The College Dropout

Absolute certified masterpiece without a single miss, and anyone who says otherwise is just trying to rewrite history. This was the beginning of one of the best five record runs in music history: College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It's a shame that Kanye then immediately decided to take his millions of dollars and retire to live happily ever after with his beautiful wife and children, and disappeared from the public eye permanently to never be heard from again. Really a shame, but at least he left as a well-respected musician with an entirely uncontroversial legacy. Am I right? AMIRITE?!

"we wasn't supposed to make it past 25 Jokes on you we still alive" classic. enough said.

PERFECT.

Fantastic album - enough said.

SEPARANDO O ARTISTA DA OBRA todo mundo sabe que o college dropout é um dos melhores já feitos, n tem nem discussão dito isso VSF KANYE triste o acidente de carro no qual ele perdeu a vida 😭

I’ve been waiting for this one. I’ve read some of the reviews of this album, and it’s kind of funny (?) to me. Almost all the reviews from 2020 and 2021 praise the album and the artist, while those from 2022 and beyond seem less supportive of him (wonder why?). I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve the criticism—or even a boycott, for that matter—because he probably does. But it’s interesting, and kind of sad, to see the shift in perspective regarding one of this century's most innovative and influential artists. His first release comes from a time long before he managed to make the whole world turn against him, and I am at least trying to separate his older art from the person he’s become today. But I’m not by any means saying that everyone else should try, cause goddamn he makes it difficult.

Perhaps ironically, one of the most intelligent albums ever made is titled The College Dropout.

If you can separate the art from the artist this is the best hip hop album of its decade.

Listened to j Cole 2014 forest hills drive instead

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'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

There are two undeniable here. 1. This is a great album. 2. The artist is a complete narcissistic piece of shit and a trash human.

Previously listened to this plenty of times before. An album of my childhood. When Kanye had more of a fun/relaxed vibe to him. Kanye is definitely enjoying himself more during this era. Nothing but fun music, and a twist of comedy too with the skits which are famous for this reason. Very enjoyable album as per. Never gets old and timeless. 8/10

It’s disappointing Ye has so many mental issues because I reached Jon Hamm flow state while listening to this. Like why must he be so unhinged. Jesus Walks, School Spirit, Two Words

...unfortunately I do think this is pretty good. Shitty situation to be in. I'm not going to performatively apologize for it or angst about it though. The thing is... hm. How to put this. Basically I think that if more of you guys in the reviews here were women and had spent a significant amount of time confronting the pervasive forces of sexism in society both in general and specifically directed at you/actually even took sexism seriously as a legitimate form of oppression, then maybe you would be more emotionally prepared to handle it when you recognized that good artists were bad people. That, and/or the sitewide average ratings on QUITE a few of the other albums by various male performers on this website would drop by a star or two. I don't know. Anyway enough said about all of this

Even on his debut, Kanye is a full fledged personality with tons of character. Not everyone will gel with this album, but the beats are super fresh, hooks are super catchy, and it’s just overall a great vibe. Very impressive album with some awesome tracks. The closer is also super cool as he tells the story of how the album happened.

I don't know how to rate this. Makes me sad despite being good.

This is a really entertaining and enjoyable album...and I never thought I would say that about any rap album. It's just not a genre that I have much appreciation for as I'm more of a melody/hooks person and about as white as can be. This album surprised me, I hadn't really heard it beyond "Jesus Walks." The skits were funny, the samples were fantastic....and there's lots of melody/hooks. Still don't care for much of the toxic male bravado but that's a big part of who he is...and only got worse after this album it seems.

This changed rap. There's no denying that. Kanye came out of virtually nowhere as a producer and took from the best elements of 90s hip hop, with sweet soul samples and insanely clever mixing. So much of this sounds fresh, like it could've been released two years ago instead of two decades ago, and it was huge in taking hip hop out of the 90s-hangover, exceedingly dull malaise of the bling era. But for me, every other Kanye album through Life of Pablo is basically no-skip. This is a great debut, but the second half pales in comparison to the first. We Dont Care, All Falls Down, Spaceship, those are quintessential Kanye. But New Workout Plan is fucking lame, the attempt at R&B is pretty embarrassing on Slow Jamz, etc. There's some gems on the second half like Through the Wire, but it doesnt hold a candle to the first. Still, a pretty fantastic debut.

This is the Kanye I fell in love with. Smooth delivery, clever punchlines, smart artistry. I even thought the trashing of higher education was funny before I graduated high school. This album still holds up today. The music does anyway. "Jesus Walks" is still an all-time banger. "Through the Wire" and "Workout Plan" are still hits, but even the album cuts had some true gems on them: "Two Words", "Never Let Me Down" , and "Family Business" all make you remember how good Kanye used to be. The features on this album were top notch. You could tell everyone put their best foot forward to make sure this project would be a success. Shame we didn't realize then that we probably shouldn't be taking any advice from an admitted college dropout, but who ever thought that would be a bad idea?

Disclaimer: I am judging this album based on the merits of the art and not of the human. I’m pretty familiar with Kanye West’s work, but hadn’t really taken in one of his albums as a whole. I was struck by the themes, continuity, and ingenuity. Kanye just has the gift of lyricism and an undeniable flow. The rhymes are ripe with creativity and witticism yet they are rooted in reality. The features are well done and the samples were well chosen. I really enjoyed the album. It’s too bad we lost this Kanye.

Graduating to new music, nice to hear some early to peak Kanye beats back when he wasn’t as crazy.

Shame about all that stuff

The College Dropout The man is mentally ill, I’ve seen him eat a plastic pie It’s kind of hard to think back to before he was a bit Nazi and before his megalomaniacal narcissistic personality emerged when he made great pop-rap like this album. It is a bit long, and like many hip hop albums the skits are completely pointless, but it is a great pop album, full of great hooks and samples and it sounds excellent. You can tell it’s from the mid 2000s but it has a nice round fullness to the sound, there are no sharp edges to it, or much rhythmic harshness, and the pitched up soul samples and gospel inflections give a nice bit of warmth, adding to the overall accessible feel. Lyrically it’s also really accessible, ranging across religion, race, working at the Gap, fame etc and mixing bravado with introspection and a degree of self awareness that is pointedly different to what came along later. Jesus Walks and Through the Wire are bangers but there are great tracks strewn across it; We Don’t Care, Spaceship, Never Let Me Down, Get Em High, School Spirit, The New Workout Plan and Two Words are all great, diverse tracks. Dickheadedness not withstanding this is a great listen; catchy, melodic, amusing and great sounding. Solid 4. 🐻🐻🐻🐻 Playlist submission: Jesus Walks

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.

Variety: 2 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 2 = 3.2 rounded down to 3 "The sheriff and his buddies with their samurai swords/ You can even hear the music at night" The Doobie Brothers have always been around for me. Forever a staple of the classic rock stations I grew up listening to, with tracks on the soundtracks of dozens of popular movies, they were pretty unavoidable. Their brand of laid back, smooth rock was easy on the ears and the hits, at least, were all pretty damn catchy, even if I had no idea what they were singing about. I never listened to any of their albums all the way through until after I fell in love with the Yacht Rock web series, and did a deep dive. I found a lot to like, and I think I also found a way out of the hole I had dug myself into where I had become dismissive of so called "lame" or uncool bands. Deep down, the Doobies, Hall and Oates, and Christopher Cross were baked into my musical tastes from an early age. I just had to accept it, and not worry about what was cool or not. Besides, a LOT of those 90s bands that were the epotome of cool do not hold up so well now. The Doobies, at least their best stuff, does. There's no Michael McDonald on this one though, so they are starting off with a handicap... THE TRACKS Side one "Natural Thing" - Fine stuff. I especially appreciate the effect of the strummed guitar played through some sort of cheap sounding amp. That ultra slick early 70s studio production is on full display here, but it's still got life in it. "Long Train Runnin'" - Growing up I heard this SO much and yet NEVER knew the name of this one. I still would never remember it except now I get that info on a little screen when it comes up in the Classic Ricks satellite radio station. An all-time classic. The percussion. The lead vocals. The backing vocals. And that guitar line. Every part of this is solid gold, baby. "China Grove" - Another big radio hit, this one has much more of a party vibe to it. I don't think I ever paid attention to anything but the chorus as a kid. The guitar riff, and the keyboard on this are also killer. Nothing deep going on here, and I'm ok with that. "Dark-Eyed Cajun Woman" - Meh. Creepy lyrics aside, it's ok musically but nothing special/ The strings are an interesting touch, but the electric piano is the draw. "Clear as the Driven Snow" - Strong Crosby Stills and Nash vibes here, with maybe a little John Denver thrown in. I think it's almost always more interesting to read any song from the 70s or 80s with "snow" in the title as either a paen to or a warning against cocaine. As innocent as this one might be, it's much more fun to imagine this as the internal dialogue of a guy who's trying to kick the devil's dandruff, and maybe having doubts. Musically a lot going on here, and we get a not quote epic multi-movement thing. Steers clear of being anything close to progressive though I think. Side two "Without You" - A nice bit of southern fried boogie. Foghat must have been taking notes. Some guitar hero gymnastics, but nothing too complicated. Good stuff. "South City Midnight Lady" - We get our thoughtful acoustic love song. Aside from the great playing ( are these guys capable of dropping a wrong note?) this is mostly dreadful "you light up my life" dreck. Leave this garbage to Seals and Croft. "Evil Woman" - As interesting as the chorus is, I can't help but feel like this song is some sort of parody of hard rock/ metal sounds that were coalescing around then. The Doobies throw a bit of southern rock stank onto it, but it is s sound that ill suits them. The same material maybe sped up ad played with sincerity by a Deep Purple or a Uriah Heep maybe? Instead this reminds me more of Spinal Tap. "Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners" - A pretty little interlude of a song. Reminiscent of stuff Lindsey Buckingham would be doing just a few years later. "Ukiah" - Another solid umber. Not an all time classic but among the best of the album. The urgency in the lead vocals and the guitar solo, contrasted with the slow down/ start back up in the chorus make for some of the best dynamics on the whole thing. "The Captain and Me" - A more than solid closer. This one moves through all the modes ( limited as they were) that the Doobies excel at. Especially love the banjo on this. Groovy rhythms abound, and we get an awesome sprint towards the finish line from about 3:30 on that brings back elements of "Long Train Runnin'" to nicely tie things up with a bow. HIGHLIGHTS - "Long Train Runnin'" - "China Grove" - "Without You" - "Ukiah" - "The Captain and Me" - MIDLIGHTS - "Natural Thing" - "Dark-Eyed Cajun Woman" - "Clear as the Driven Snow" - "Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners" LOWLIGHTS - "South City Midnight Lady" - "Evil Woman" FINAL THOUGHTS The Doobies, as ingrained as some of their songs are in my mind, will always be a greatest hits band for me. There are just too many awesome songs spread among too many albums and, without revisiting each of them, I don't think I'd ever rate a single release higher than a 3. But not any lower either. There's a level of professionalism here ( I think a lot of these guys would go on to be much sought after session guys and producers) that is at the tippy top of the era, and their ear for melodies is something to be admired. I just don't think they have much that endears them to me personally. Maybe it's a nostalgia thing, and if you were at the right age when these came out they would feel much more essential. But I can't imagine anyone's mind being blown by this stuff. Not even the biggest Doobie fan on earth. The Doobies are just alright with me. The Doobies are just alright, oh yeah. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - The highlights as usual FURTHER LISTENING - Can't Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan - Silk Degrees by Bozz Skaggs - Dixie Chicken by Little Feat

This is the best hip-hop can really get without dipping its toes in other genres. Kanye was too powerful and you know who had to take him down.

I was hoping not to like any part of this record... but I just can't dislike it. We Don't Care is a great song. All Falls Down is another great bop. Spaceship? Relatable. There's also some extra cringe stuff on here like "the new workout plan" and "breathe in, breathe out" Ending the album with a twelve minute nothing beat is certainly a choice. Listening to the lyrics here all about the disadvantage and institutional racism etc right throughout this album is kinda confronting, and it's easy to empathize with the themes of the day to day struggle of not having cash despite doing your best and working hard every day etc, but the problem is it all kinda falls flat when you realise where this guy ended up once he finally had the cash and success. Success that he couldn't have ever had without overcoming his early struggles. There's already a few signs of the impending spiral into being a nutso with Jesus Walks here, too. Kanye might have gone off the rails but goddamn could he make music.

He’s a chatty man, sunnier demeanour than of late. Almost justifies its length with a sweet shop of sound, but misses the delirium of his later stuff.

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

If ever there was an artist where I really want to hate the music too, this is that twat! Annoyingly this is kinda good, with a really cool vibe and flow only really ruined by his vocal ramblings. There is no indication in this well constructed album of the idiot he would become. Standard score reduction for being a Nazi.

Not a Kanye fan

I can appreciate the musicality but not really my preferred genre of hip hop. Listened to about half of it. Lyrically there was a lot of Black consciousness and religiosity to start. I am generally good with the first and less enamored of the second. In this case, the combination along with the Kanye centered Kanyeness of it felt like a precursor to the dark web of conspiracy theories and antisemitism that he later descended into. Somewhere around The New Workout Plan it takes a hard turn toward body shaming and misogyny dressed up as self aggrandizing sexuality. Hard pass. So this gets a nah from me.

Kanye tiene canciones buenas, pero este CD parece una versión Temu de Common.

Nah

Ugh. I don't particularly want to listen to the world's most arrogant self declared nazi, but okay. It sounds like every other rap song. I guess it's like how Seinfeld isn't groundbreaking in hindsight because so many other shows copied it. This album is FINE. Maybe if I was listening in 2004 I'd have been blown away but this is very pedestrian, very samey. Good production, good writing and performance. I just feel nothing. I don't get the hype around him, but I don't have to, since he believes his own hype way too much. Also oh my god why is it so long, it has no need to be this long, it's all the same. I get he's doing the whole "what if I mixed hip hop with soul music and gospel" thing but I just don't believe him, it seems like he's trying too hard to force something and it comes off as inauthentic. I feel nothing from this album.

Not for me

Couple of decent songs on the album 2.5

I was actually excited to listen to this album because this is the album that, no matter what terrible shit kanye does, people still think it's a masterpiece. and now that I've listened to it. I really don't get it. the ass kissing is crazy

Not for me, just don’t get it at all

Nothing special

Comments range from genius to antisemitic fuck. Know nothing about him so this is just the music

basic and boring

not my music

I don't like Kanye West. However, this album featured plenty of other [more talented] artists like Ludacris, Twista, and the Boys Choir of Harlem. So it wasn't a miserable listening experience.

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

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.

Nazi twat

aldrig gillat varken hans stil eller hans sjukt repetitiva samplade beats, sen är han nazist också så det hjälper ju inte

The production is modestly interesting, but the vocals are pedestrian. A good example at times of how an overreliance on rhyme can mask (to some extent) a real failure to write lyrically. There are lines that just sound like some dipshit talking, but -- it has rhymes! So, that makes it lyrics! It's notable that the energy level rises so noticeably on Get Em High, highlighting how ordinary the preceding material is. A lot of swearing and being crass ... if you can't match that stuff with inescapably compelling drive, beats, deftly deployed samples, etc. -- then you just sound like a juvenile asshole. And trivial. Overall, a very elaborate exercise in pointless nihilism. The skits, as they accumulate, become a tedious abomination. Last Call is a fascinating, sprawling account of how a hugely talented, ambitious narcissist navigates a strange, uncertain industry, working deliberately and diligently to realize his dreams of becoming a fabulously wealthy, immensely popular artist and monstrous human being.

No option for zero stars

Love the album 4/5. Hate the guy

Not worth comparing. I was generous to one album, this person doesn't deserve the attention

I loved this album when it came out. I bought it and listened to it endlessly. I get separating the art from the artist in some cases. Art like this is usually a blend of many people working together, one of them being terrible doesn’t necessarily kill the whole thing. And I can recognize the historical merit of this album, and if you’ve never listened to it I think you probably should, just for the context. But I can’t listen to it anymore.

No puedo separar el arte del artista porque lo que hacemos es un reflejo de lo que somos

Don't listen to nazis

This *was an incredible album but I'm not going to play it. I don't listen to people actively preaching hate. Kanye needs medication.

Aside from the fact that rap and hip hop simply aren't my kind of music, Kanye West is finished. His statements have disqualified him. A Hitler lover! Doesn't he know how Hitler and all of today's fascists and racists think about "Black" and non-white, non-Aryan people? Zero points, you know, one point.

Puhelaulu ei vieläkään ole mun musaa. Tää sisälsi liikaa ”gangsta” hommelia ja N-sanaa. Rytmit ihan ok, mutta laulu liian löysää.

If you separate the art from the artist, this is an amazing hip-hop album, and it isn't even his best work. The problem is that Ye's antics over the past 15 years hang over his actual art.

“We at war with terrorism, racism, but most of all we are at war with ourselves.” Kanye needs to get back on his meds and listen to this album.

If you're conflicted about listening to this antisemitic, misogynistic piece of poop, this album is off the list now, so you don't have to! Give it a swerve, deprive this Hitler fan boy of his royalties! ***** 0 ⭐ *****

Fuck this asshole, not listening. 0 Stars

Shit

F kanye

0 out of 5. The same day this album came up Kanye doubled down on his praise for Hitler and Nazis.

I seriously don't get this--nor am I interested in getting it.

no.

Boycotting this artist

not another kanye west album :(

Not going to line this madman's pockets by listening.

This clown doesn’t deserve the credit from a single stream.

No. I got halfway through We Don't Care and wondered why should I spend my valuable time listening to an antisemitic, homophobic, racist, rapist POS. Also, he sings flat.

Aus dem WC fließt der Haufen in den Kanal und von da ins Klärwerk und von dort wird elles gesammelt und konzentriert und mitten im Konzentrat steck dieses Album, das für meinen Geschmack zum Himmel stinkt 💩.

Not an album I will listen to again. Horrid lyrics and boring beats. It’s also very hard to give any of your time to such a bigot and moron. All falls down and the new workout plan are great songs but the rest of the album seems lazy. Favourite song: all falls down Least favourite: the school spirit tracks are all awful Album artwork: freaky

I at least gave it a listen. He sucks as a person, and the album is a poor product of its time. He’s not a genius. He’s not a messiah. He’s just got an enormous ego. And when you push for mocking education and reinforcement of religion, you get a population full of idiots.

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.

Stop....

Lame music by a moron

Fuck Kanye

I refuse to stream Kanye West.

Tired of Kanye West. 1 Star.

Only made it half way through. Couldn’t stand it any longer.

Simply not my kind of thing 👎

I’d probably have rated this a 3 or 4, but it gets a 1 because of who Kanye has shown himself to be. Bad enough I got him some more royalties by playing this.

Dumb music for dumb people.

He’s a piece of shit, overrated “artist.” Won’t be listening.

Nope

Kanye’s debut album. This is my least favorite of the three albums he has on the list and its still a 10/10 for me, which really shows how great Kanye is AS A MUSICIAN, and maybe someday he will be as great of a person. Two Words and Family Business are two very beautiful songs and The New Workout Plan may be one of the most fun-to-listen songs of all time.

The Gay Fish™️ truly is one of the greatest rappers of his generation. This is an awesome debut from someone who very much believes in himself, to keep it kind. His ear for sampling is superb and the beats are absolutely fantastic. To be clear, Kanye’s behavior of the last several years has been reprehensible, but it’s a bit disappointing to see the virtue signaling one star reviews that refuse to listen to the album because Kanye is a POS. Most of the major artists on this list are problematic in some way and if I skipped them all on moralistic grounds, I probably wouldn’t do this project.

peak

If you’re apt to set expectations for an album based on the aggregate score, you cannot do that here. Look at the reviews and you’ll see very few low star reviews are for the album or the music. It’s just that they don’t like the man. Fair enough I guess. Your lowly review on this site is making a big difference but it’s probably better to just rate music and stop skewing results based on other criteria. This is one of the greatest rap albums of all time. The man himself doesn’t change that.

I went into today’s listen knowing this album and placing as my favorite Kanye album still holds this spot as of this listen great album! Best song has to be Family Business

It’s a bit embarrassing that more than 20 years after this was released, this is my first time hearing this album. Growing up there were a lot of people around me who said that rap isn’t real music… and for a long time I bought into that idea. I had the realization years ago that people in previous generations said the same thing about black music in their time whether it was jazz, early rock, r&b, etc. That realization and learning more about the culture that produced hip hop really changed my view. However Kanye's personal shortcomings kept me from giving him a chance. Upon listening to this album, it is clear to me that it is a masterpiece. There are so many incredibly strong songs, it’s especially impressive for a debut. Family Business, We Don't Care, Never LetMe Down… the list goes on. I'll definitely continue listening to this album moving forward.

Kanye is not the first, and won’t be the last, highly questionable character on this list and that’s probably a gross understatement. I’d completely understand anyone who wanted to skip this one entirely, I myself don’t really listen to his music anymore but if this is going to give me the chance to I’ll certainly take it. Thankfully this is pretty straightforward, just reviewing the album itself. In my view, this is one of the greatest hip-hop debuts, if not debut albums full-stop. I don’t have anything but praise for this project. Kanye was in and around hip-hop and other genres, primarily working on production and making a name for himself in the years before he dropped this, most notably work on Jay-Z’s classic The Blueprint. He references this and talks about his journey up until this point on Last Call. This allows Kanye to enter his debut as an outstanding producer and already on the path to one of the greatest samplers ever with his chipmunk soul sound, sampling classic R&B and Soul tracks into magnificent hip-hop beats. These samples even complement the lyrical themes he’s going for on these tracks. There are so many excellent examples here but Spaceship’s sample of Distant Lover by Marvin Gaye might be my favorite. On top of these beats, Kanye displays entertaining, clever, and funny lyricism throughout. His flow and the way he enunciates his words gives him a certain grip over the listener’s ear that’s hard to describe. He sounds genuine and self-aware here, making it clear why he and this record were such a cultural phenomenon and he became so loved by so many. I can’t imagine what it was like when this revolutionary project dropped, offering something so different to what most hip-hop releases sounded like at the time. Even the skits and interlude moments here I found highly enjoyable as they build upon the album’s dedicated themes. The whole thing is littered with classic tracks and memorable moments. If I had been exposed to Kanye sooner, I could have seen this becoming my favorite album of all-time. In a way, I’m pretty relieved that didn’t happen. 1 re-listen Favorite Tracks: All Falls Down, Through The Wire, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz, Family Business, Two Words, Spaceship

why did i not listen earlier the production on this is incredible

10/10 perfect Kanye's debut album

I don’t think this is Kanye’s best album, but it did lay the foundations to what he becomes, and it’s a very good listen, although it’s one of those with only a few repeatable tracks, and more of a story line through it. Have to give it a 5

Nostalgia is a big factor in this rating but it really is a great album even if Kanye can be hard to get behind these days.

Probably the best Kanye album

A troubled genius. I don’t have any issue separating the art from the artist…not sure what that says about me, but this gets 5 stars from me all day long.

Very good album, every song and skit is a 10/10

Déjà au secondaire, quand Kanye était all the rage, le cover m'intriguait. Je n'étais pas un grand fan de rap, mais je trouvais que ça sortair des codes traditionnels. J'aime beaucoup le flow de Kanye, je trouve qu'il est smooth et qu'il drag. J'ai aussi l'impression qu'on a affaire ici à un album concept qui traite de scolarité et de performance, ce qui n'est pas si usuel comme thèmes dans le rap. Je trace la ligne entre la politique et la musique et je dois rendre à Ye ce qui est à Ye, c'est un excellent album. D'ailleurs son personnage politique très coloré est d'après moi une grosse façade boufonne.

Kanye avant qu'il devienne coucou et antisémite. C'est plate à dire mais cet album est assez grandiose et mets en lumière ses talents de rappeur mais surtout de producteur (quoiqu'il avait déjà fait ses armes un peu avec Jay-z précédemment). All falls down gros classique

Say what you will,but ye drops heat

I LOVE this album.

gran álbum

THE GOAT! I listened to this on repeat back in college and right after.

the best hip hop album of all time

goat

Masterpiece - Ye's first solo studio project, this album revolutionized the hip hop sound scape from the early 2000s onward. Taking an unorthodox approach to rap, Ye managed to mashup gritty hip hop drums with accoupling chops of soul music which results in a unique and must listen to for all hip hop/music enjoyers. Definitely one of the most influential albums of the 21st century Best song - Slow Jamz

I was just listening to this yesterday instant five star, I don't even need to think about it. I love kanye, i love kanye

Peak period KW.

One of the best debut album of all time.

Theres a reason Kanye is one of the most acclaimed artists of the 2000s. Still don't like skits but they worked in on this very well.

Good stuff. Dude was a genius.

A personal favourite, regardless of the artist himself. Honestly, an album that I really feel listeners need to separate the art from the artist. This is a hip-hop gem, with funny lines/skits, solid production, and a voice for the everyday person.

Classic.

It’s beast mode………

yeah so... basically the best and most formative music ever for me... soooooooo ..........

good flow, real themes. great variety and creativity. emotion. people have opinions, but there's no getting around it- this dude is talented. literally such a banger of an album, but you have to listen to the whole thing. so real.

Okay, interpersonal issues aside, there's no other option but 5 here. A breakout album with this wide reaching vision, each song being unique, funny skits, it all comes together perfectly.

Greatest album of the 21th century

Absolutely great hip hop album. Couple songs never cared for, but the album is a classic.

Top 2 Kanye album and it ain’t #2

Even though Kanye went crazy and fell off, this album is a straight classic. We wasn’t supposed to make it past 25, jokes on you we still alive!

as much as we've come to loathe the man, the album is still fantastic

4.5/5

Kanye is a deplorable person but a few of his records before he went off the deep end are essential to understanding the evolution of rap and are admittedly pretty damn fun. This era of Kanye is him at his most sane and his funniest, and this album in particular is one of the most consistent, stylistically interesting rap albums of the 2000s. Gorgeous, colorful soul samples everywhere. Skits that are actually pretty funny. Not a single bad song! Impossible for me to hate on this; if anything, it makes me a lot sadder about how he’d end up. Probably easier for me to like since I started listening to Kanye before his heel turn into bigotry - I get it if you have to skip this one.

great album! I saw this tour in college

i'd love to veto this one but i already knew it and loved it before he came out as a literal goosestepping nazi. the music is phenomenal, but in the face of the shit he's said and done it does not matter. his downfall is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. fuck Kanye and fuck you for making me think about him. if you've never heard this one before, skip it and spare yourself the cognitive dissonance. or just pirate it so he doesn't get paid off of your streams.

Everything about this is on point, beats, lyrics, production and features

I dont like kanye west as a person but i believe that you can take the art from the artist. The collage dropout is a fantastic debut album and one of my fav kanye west album ever it is 5/5 for me one of my favrapalbums

What an album. Such a shame the master behind an absolute banger has become the person he is today. For the purposes of this, without a doubt a 5/5.

What a debut. I’ve been into this album pretty much since it came out so I’ll never argue with another listen. This is GOAT for me. The social commentary is so eye opening. Not that it told me anything I didn’t know, but to hear it put the way it is, and in the conceptual format it is, really changing how I understood some of those social concepts. It’s very real and raw, but also sarcastic and funny at times. And all that isn’t even mentioning the beats, the flows, the guest features… it’s all just so good.

i don't know how to talk intelligently about music, i love this so much - probably my favourite kanye album as a whole piece, even though the liked songs ratio is lower than others. he was so HUNGRY and CONFIDENT - it's INTOXICATING to listen to more skits in albums!

Ridiculous that this is a debut album, it's so, so good. My introduction to Kanye was Late Registration and I've somehow never listened to this until now. The production, lyrics and flow of the album are so impressive, the skits are funny and there's a perfect balance of serious and not-so-serious songs. There's no song I didn't enjoy but my standouts are All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Never Let Me Down, The New Workout Plan and School Spirit. An incredible debut album from an incredibly flawed genius.

Already listened

Impossible for me to rate this one objectively because it was such a massively defining part of my adolescence. It's very difficult to listen to now that Kanye has become what he has become, but I love it dearly.

I miss the old Kanye

[Seemingly obligatory reference to the fact he’s not a good person] What can I say? It’s truly astonishing this was his debut. So fully realized, so-well written and produced. Can’t help but love this album.

When one of the worst dudes in music ends up making great music. Tragic.

Bosh as, all round good. fair few favourites

Honestly kind of a slow burn for me. I came to Kanye after My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. But The college dropout is just so much more classic. I feel like MBDTF is still great but sounds like some sort of pinnacle of Bling Era Rap and very much of its time and has aged a little mildly. My favorite Kanye is still TLOP just because his full on insanity is so important for his legacy and that moment and release and album are so ridiculous while also being some of the last truly great music Kanye made. but I think college dropout might be what I go back and listen to most. Needles to say this is a 5 star. Kanye is the definition of an auteur and I think this is one of the top 10 most fully formed and brilliantly executed debut albums in history. It's so consistent, the theme is so good and original, it was simultaneously incredibly progressive and instantly classic, Kanye was on an all time greatest rap producer in history run right at this moment and this is just the perfect showcase of his talents and vision. My how the mighty have fallen. I miss the Old Kanye.

Nothing bad in this album

GOAT

I own a physical copy of this one. Is Kanye nowadays a crazy ass cunt fuckwad? Yes. Is this album still dope as fuck? Also, yes. 5⭐️ album 🗑️human

Man, this was a breath of fresh air back in 2004.....amazing production, lyricism, features, everything.......EVEN the skits aren't bad. Still holds up 20+ years later (judge the art not the artist!)

Highlights: We Don't Care, Graduation Day, All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Get Em High, The New Workout Plan, Slow Jamz, Breathe In Breathe Out, School Spirit, Two Words, Through The Wire, Last Call Absolutely iconic. I love the chipmunk soul style - the sampling is just brilliant.

El mejor album de kanye y de los mejores de la musica en general

Kanye never disapoiment

Muy buen álbum, me gustó

god

Not many words for it. A classic for a reason.

Heard this before

Zit gewoon zo goed in elkaar.

Kanye West is a bigot and an asshole. Was he always like this? I don't know. What I can tell you is that I bought The College Dropout in one of its first weeks way back in 2004 and, listening to it today, it is still every bit as wonderful as it was then. Innovative-yet-warm-and-inviting beats, lyrics that are simultaneously thought-provoking AND laugh-out-loud hilarious, created by a man full of swagger but at this point still possessed the ability to be humble. I put this on expecting the 73-minute track time to wear on me as the album went on, but no, this is a perfect listen from start to finish. I miss this Kanye.

WOW. Absolute banger. Soooooo creative and I didnt get bored once. Kanye was THE best in his day. Makes me extremely sad about his descent into overt antisemitic ranting, cos he was a true talent

CDO is easily one of his best projects I’m not arguing.

Une de mes albums préférés. Les skits sont drôles ou beaux parfois les deux. Que des classiques (all falls down, Jesus walks) et si on en sort je dirais Spaceship. Les tops lines chantés de Kanye sont toujours belles et pleines d’émotions ou de sincérité. On retrouve quelque chose dont Tyler, The Creator à hérité. Et du rap clean touchant et précis. De belles invitations aussi.

Brilliant production and great lyricism work on almost all songs the messages hit deep. I truly miss the old kanye

Nothing he does or says will ever diminish this album's greatness in my eyes. His best work. 10/10

First Listen: Dec 04 2021 i miss the old kanye. insane debut album, so so so good, crazy how this is like weaker album for him cuz this would any other artist best. if anyone gets on my dick about giving stream money to nazi dw i got ts on vinyl pre nazi arc so im chilling.

still an absolute masterpiece, it's precise, serious, funny and was the breath of fresh air hip-hop needed in the 2000's

All time classic.

As far as rap albums go it doesn't get more influential than this. It's not my favorite Kanye album but it changed the game. Putting Ye's production skills on full display, coupled with his ability to assemble artists around one vision and showcase his own pen catapulted Kanye from super producer to global phenomenon. The all star cast of Jay Z, Twista, Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def and more came to table to be apart of something special. Along with his polo shirts and backpack wearing style he ushered in a new style of hip hop marrying (semi) conscious rap with soul beats. And while I could do without some of the skits the bulk of the songs are undeniable Kanye classics. All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Never Let Me Down, Get Em' High, School Spirit, Through The Wire and (probably me favorite) Two Words all bangers and make this album a must listen. Even if you hate Kanye it's hard to deny the genius here.

Masterpiece

Realmente son 4,5 estrellas pero ya que. Pedazo de álbum debut del Kanye, revolucionó todo un género. Más allá de lo que representa Kanye hoy en día, no hay que negar que una vez fue amado por muchos.

finally an album i know. this is still his best album. he is incapable of releasing a better album. this album is so unapologetically black, with references to black faith and black pop culture in general. the narration is hilarious and feels like your own uncle in a sense i miss the old kanye notable: all falls down, slow jamz, the new workout plan 5/5

one of the greatest hip-hop debuts of all time and his best album there i said it yeah i miss the old kanye sometimes the album might feel slightly corny (new workout plan) but the music never loses its personality or impactful commentary highlights: we don't care, all falls down, i'll fly away, spaceship, jesus walks, never let me down, through the wire 4.5/5

5 / 5

5/5

A classic album that I grew up listening to. I miss the old Kanye. 5/5

love

Interesting to hear this up against the greatest of the greatest and not only holding its own but swinging heavy. Fuck his nazi beliefs, hope he heals some day.

The fact that I began listening to this album, albeit as part of my Kanye re-listen before BULLY comes out, the *day* it's chosen, AND I have no clue it was going to be chosen, is kind of crazy. Anyway, thought I might as well put it down here. This album is phenomenal, and that's not even counting the fact this is his debut album. The most clean and vibrant instrumentals backing up every single song, the melodic and captivating singing from Kanye and the people he had sing as well, the iconic usage of chipmunk soul (dumb name I'm sorry even if it's accurately named) which provides a central hook to keep each song feeling unique and memorable...this album has it all. While I haven't listened to the work Kanye was involved with before his debut, yes not even Blueprint, you can feel the passion and effort that had been building up and waiting to burst out straight from the first song. The skits I personally find entertaining and funny, and the extended reading by Kanye on Last Call doesn't feel out of place; the album is dealing with topics that Kanye has felt weren't properly represented in that era of rap music, and the artistic statement made by simply *having* a song that is 75% a script reading is astounding. Love this album to bits since I first heard it, and this re-listen has only made me love it more. Favorite Songs: Jesus Walks (10/10) / Two Words (10/10) Least Favorite Song: The New Workout Plan (7.5/10) Overall Album Rating: 9.5/10

I miss the old Kanye.

the first of Kanye's many 5s

Ik had veel bias op voorhand want Kanye is een nazi en rap is ni bien ma wow dit album is echt zo fire. Af en toe een nummertje da mij minder zegt ma het totale plaatje is MI BOMBOOO

Listening to this is making me realize how much I've been sleeping on Kanye. Chose to avoid him out of spite for him (and his fans) but I'm regretting it now. This album is such a banger even though it's not the usual type of music I listen to. The way he raps is just so satisfying to the ear.

Love it. Peak Kanye.

Classic. If only he hadn’t gone insane.

I'm so used to all the Kanye-isms and overly jerk-off-y decisions that come with the average Kanye album that all of that being gone surprised me more than how damn good this album is. There's still the occasional "why would you say that bar," but it's still surprising how few and far between they are. It's like everything good about Late Registration and Graduation but with this undeniable hunger to it, like he's throwing his entire weight into this album to make sure something sticks. Good news for him, everything in this album sticks like it did in 2004.

woke

Not many artists came out swinging on a debut album quite like Kanye did. It’s almost like he didn’t expect to get another chance.

When Kanye was at this early stage in his career, when he was the underdog with a lot to prove, he could do great things. This album and my beautiful dark twisted fantasy (2010) are probably his best; in the case of the ladder, after losing dignity in the public eye, he exiled himself to somewhere in Hawaii to only record for a focused stretch of time. During the record recording of this album, he got into a life-threatening car accident and had to surgically wire his jaw shut, so you can imagine he had a big chip on his shoulder. It's a tale old as time: the once underdog and spearhead of the counter culture becomes the one thing he sought to destroy. It reminds me of the Simpsons, a show that started edgy and is now mainstream and watered down. Anyway, this album is still phenomenal. In many ways, Kanye was a pioneer for combining hip-hop and gospel in a way that no one else had. And this album has a lot to say: about religion, materialism, education, the black experience, etc. His words about higher education resonate with a generation that was failed by the system; many people spend a fortune on their education only to end up in a menial entry position job where their superiors are only where they are because of family or connections. A generation whose hard work is not rewarded in the same way of generations prior. He does not mince words, a trait that has gotten him in trouble, and makes some bars fall flat, but is generally a strength and what gives his music so much character. The skits are hilarious. If it weren't for a few few weaker tracks ("Get Em High," for example) I'd give it a 5 without hesitation, and I still think this deserves an eight or nine out of 10 for being the revolutionary and timeless album that it is.

i mean this is like one of my top ten albums of all time so

95

Wow

I think he’s ok now?

They want some Marvin gayeeeeee

Everybody want to know what I’d do if I didn’t win…. I guess we’ll never know

Lots of bangers on this

Kanye's debut album has a nice backstory, such as Kanye slowly climbing up the music industry ladder, the non-gangsta rap approach to hip-hop which the suits are not and the fateful near-fatal car crash he was involved in two years prior to release, whi h both he understandly references a lot. The album contains a lot of pop-styled hooks (examples: "We Don't Care", "Spaceship", "Through the Wire.") Usually the hook is done by yearning, pitched-up, soulful vocals referred to as chipmunk soul. The album's first 4 proper tracks (non-skits) kick the album off with a strong start, lots of good hooks, such as "We Don't Care", "Spaceship" and "All Falls Down". The second part (tracks: 8-11) of the proper tracks do dip a bit in quality, mainly Jay-Z's part on "Never Let Me Down" and the worst track on the album "The New Workout Plan", only track that I just flat out do not like, everything about it. Though I do quite like "Get Em High" the verse by Talib is excellent! The third part (tracks: 12-17) is a good section of the album that has songs that are probably the epitome of chipmunk soul, whilst its also quite fatigued by the worst obnoxious skits on the album, "School Spirit" being the highlight of the section. The final section (tracks: 18-21) is pretty good, it has the classic "Through the Wire" and the finale "Last Call" is for sure a bit daunting, but Kanye's in-depth story makes it go by fast if it manages to entrances you. Now a section just dedicated to Jay Z: Hats off to Jay-Z always managing to ruin an otherwise good song (Never Let Me Down) He always has to reference the same 10 nicknames that he HIMSELF started, just a huge bloody eye-roll. It's so bad and predictable it makes it so good (in a funny way.) This is my second time listening through this album, if this was my first time listen this would've been a solid 4, but some songs hitted harder on the second listen so I feel this has to be a 5 at minimum. It's production and thought it was given is done very well. Highlight Song/s: "We Don't Care", "All Falls Down", "Spaceship", "School Spirit" and "Through the Wire"

got a pass from a jewish person to enjoy this

Oh he think he funny huh 4.5 but rounding up

9/10

To say this album was a large part of my life is a hilariously reductive understatement. This was the soundtrack to a huge portion of my early twenties. I have an unsurprisingly more complex relationship with Kayne now, but this will never stop having mattered to me.

I miss the old Kanye 😞

The only way I knew Kanye was through whatever news cycle... I didn't expect to like this album, but I did, quite a bit. I can hear how he has influenced other people. My son was excited to hear I was listening to this - he said this is Kanye's best album.

So much fun. So much soul. Then it all fell down

Fucking great!

Don’t listen to hip-hop much, but this one was a great experience. Superb beats, production, lyrics, everything.

doktor igre!

Fucking brilliant

Seminal hip hop album with funny skits and no skips incredible highlights are Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Never Let Me Down, Through The Wire, Family Business

This relisten confirmed how amazing “Slow Jamz” is. Such a pretty song with a ALL-TIMER Twista feature that epitomizes this “chipmunk soul” thing he had going at the early stages of his career. An example of what I would call “easy-listening” hip-hop. The whole album feels like that. It’s got such a good energy and the comedy bits don’t detract at all from that. I honestly find myself singing that chant at the end of “New Workout Plan” often. The only thing I don’t care for here is Freeway’s verse on “Two Words.” Skip.

Still good

Amazing Album

When to listen: Don't listen to antisemitic musicians. Separating the art from the artist, this is a good album. Reminds me of college, Mark loved this album.

greatest debut

A certified classic, of the best albums of the 2000s and a complete game changer for rap.

rip kanye u used to be somethin!

5/5. An astonishingly good album all around, but may not appeal to everyone. That said, if someone enjoys the genre, I think it's a must. Some of the beats are extremely good — Kanye has always had a gift for writing and arranging brilliant hooks to sing/speak over, and this album is absolute proof of that. The cast he gets to feature on this album is absurd — Jay-Z is perhaps the most impressive name, and there is so much other talent here. Twista, J. Ivy, Ludacris, the names go on. And they're all so well-placed. And the songs — the album is cohesive the whole way through, there really isn't a single bad song, and there are plenty of excellent ones. "All Falls Down," "Never Let Me Down," "Breathe In Breathe Out," "Two Words," "Jesus Walks;" honestly it would just be easier to say what's *not* brilliant. The worst thing I can say for the album is Kanye is not a particularly impressive rapper in his own right — he handles himself well but his bag of tricks gets exhausted pretty quickly. But he knows this. He leans into his musical talent, willingness to tackle sacred cows in the genre, and skill as a producer, and those more than take care of his rather average ability as a rapper. A fantastic work.

I miss the old kanye. Ahead of its time. Timeless. Lyrics are funny, versatile, deep. Just a really fun listen front to back.

This album is a phenomenal debut. It's so easy to listen to, so sonically clear and lyrically great. Well deserved in this list.

it was a mastapiece

Top 3 Kanye and it’s not 3. Generational

Controversial guy but….

Estaba viendo las reviews del álbum, mucha gente le estuvo dando un 1 solo por las acciones de Kanye. No apoyo su ideología nazi. La gente tiene que aprender a separar el artista del arte, lo que una persona hace, no cambia el valor inicial de una de sus obras. Entonces, independientemente de lo que hizo y dijo Ye, el álbum es hermoso.

The fella is a complete twat, but he was less of a twat back here, and this still holds up.

Separating the art from the artist, great album.

Ambition, vulnerability, and ego all arguing in public. Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: This is hunger on record. Funny, insecure, confident, and painfully sincere all at once. It sounds like someone proving themselves while still doubting everything. Favorite Track: All Falls Down. Honest, catchy, and uncomfortably self aware.

MASTERPIECE

Perfect, i love kanye. arguably one of the better debut albums. cannot believe we almost lost him right before this album

Swagalicious

Fantastic album. Amazing beats. All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz, and Through The Wire are absolute classics. The album can be a bit heavy on the skits, and some of the deep cuts like The New Workout Plan and Breathe In Breathe Out don’t shine as much as the best songs, while others like Last Call and We Don’t Care are among the best tracks. Overall, it’s a classic for a reason, and there’s a lot more to love than not on it.

шедевр! goated album! все бэнгеры! инструменталы fenomenal, текста fenomenal

It made a long since I listen to Kanye music for obvious reason. The College Dropout is awesome, a fun album with fun lines and a lot of personality. Kanye succeed to bring great featuring, tell a story that really show wh is Kanye with theme like sex and relation, religion, racism and many more. The sound is obvioulsy awesome with many sample and voice used, which will become his signature. I miss this Kanye lol.

Such a great debut, bad thing he fall off and reached the rock bottom

It’s time

Petition to make albums fun again!!! I don’t listen to albums in their full entirety very often but this is one i keep returning to after listening to all the way for the first time a few weeks ago. Also as the owner of a completely useless degree it really does speak to me. I love all the skits inbetween the songs, sometimes i dont loooove skits in albums i just want to listen to the music but its just works here. Say what you want about Kanye but the guy knows how to make a great album.

Jadajajajaja Nazi Jadajada Kanye is een lul I know I know Ik downplay absoluut niet dat Kanye een lul is. En ik support het liefste geen nazis, mijn persoonlijke headcanon is dat hij is overleden bij een tragisch ongeluk na Kids See Ghosts. Maar fuck man, Kanye West heeft mijn favoriete albums ooit gemaakt. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy staat sowieso in mn top 5 albums ooit. Graduation? Meesterwerk. 808s & Heartbreaks? Ik weet nog precies waar ik was toen ik Love Lockdown voor het eerst hoorde. De man is onderdeel van mn jeugd, heeft een gigantisch aandeel gehad in het vormen van mijn muzieksmaak. Moet ik dan stoppen met volledig luisteren naar hem omdat het een idioot is? Of probeer ik toch de muziek van de persoon te scheiden? Voor mij is het duidelijk; Kanye heeft te veel goede en belangrijke muziek gemaakt voor mij persoonlijk om het nooit meer te luisteren. Ik bedoel dit album alleen al; de BEATS?!?!? Bizar man, We Don't Care, All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Through the wire??? Het is soulvol, het is vet, het is ook gewoon echt mooi. Bizarre beats, en geweldige sample flips. De features? Keihard, heerlijke verses van Talib Kweli, Common, Jamie Foxx en eigenlijk iedereen. Dit zie je ook terug op de latere albums, dat hij altijd het optimale uit al zn features weet te halen. Ik bedoel, Nicki Minaj en Rick Ross hebben beiden nooit betere verses geschreven dan Monster en Devil in the new dress. Zelfs de skits halen niet het tempo uit het album en zorgen voor een vrolijke noot terwijl ze ook het beeld schetsen waar Kanye tegenop moet boksen. Ja dit is een lang album, al denk ik niet dat het een seconde verveeld. Het kakt wel een beetje in in het midden in vergelijking met latere albums. Als John Lennon 8 albums in de lijst mag hebben, dan had Kanye ook zeker 5 mogen hebben: - College dropout - Graduation - 808s and heartbreaks - My beautiful dark twisted fantasy - Yeezus En dan zou je zelfs nog kunnen beargumenteren dat Kids See Ghosts of Life of Pablo toegevoegd zou moeten worden. Verdomme Kanye, why can't you just be normal... FAVO: We don't care, All falls down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz, Through the wire, Family Business

hell yes. one of the bests. unblocked kanye to listen then reblocked

i know he's been trying to distance himself from the "controversies", but frankly the damage is done. even without the nazism there's plenty of abuse allegations. unfortunately, this was a formative point in my upbringing, and musically is also, unfortunately, still really beautiful and lush. it's difficult to understand the trajectory from nerdy, likeable, underdog to yedolf when listening to this. deserves to be one of the 1001? i mean i guess it absolutely does, but what does it mean to "deserve" a spot? either way there are plenty of other horrible people on this list. fuck i mean there's 4 solo Morrissey albums and a litany of rapists. i guess with Ye it's recent and his profile is just so overwhelming. i don't know, and maybe i'll have a better idea when i roll Yeezus. at the end of the day, listening to this album still feels a little bit bitter, at least personally.

this is one of my favorite albums of all time. The storytelling is amazing, and this is one of the only albums where I actually really love the skits. The lyrics are awesome (mayonnaise colored Benz I push miracle whips 🙂‍↕️), the flows are cool (slow jamz), and everything else is literally perfect. I love the story of how he got famous on Last Call, and pieces of the story about his crash on other tracks (obv through the wire). So glad I got the excuse to listen to this album again. Fav songs: we don’t care, all falls down, slow jamz, last call

unfortunately brilliant

One of the best rap records from the start of the century

BOMBBBBBB

Kinda get it y Kanye used to be a goat Favourite song - Never let me down 10/10

Greatest debut album of all time

Favorite Track: All Falls Down

Great album

this is such a unique style of music

Yeah

my personal favourite rap album of all time, pure peak

Absolute classic. Before he went crazy, this album was about as impressive as it gets. Every song is a banger and even the sketches aren’t too bad

One of the fucking greatest Rap-Almbums of all time

10/10 - putting aside kanye's controversial side, an incredible album, maybe one too many slots but so many good songs

best kanye album?

Classic album. No notes. Nuff said here!

Svært at benægte at det er et no skip mesterværk fra start til slut. Selv skits på det her album er gode. Behøvede Last Call at være 10+ minutter langt? Nej, men det føles earned når man kommer dertil. Det er måske mit yndlings Kanye album nu jeg lytter til det for første gang i årevis

already listened many times, modern classic

From front to back, clearly a masterpiece. Incredible lyricism and creativity, like the song where he’s pretending to rap through a broken jaw. The guy on this album is confident without being arrogant and talks about women in a non-gross way. I.e. he’s likeable. And the album is incredible.

Kanye sucks, but his first two albums are dope

I love how Kanye critiques higher education in this album. Overall, just so good. I want this one on vinyl now.

Man, why did this have to be so good

Kanye is a disgusting human who needs serious help - for him personally 0/5 However is a vote on the music and this album is superb! Every single track is gold - no skips. I have loved it since it got released.

A classic album Started listening at 11:32 What can I say about this album that already hasn’t been said??? Genuinely some of the most detailed and insanely produced beats mixed with great charactered lyrics. It’s unfortunate that we will never see anything like this from Kanye again and that he had taken such a dark turn in his life but it’s clear to see that his music created a blueprint for the music in the 20 years that followed this album one of if not the best hip hop albums of all time.

I have listened to this album at least 200 times. I had not listened to it in its entirety for many years until today. I hate his politics and am sorry for whatever mental health issues that have caused him to become the way he is now but Kanye is a genius and this album which is probably his 3rd or even 4th best work would be the crowning achievement for almost every other artist on this list. This album has too many skits and is maybe too long but there is not a bad song on the entire album and the skits only serve to break up runs of excellent songs that as stated in my first paragraph would be other artists best work but here are just another song on this album. 10 out of 10!

I see why he was so acclaimed. The new workout plan is an absolute BANGER!

Man, it's so weird to revisit this album in 2025. Hard to overstate how fresh and impactful it was in 2004-05 and even into the early 2010s, and kinda sad to see how far Kanye's fallen since then.

Classic

This is clearly an epic and masterful performance that I definitely could not fully process in just the one listen.

Damn this is a tough one. On one hand it’s one of the strongest debut hip hop albums ever. Kanye rapped about life and family and mental struggles in a way few rappers had before him. He pioneered using sped up soul samples to make catchy as fuck beats and was basically my favorite artist from 2004-2016. So it breaks my heart to see what he’s become and because of all that it’s painful to return to his early stuff. For many years it truly felt that he was changing the rap game in so many positive ways and was balancing out all the thug rappers around at the time (although he was obsessed with sex even way back on this album) So on the other hand Fuck you Kanye West, you Nazi piece of shit. Thanks for fucking everything up! This album is still incredible though so it gets its 5

I remember being very underwhelmed by this when I first listened to it, way back in freshman year. It wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be, but since then I've come to really appreciate this album. It's not my favorite Kanye album (might not even be Top 3 (or 5...)), but I think its still a really impressive album. Especially for it being his first, it's really incredible as a start. Favorites: We Don't Care, Jesus Walks, Family Business

10

Too bad I can never just listen to this album again. It’s fantastic.

A classic, one of the best albums around. It can't surpass other albums, though. And of course, it's another legendary album that people will remember (if you disregard his bad behavior).

Kanye's spiralling mental health decline over the last 20+ years has been quite the spectacle. It's a remarkable study into the fragility and madness that power and success gives a person. Kanye was arguably one of the best hip hop producers ever, and this album is a perfect case for it. His rapping also showed that he could offer some interesting critiques that a lot of hip-hop at this time wasn't willing to offer. As always, skits are shit and don't offer a lot, but the top tracks offer so much. It feels painful to give a 5 to a certified dickhead in 2025 but in 2004 at least, he wasn't a complete one.

Honestly, as youngin, this was amazing. Kanye where have you gone

Old Kanye was so special.

Luckily the later crazy Ye doesn't filter through to this absolute banger. So many forgotten classics, Slow Jamz etc. maybe 5 is a stretch but quality production, wordsmithing etc. love it.