not bad, unfortunately Kanye is too terrible of a person for me to be able to enjoy it.

I don't like all the bad language, 2 stars

Not the biggest fan. I don’t like all the yapping at the end/ beginning of the songs that goes on for minutes at a time

You know, I woke up this morning to the news that Elon Musk is trying to buy Twitter, and then I see my album of the day is Kanye, who recently has been making crazy statements about Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. While the two things may seem unrelated, I'm so sick of egotistical, delusional megalomaniacs dominating our brain-space. We live in such a stupid time. Everything should be great, but instead we have horrible human beings like Donald Trump getting elected president and idiots like Elon Musk and Kanye in the news all the time. Ugh. However, I did listen to the album, because I made a commitment to listen to every album on the list. Was it the worst thing I've ever heard? Not at all. Kanye clearly has talent, but not really enjoyable for me. 2 stars.

As much as I find Kanye as one of my least favorite humans I enjoyed this album. I refuse to give him any recognition.

He is a Nazi piece of shit and I will continue my streak of giving his albums 1 for that reason. For the actual album, it's the only one of his I've actually enjoyed. Nonetheless, it's way too damn long and has stupid skits. Like so many albums from that era, if you cut out 20-30 minutes it would be a solid album.