The College Dropout

Epic

Unfortunately, this is really really good. I get so many parallels between Kanye and MIA, where they're both awful, brainrotted human beings, but their music during this peiod was so singular, forward-thinking, and undeniable.

1000/10

5 stars and a dose of nostalgia knowing we'll never hear anything like this from him again, rip

one way that i know i have always loved this album and had that love rush right back through me is the fact that the minute i started this i remembered all the lyrics to all the songs and started rapping along LMAO. WE DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! this song really was so important to me for so long. you know i'm an advocate for CHANGE AND EDUCATION. but this entire album was so good and had so many hits like jesus walks and new workout plan.... the list goes on. omgomgomg i forgot how much i loved breathe in breathe out too LMFAO FUCK!! amazing work! and i missed this kanye :( just grateful to be alive and sharing his voice (and beats) sigh! anyways i needed that!!!!!

This album is phenomenal. So many good features. So many “wait, I know that voice” experiences. So much good conscience hip hop. Kanye before he was ultra self aggrandizing.

A timeless classic that is a pure reflection of the aspirational spirit.

Artist 0/5 album 5/5

5 sterne

Trying to listen to Kanye objectively is kind of hard as this album is still a stone cold classic to me and landed at such a pivotal time in my life I can’t help but still love it. Listening to how passionate he was about his craft on this album is painful knowing where he’s at now. Some of Kanye’s best production work can be found on this album, it still hits incredibly hard. Once again, could do without so many skits but otherwise there’s not a dropped beat on this whole thing. It’s no surprise that since he became a huge piece of shit his music has also become some of the worst stuff I’ve ever heard. I don’t recognise the 50 year old edgelord racist prick he is now, but I lament the loss of this young and hungry 27 year old.

the beginning of a very good streak

Yeezy sucks as a human, no doubt. But, this album is great. 5/5

idk, man, it's an awkward listen in 2025. Still really good, though. I'm giving it a rating sort of deliberately ignoring that it's now straight up nazi music, but honestly I generally can't force myself to listen to it these days.

One of the most influential hip hop albums of the 00s. Probably his best imo

Immediately after this album, Kanye quickly became the braggadocio that everyone knew him as before he fell from grace down to an incel-leading nazi. His recent edgy middle-school level behavior is plenty reason to avoid him and his work, but here he was a struggling artist pleading for equal recognition to his bosses like Jay-Z. Nearly every song on this album is about a very real sort of struggle, whether it be money, family, faith, or being on the brink of death. The only time he’s ever really been relatable, even if his discography all the way to KSG was great. I’ll need to find the time to play this on CD because I can’t give this any streams because I’m not funding the next Nazi Super Bowl ad. Steal this record, it’s absolutely his best.

It's a great album. 5/5

i dislike this man but this album is 10/10

Classic

Sometimes I forget how different 2004 really was (I was 5 to be fair...) but this album just has different sounds from anything since. That said Cordae's The Crossroads feels is a spiritual successor to this with multiple samples from TCD and a Ye feature. This is an easy 5 for me. The impact this had on rap is still felt to this day. Without Ye, everything looks different. The skits don't feel like a waste of time. Without being crass or violent, Kanye still nails the braggadocio and competitive energy of rap. If you'd like to see the behind the scenes of this album check out Jeen-Yuhs on Netflix. Fantastic footage of Kanye getting signed and developing this album. Favorite Songs: Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz, & Family Matters

It’s so good

Super!

Love Kanye

Vidunderligt album !!! Fortæller meget om hans tidlige dage og en skam han ikke laver lignende musik længere men hold da op det er godt og anderledes men anderledes på en god måde. Rap var ikke sådan her på det tidspunkt men damn det er godt. Det er meget mere muntret end hvad rap var i de tidlige 00’ere. 9/10

My third and, I think, my final Kanye album and for me this is the best of the three. The other two I gave 4 stars cause there was a few songs I wasn’t fussed on but I enjoyed this right the way through. It’s a shame he’s a few peas short of a pod these days cause this version of Kanye is brilliant. Top Track - All Falls Down

i ain’t really gotta say much Top 3 Family Business Two Words Never let me down 10 🐐

One of the best debut albums of all time, from the greatest hip hop artist of all time The crossroads of two eras of hip hop the production is so incredible hard to overstate Listening to this album feels like eating a bowl of delicious chicken noodle soup. Top 3 songs 1 Family Business 2 Two words 3 Last Call H.M (freakster) we don't care Pure 10/10

Dårlig mann men satan for et album

One of the greatest hip hop debutes Shame who Kanye is now

Already listened to this and, separating art from the artist, as a debut project, is incredible for its diversity of beats with intricate samples, as well as its lyrical content tackling various themes. Overall, a great album, 10/10.

Early Kanye album so it gets a pass for how he currently acts. Back when Kanye wasn’t completely crazy. This album is fantastic though.

Thank you god bless you goodnight i came

Never heard of this guy before, but pretty good stuff.

Good

top3: - two words - never let me down - spaceship

great lyrics and good sampling

Damn, I was not even going to listen...just write something snarky. But that's not fair, so I listened: Shit this stuff is good. Really good. I am impressed. I enjoyed this stuff, a lot. Bueno! Not the interludes, but the actual stories/songs. Good. 5 solid stars.

Where it all started for the GOAT.

not a moment of my life where i don't think "oh kanye, what happened, man?" this right here is his debut album. back in the day he had a lot to say and he wasn't AS schizophrenic as he was today. college dropout is about societal expectations, spiritual struggle and a memoir of sorts when it comes to his experiences. it's unmistakably early kanye, his anti-conventional way of spitting bars and defying norms paired with his practically trademarked vocal sample loop centered beats... it's pretty great. again, i just... aaaaah, kanye. kanye, what happened?

Yeah Kanye as a person sucks, but there was a time he didn't, and this album still bangs.

excellent album, truly some golden days for kanye

Classic. Too bad Kanye is poo poo head now.

I miss this Ye! This is an absolute 5!

Classic

The greatest debut album of all time. A very rare feat in modern music to be honest…how many musicians can say they wrote, produced, and recorded their first album and have it go on to be as successful as The College Dropout? Not to mention the biggest single from this album as recorded with his mouth wired shut. This is a masterpiece that changed the direction of hip-hop during a time when it was only cool to rap about money, girls, cars, drugs, and violence.

It's an interesting feeling when you see your favorite artist from your coming of age decide to start hating your people. For starters, everybody giving this album a 1 because of Kanye or Ye's antisemitism, you aren't doing anything. You aren't standing up for jews and you aren't scaring nazis with your mean words. There are lots of bad people on this list, including antisemites, and artists who's bad politics come through in the art much more than this. An album who's author became antisemitic 20 years after its creation. It actually comes off as pretty racist and xenophobic that Ye/Kanye gets dogpiled for his life outside of this album when the global community is able to separate the art from the artist with other things. This album is fantastic. It set a new standard for rap in the 2000s and every aspect of it is some of the best that was ever made up to that point. The sampling is phenomenal. The production is phenomenal. The skits... are good. Ye's rapping is some of the best it would be. The lyricism is clever and Tongue and cheek. So many great lines in this, "Named her daughter Alexis", "Said I had a Bloodclot, I said Im not Jamaican". Ye was genuinely funny on this. The features were great. Getting Jay-Z, Ludacris, etc. on a debut album shows that the industry was just waiting for this debut to drop. Everyone wanted in on this. Lastly, thematically this is a fantastic album. The themes in this album of rebellion and confusion come through across the whole thing. Ye is challenging institutions set up for white people. Going to College, working corporate and living a normal life, where he knows the urban black experience is either be a wage slave or escape through either music or drug dealing. Ye has for a long time in his music expressed themes of finding yourself incongruous with the systems of oppression that exist, whether they be racial, federal, or social. On this album you see Ye talk about being religious. The challenges he experiences trying to balance his faith with the godlessness of his contemporaries. These feelings are what the reactionary and fascistic groups prey on. Ye ultimately didn't have issues with the institutions of power, he had issues with his position within them. And when you're a genius, that is a mistake, you should be at the top. The problem isn't with the slave ship, it's that Kanye isn't' the one driving it. And when he was the one selling $90 T shirts made in sweat shops it was good. But when he stopped doing well, the yeezy bubble burst, and other companies were doing fine, the problem couldn't be with him. There must be a bigger institution that he is underneath, and that is unacceptable. That's where he became so susceptible to believe the shadow government, and the jewish control... because when you're on top but you still feel oppressed, you have to invent an oppressor. Social media, feminism, jewish label executives, Skete Davidson. This album is the introduction of KanYe West. KanYe was a hard worker, someone with things to say, someone with belief in his talent and faith in his religion. There were a lot of things along the way that challenged the man. The death of his mother. Drug addiction, mental health struggles, being constantly surrounded by yes men. His wife leaving him and taking his children. Shady and predatory business dealings exploiting his financial inexperience. Things used to be simple for Ye, and now the world is very very complex. It's nice to imagine that the world is simple and explainable. Why do bad things happen to good people, why can't a billionaire buy whatever he wants. For a man like Ye who sees the world as a very designed place, randomness is unacceptable. It's a good thing Kanye changed his name to Ye. I find it easier to see them as two different people. I still love Kanye's music. From College dropout to The Life of Pablo and ye., this music taught me to be myself, have fun, live life, be reflective. Kanye is still one of my favorite artists. Ye is a problemtatic and deeply troubled individual, a guy who rides the Coattails of that other guy, a guy who died a few years ago.

Maaaan, this is such a good album and I hate that I have to think about Kanye when I listen to it. Musically it created the baseline for rap for the next 10 years, and it was the culmination of all the production work Kanye had done for other artists for years leading up to it. The beats are so clean, the rapping is very distinctly Kanye (and the features of course), there is variety in all the beats and styles, everything is just excellent. Maybe lyrically it's a little "basic" but that's what makes it accessible. You don't have to know every term and you don't have to think too deep to hear what is ultimately a message of struggle with real life as well as expectations placed on people by their peers, society, work, etc. The biggest gripe is "Last Call" which goes a bit far up its own ass. As has been noted by pretty much everyone, Kanye is an asshole now. But man, this is great and I've had this album available well before spotify existed so I don't feel terribly bad about listening to it.

Boycott bitch

Favourite songs, All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Through The Wire

It’s impossible for me to see this as anything other than a 5. The beats, the production, the cast. It’s all just too epic. And there isn’t a song that misses.

If I look past the artist and just judge the art, this album is amazing.

So so good. Holds up as maybe some of his best. A better time for his music

Look, at this point he’s so crazy, so completely detached from reality, that it was honestly pretty easy for me to separate him from this absolute beast of an album.

Deep fucking sigh. I miss the old Kanye.

Fuck Kanye, but his early work is top tier.

What an amazing album. Unbelievable that this is Kanye's debut. I love the social commentary littered throughout and how young Kanye is but how incredible he already is. I truly miss the old Kanye lol

Banger after banger, shame he’s a bellend.

The production, the originality, the humour, the quality, a classic. Two Words is one of the most underrated hip hop songs of all time. Brilliant album. What a shame this man is now dirt.

people who say that kanye is not washed are in heavy denial. this is such leagues above anything he's put out in the 2020s, it's insane.

Another classic.

Trash tier

Superb. Excellent. Masterful. Memorable. One of the best hip hop albums of all time by one of the GOATs.

Its hard to pinpoint the true apex of rap, because it seems like its been on apex mountain for the last 30 years. But this moment in rap is so good and so visceral. Just the fact that this record features: Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, COMMON, Jamie Foxx, Ludacris and Mos Def??? That's like getting The Highwaymen all together to make a couple songs. I love the production on this one. I love the rhymes and lyrics. I love the way that Ye weaves the music and lyrics throughout the album. It all flows so well together in terms of themes and sound. This era of Kanye is so good. It kind of has a pop punk element to it, where its rough around the edges but still pretty easy to groove to. Its such a shame that Ye went the way he did. He really did create some incredible records.

WHAT TF HAPPENED KANYE?

Excellent

This is not my favorite Kanye album, its also not perfect (breathe in breathe out is not as great as many others and the skits get tiring on multiple listens), but it's still an amazing time. Incredible production, innovative bars and tracks. This album paved the way for so many new rappers that wanted to tell different stories. Honestly most kanye albums should be on this list due to influence alone, but im Happy that at least this one made it

Kanye’s off the fucking rails but college dropout was an incredibly solid first album. What a way to drop and establish yourself as a rapper.

I wrote a whole thing for this, but I didn't post it and I don't feel like rewriting it. The short is I've always been fascinated by religious themes in Kanye's music, the skits are actually good, and this has some killer tracks. Within the universe of Kanye's work, this is maybe 4 stars, but by broader standards, I think that's a 5. It's a little long, and I can get a little touchy about how much he's anti-education here (granted, I get a lot of what he's after, but this is my world...), but I'm broadly on board.

Truly great

own

Musically 5 As a human though -5

Great beats, funny lyrics

i miss the old kanye

Ça me coûte de le dire mais c’est un super album Musiques cools, vraie structure d’album C’est très très bon

Great rap album, I wish Kanye didn’t go insane

If I'm being purely objective, this is an absolutely phenomenal album, although it always makes me sad to revisit Kanye after everything that's happened over the last 5-10 years. That said, this album is a masterpiece and is still so so easy to listen to, even after so many of this album's contemporaries sound incredibly dated. The only thing about this album that's aged poorly are the skits (which every rapper decided to do in every album for 2003-2007 for some horrible reason) and the guy singing them. Other than that, this album is incredible, especially considering that this is his FIRST ALBUM. Insane.

First and foremost FUCK Kanye West!! Now excluding his punk ass, this album is one of the best in hip hop history. It set off a whole new generation of rap and it stands on its own as far as uniqueness goes. The man behind it may have strayed far away from this version of himself but at least he left us with this classic. Kanye gets a 1 but College Dropout can never be below a 5, we’d be lying to ourselves.

It’s hard to revisit this one without all the baggage, but damn… The College Dropout is hands down one of the greatest debut albums of all time. ‘Jesus Walks’ alone is a revelation — bold, spiritual, revolutionary. And then there’s ‘All Falls Down’, ‘Through The Wire’, ‘Spaceship’ — classics, front to back. The songs are there, the features are there, his ego’s already there, but it’s fuelled by hunger — not yet warped by fame or delusion. There’s humility in the delivery, even when he’s flexing. It’s self-aware, soulful, and sonically rich. Whatever came later, this album still stands. A stand-up classic that changed hip hop, and I hope Ye listens a bit closer to this stuff again.

unfortunately need to admit this is good as days need mfs to stop acting like not going to college is a personality trait though

Groundbreaking album. Solidified him as a superstar producer, but introduced the works to his unique flow and, somewhat ironically at this point, his down to earth lyrics that connected with young adults of all races and sexes. As a college dropout in 2004 this one resonated with me and is a bit of a time capsule piece for me.

Damn, I miss old Kanye. This album dropped in my early twenties, right around the time when I realized that mainstream hip hop isn’t all bullshit, and was vibing on Jay-Z after seeing him perform with the Roots on MTV Unplugged. Kanye was hitting his stride in a big way after contributing to Jigga’s best album, The Blueprint, with his signature sped-up soul sound. I have this clear memory of coming home to our house in Greeley and being handed a joint and the GameCube controller because Alan and Zakis were trying to ace a hard-mode Grand Prix on Mario Kart, and needed me for Rainbow Road. The soundtrack was College Dropout, an album equivalent of this shiny candy kaleidoscope featuring (to bite the cover of Piñata) everyone in the rap game worth fucking with. This album isn’t perfect, but it’s damn near. Kanye is not the best rapper, but his goofy bars and delivery are endearing. Listening to this on vinyl is the optimal experience, because the dumb skits are not included, and the last two corny songs are on Side 4. Sides 1-3 are all killer no filler non-stop hit after hit. It unbelievable that all of this pure gold is on one record. It all seems effortless, and a great example of someone who has just been waiting to get a record deal so they could show the world what they’ve been working on and honing their whole life so far. My intellectual brain knows that “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is Kanye’s masterpiece, his should be Pulitzer Prize winner. But the other side of my brain, the one that feels that rush of dopamine when that perfect sunny day vibe hits just right, knows that this is the zenith. Donda West was still alive, Kanye survived a near fatal car crash, and he’s just so happy to be alive and making this music.

*The world's largest sigh* Well I can't say I didn't know this one was coming. Just thinking about rating this album is giving me a headache. Kanye is, and will always be, one of the most important people in the history of hip-hop. From his production to his themes to what he raps about, no one was doing it like him and it completely changed the artistic direction of a whole genre, and honestly popular Western music as a whole. But yeah you don't need me to be the one to tell you he's a complete piece of shit, on a level few have touched in modern times. He's the ultimate test of separating the art from the artist. Even writing this review right now my mind is split between a 1 star and 5 star review. Fuck. Talking just music for a second this is my favorite Kanye album. Sure the skits are dated and there are the typical Kanye-isms in the lyrics but as an atheist, goddamn if "Jesus Walks" isn't one of the best songs of all time. Not to mention "Through the Wire", "Spaceship" and "All Falls Down". Call it a cop out but I'm going to split the middle on this. 10/10 for the music 1/10 for the dude. 5/10 Edit: I've had a few hours to think about it. I also looked ahead since I guessed there would be other Kanye albums on the list, and I was right. Since they didn't put Gradation (the other near perfect album from him) on the list, but put on the overrated MBDTF and meh Yeezus I think I'm going to give this one a good score. Pleanty of people on this list has done terrible, possibly worse things. IDK don't hate me. 9/10

This is *the* early 2000s hip-hop album.

Insert throat clear about Kanye qua Kanye blah blah blah this slaps idc

10/10 the goat

Such an amazing album. The guy sucks ass but this is one of the best rap albums front to back.

This album is almost perfect! The songs are great front to back and have a good variety of sound. The skits are funny. I like the storytelling throughout the album on songs like through the wire and last call.

Top to bottom great album. Don't like them man behind the music, but that's a different issue.

Good on every metric.

Kanye is a POS, but you can’t deny that he made incredible music

Based purely on the music this album is an absolute banger. So many great songs on it, the only thing I don't love is the skits and general length - could have been a lot tighter IMO. Kanye did an amazing job with both the production and the rapping on this, I think the work as a whole came out really special due to him having complete creative control of the vision. Not many artists can do both so well. Unrelated to the album content: I've been a fan of Kanye's music for a long time but it is getting more embarrassing to be a fan given how far off the deep end he has gone. It was easier to write off egotistical and brash sound bites, but the recent move towards hate speech made me listen to this one with the windows up and seek streaming on sources that would not contribute to his bottom line. 10/10

We're going to have to do some separating the artist from the art to review this one. This is one of the best albums ever, and I don't think it would be an overstatement to say that it changed hip-hop. This era of Kanye is stacked with hilarious and often touching emotional lyrics, delivered on top of incredible soul beats. The story of this era of Kanye's life is crazy. This man had everything he did during the production of this album recorded by Coodie because he was THAT sure he was going to be famous. "We Don't Care" immediately introduces you to the fullness of who Kanye is at this point. The production is lively and loud, there's a kid's chorus singing in the background, and the bars are amazing. 'We wasn't supposed to make it past twenty-five'. "Graduation Day" is a funny skit that turns into some sweet production. You think the skits over and then the beat and autotuned vocals come in. "All Falls Down" is a legendary song. A lot of the lyrics are about a personal (and black-american) self consciousness that is covered up by materialism. He revisits that idea a lot in the next ten years, but he never becomes less materialistic. Even in the 'New Slaves' era, the man was selling $400 egyptian cotton t-shirts. "Spaceship" is the first song that I don't love. It's a great song but not quite my taste. The samples are nice though. "Jesus Walks" is one of his most famous songs ever. He wanted to write a song that would bring jesus into the club, and he sure as hell did it. The documentary, if I'm recalling correctly, has scenes of him making assistants of music executives listen to this song. They do not look impressed. "Never Let me Down" has great lyrics but is less captivating than the other songs heard so far. This is an 'OK' song on this record and might be a highlight on many other artists'. "Get Em High" really highlights his versality in beat-making. This song is pretty different from the others that came so far. "The New Workout Plan" has maybe not kept up with the times with regards to body image, but it is a funny song. The beat change into the 'daft punk' style section is sweet. I don't really like "Slow Jamz" personally, not quite my speed. "Breathe In Breathe Out" is another miss for me. This stretch from "Slow Jamz" to "Two Words" is the most missable part of the album for me, but I'm sure other people love it. Mos Def goes hard on "Two Words". "Through The Wire" is my second favorite song on the album. The story behind this song is wild. The beat is incredible. "Family Business" is my favorite song. The beat is so pleasant. This song I think paints the starkest contrast between who Kanye was in 2004 and who he is today. It genuinely makes me sad to listen to it. "Last Call" is fun and endearing. 10/10

This album, along with Late Registration and Graduation got me into hip hop and listening to music in general. A great introduction to the genre. Some of Kanye's best rapping, and all the samples with the chipmunk soul production is so good. Last Call is long but worth listening to. I will say some of the skits are kind of corny, and tracks 13 through 17 are a weak spot on the album for me. Obviously Kanye is off his rocker now but listening to the college dropout trilogy makes his current persona feel all the more disappointing and frustrating.

first 4 kanye albums among the best of all time - what happened?

sorry 4.5

This album dropped when I was 14 (this was a painful sentence to write) and I was immediately obsessed. It was (is?) one of the seminal albums of my youth. Kanye West was a breath of fresh air at a time when hardcore Gangsta Rap was dominant. As a white kid attending boarding school, I couldn't relate to 50's bacchanal of violence, drugs and more violence. But, I could relate to the themes that Kanye West tackles on 'The College Dropout.' Religion (I was raised with a complicated religious background), family (I had a complicated family) and self-consciousness (I was - and still am - a deeply self-conscious child). It holds up, 21 years later. It is, if anything, even better than it was 21 years ago. It sounds, to me, how Hip-Hop SOUNDS and it's one of the greatest albums of all-time. In general I believe that the art can be separated from the artist - this is easy to say as a theoretical exercise. But, I think it holds. As a music fan, I love this album and always will. As a music fan I respect Kanye's early genius. As a Jew...well, that's a more complicated conversation. Nevertheless, this is an easy 5 stars, always.

It's stupid how good this album is. Sucks that Kanye the person is so dogshit now.

This is a perfect example of needing to separate the artist from the art. The art is 5 stars. One of the best rap albums of its time. And I don’t like Kanye. At all. But this album has great tracks, a fun theme, and awesome collabs. I really enjoyed the final track, where a somewhat “humble” Kanye is new to the biz and telling his story. Even I am surprised to rate this 5 stars, but give credit where credit is due.

Rating based on music and not the nazi piece of shit he became.

Nice album, horrible guy

I miss the old Kanye

An absolute banger of a classic.

Sorry to all my Jewish friends but this is a 5

Bof. I kinda despise Kanye West's persona. But here I am, voting a 5 star album because this was supergood. I loved the beats, the concept and some lyrics were fun.

I Love that old Kanye

Tha shit is gud but bro is soo nazi that I gonna give 9/10

What a debut. Here kanyes gripes are still relatable. He is still full of himself but damn this still sounds good.

The combination of nostalgia mixed with his undeniable artistic genius made this a 5/5 for me.

One of my fave albums ever, hate how Kanye is now.

9/10 we need to put Kanye in perma debt to ensure he stops making shit music and doing shit for attention

Know this album well. It's excellent start to finish. Hard to listen to him now knowing his feelings on Nazis. He committed career suicide and it has tarnished his legacy

God this was such a way for white middle schoolers and black middle schoolers to bond. The mark of a new era in hip hop. That's not meant to diminish this album. Once I first heard when my dad played it for me.

gas

This is even better than I remember. I really liked the song “Spaceship”. Oh man, Jay-Z is on this in “Never Let Me Down”.

האלבום הכי טוב בהיסטוריה

Classic Kanye. You can hate him but don't tell me these songs aren't bangers!

Almost a perfect album

Changed hip-hop forever. Changed music forever. Changed culture forever. Not a single skip, even the skits are apropriately placed and not drawn out. Perfect record. First 10 on this list

Fyre

Dammit. This album is a reminder of the better world we used to live in, and subsequently a reminder of how things are awful now. Why'd you have to go off the deep end, Kanye? This album is a damn near perfect hip hop masterpiece. Even with how things turned out 20 years later, it still is a standout work of art. Dammit.

"I call her caddy the way she drag my golf balls in the club" has to be one of his greatest bars. Arguably his greatest album with his greatest production imo 10/10 timeless classic

Unfortunately this is a five star album I will never listen to again

Listen in order

Great album that gave me a llot of nostalgia but unfortunately gone completely off him with recent behaviour.

Fire

Hate Kanye, but I love the album

Great music, tragic he passed in 2020

i really do miss the old kanye

I miss the old Kanye

As good as with i first heard it. this album is such a treat the whole way through

Super Dope

Unfortunately still incredible. Even most of the skits work. The first half of the album is perfect and the second half is more a product of its time than it is flawed.

ufff – here we go vor monate hani de ye us offesichtliche gründ leider komplett us minere rotation müesse striche... & au wenn‘s mer ih sim fall schwer fallt das ganze düütlich als schwarz & wiss ahzgseh isch es halt doch es unverhandelbars no go trotzdem isch das album – und das obwohl‘s es nur knapp ih mini kanye top 5 schafft – en integrale bestandteil ih minere musigloskarriere gsi rein musikalisch gseh sind through the wire, family business & jesus walks unbestritteni hymne wo mich dur schöni & schwierigi ziite begleitet hend also es fallt mer schwer aber muess es 5i gäh. gueti besserig ye, ich bezwifles zwar aber ich wünsche dir dass du din weg zrug findsch... aber trotzdem fuck you

Incredible album from before Kanye lost his mind. Can't deny the genius of this album even though I can't support the man behind it today. So sad to see how he is today. Man needs some help.

Perfection. One of Kanye's best, everything about is nailed perfectly.

A CLASSIC!

YESSSSSSS YESSSS YES EY UDHEB Dude I fucking love this album 5/5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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kids sing, kiids siiing. killer. set this party on fry. sekurrr. remember when he was a class conscious underdog making poignant statements about systemic racism and the empty promise of material wealth? touching song about wanting to transcend your circumstances. militant song about fighting the good fight. always funky, consistently balanced with humor. even if you can see his god complex poking through, at least it’s the good side of christianity he’s conflating himself with. yeah yeah jay z, hand the mic back to the exciting new young upstart. get em high. in the pocket now. not one stutter yet, what a great fuckin album. poor ray ray’s broke ass. “damn baby i can’t do it that fast but i know someone who can” haha. enta twista. party certainly on fry by this point. oh shit i forgot about this ludicrous song. sick guitar sample too. “say my name like candyman and i’ll come fix you up like the handyman.” makes it sound easy. one killer beat after another. and how FUN is this record. propulsive and swaggering. a couple whoos comin on cuz. i’ll be the smartest dead guy lol. excellent from start to finish. the skits always hit and even have a certain rhythm. family business is so earnest and innocent. 5 w/o a doubt

Gulp

Great album. Miss the old Kanye West.

Альбом, на котором Канье еще не успел в край ебануться и начать кидать насвай с фанатами Зенита 9/10

durva hogy egy ilyen minősített seggfej ilyen jó dolgokat tud csinálni, de ha egyszer így van :(

Standing on your anonymous internet soap box and giving this album a 1 star review does not make you better than the person who actually listens to the album. If you don't want to listen, just don't listen. This album is a masterpiece and was released by a different person than the Kanye West that you see in the news today, if you'd listened you would know that.

On point effort - can't love what he became but the effort on this one is solid.

sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry

From a forgotten era before we knew he was batshit crazy. Mayonnaise colored Benz, I push miracle whips. This album is undeniable.

All-time classic

Soooo good, this album. Of course, Kanye's literally a crazy nazi these days, but he was a REALLY good musician, I think. Like, this album has some really complex, incredible, catchy songs. All Falls Down is so good that I used in my AP Lang argument essay (Thank you Kanye for the 5, not so much for the alt right tweets). It's clever (like most rap that I've listened to) and it has commentary and its sound is so remarkable to me. I don't listen to all that much rap, so to me at least, this seems like REALLY good rap/hip hop/whatever. REALLY good music in general. And it's funny. Laugh-out-loud funny, at times. It is serious at times and silly at others. It's just good. That being said, I mostly listen to the first half of this album even though I'm certain I've listened to it in full. I’ve been listening to this lots recently (not because of the nazi stuff, but IN SPITE of it!) In fact, this was my most listened album of the week, which is unusual because it’s some indie rock bullshit. Intro: I mean, this is just silly. His voice is so hilarious. The inflection, the pacing. Sharing candy and stuff. Funny. We Don't Care: A hilarious song. Like, FUNNY. The literal children singing about drug dealing is funny but it's also sad. There's commentary to be heard but it's also just silly. The drug game bulimic, it's hard to get weight/So []'s money is homo, it's hard to get straight" is zingy af. Also, it just sounds awesome. Catchy and calming in a certain way. Graduation Day: OH my god this is so funny. There is like NO time between "we don't care what people sa-ay!" and "What in the FUCK was that, Kanye???" Like, the contrast between that beautiful feminine voice and Kanye's ridiculous faculty character. It's FUNNY, dude. And then you get a sneaky super-good mini-song. Like, "I'm no longer confused, but don't tell anybody" is so genuinely good that I can't even dismiss this as just a silly, skippable part of the album. All Falls Down: I LOVE this song, dude. Why wouldn't I? It's so good, it's catchy, you get the beautiful voice of Syleena Johnson blending so well with Kanye's verses, which are actually pretty profound and tell realistic stories. Like, yeah, you have the bit on materialism, but then the added context of black materialism(??) is extra-interesting to listen to. I'm not black so maybe I don't get it fully but it definitely feels important. Also, Kanye's delivery is just solid. "Sophomore, three yurrs ain't picked a carrur, she like 'fuck it, I'll just stay down hurr and do hair," is sooooo good. And I watched a clip of him doing this as a slam poem, I think -- super good. Like, he was a real artist at this point. That's cool. It's funny, too. "Pass that ver-say-see!" I'll Fly Away: Quaint song. Apparently one of the most recorded gospel hymns ever and I'm sure there's some significance that is lost on me there. Spaceship: Mellow and groovy. And I get the feeling that this song was trendy at some point, I don't know. Sounds more familiar than maybe it should. A little repetitive but idc it's so good. Jesus Walks: I guess this is one of the cooler Christian songs I've heard. I mean, Christianity's cool but this is a little bitter to listen to with all his current NAZI stuff. But it does sound super good and it's sort of interesting and like... cool to hear a rapper be super god-loving? I guess it comes off as earnest and I appreciate that. Also, the "JE-SUS WALKS" is a very jarring but very interesting sound. I like it. The repetition of the n-word in the background is kind of insane but like .. good idk it's hard to comment on this song as an athiest wasian Never Let Me Down: Good. Love the mix between melodious singing and rapping in this album, it feels like he's got a whole chorus behind him and it makes the sound very grand. Sam's Club line is good. Don't get the God stuff but the "Take 'em to church" was cool. Get Em High: This is the part of the album where I kind of stop paying attention when I listen to it. This is good, like the rest of the album, but skippable. Not totally remarkable, at least to me in this moment. Workout Plan: I resent the fact that this and The New Workout Plan are named so similarly. I play the wrong one all the time. But this is a really fun skit to listen to. I love girls and I love girl talk, even if it's scripted. Cute and silly and funny. New Workout Plan: Banger banger banger. So complex with so many different parts and it's FUNNY and it's SO good. A creative idea for a song, great execution -- the thank-yous with the Alabama girl who could "date outside the family" is SO funny. "Mo'." repetition is so fun to listen to. The drum beat that comes in with the autotuned voice is SOOOO good dude. I think this is tied with All Falls Down for me. So good. Shout out to Work Out by J. Cole. Also a banger despite stealing from this song and Paula Abdul. Slow Jamz: So agree. Focus on the ladies! Smooth af and the jazzy singing is good. Light skin/dark skin MJ line is so iconic and witty and funny. Twista(?)’s verse is fast and incredible and the chorus is sweeeet. Thank you, Jamie Foxx, for writing Blame It, which has the best verse ever from T-Pain. So good! Breathe In Breathe Out: Feels, like, old school and cool and simply awesome. “Always said if I rapped, I'd say somethin' significant/But now, I'm rapping 'bout money, hoes, and rims again.” His delivery is fucking funny and it’s self-aware and good. PhD pretty huge dick. Fucking funny. Ludacris is good, too. His voice is just so… I don’t know. “Peace ouuuuuut.” It’s almost stoner. School Spirit (Skit 1): Funny. I bet I can add up all the change in your purse very fast. Funny! School Spirit: Actually super good even though I don’t recall it. POOTIE TANG MENTIONED — “Did y’all know he wrote Pootie Tang? Brilliant” God it’s actually crazy that the lunatic tweeting that Nazi racist bullshit and flaunting his naked wife at the Grammys was the same dude who made this objectively awesome music. IN-sane. I wonder what the fuck happened. School Spirit (Skit 2): It’s true. So many fucking degrees. Yeah, I’ll prob be 52 by the time I have a degree, god damn. Lil Jimmy Skit: All the regular homeless people. Funny and true! Two Words: Ok this seems serious. I might need to listen to this more, but it sounds pretty good. Through The Wire: Chiller. I could listen to this on a sunny day after school. This album sounds how the album cover looks. It’s rich and full of sound. And this song sounds like it’s sitting on the curb or a step. Family Business: Feels emotional. Almost makes me wanna cry and this is my first time actually listening to it. Probably because it’s 2 AM. Last Call: Confusing. Why is it 13 mins. But it’s funny. And I’ll listen to it lots again. This album is good. So good.

A seminal, timeless classic that sounds just as good today as it did in 2004. A debut record that was a legit turning point in hip hop history, which makes it a turning point in all of music history. That the author of this thing is taking this album off the next iteration of this list is a travesty.

Fantastic record from an incredibly gifted musician that unfortunately grew into a psychopath. I understand other reviewer's contempt for Kanye, but his musical talent and creativity cannot and should not be overlooked or "canceled." This project is about the music, not the person. At the time this album came out, Hip Hop was in a transition from its golden era of the 90s. Kanye introduced some unique and very creative drum and sample programming which still resonates to this day. The soul, the passion and the ambition can all be felt. The guest features speak beautiful words of inspiration and complement the production so well - Kanye handpicked them perfectly. Even the skits are great, adding to the story of this album. This is always a classic record in my book.

"I miss the old Kanye, straight from the 'Go Kanye I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye The always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye" Don't even need half the brain cell kanye has remaining to understand that this album was insanely good. When were skits ever so fun to listen to? Who else did it so well to invoke deep thoughts in seemingly foolish and silly skits? 10/10

Kanye may be a hypocrite bigot, but damn this album is good. It was supremely popular when I was in school, but I didn't pay rap or hip hop much attention at that time. This album has awesome backing music, pretty good flow and topics, great lyrics, and is pretty funny as well. Sucks that it belongs to a piece of shit, because I want to enjoy it unabashedly. My favorite was Spaceship, but We Don't Care, Never Let Me Down, and several others were great. Gonna rate it as music, as I have other controversial artists like MJ.

I was conflicted until I found a way to listen to this that wouldn't put any money in Kanye's pocket. This was my first listen and, although I have enjoyed individual works by Kanye, I hadn't experienced this as an album. It was like very little I had listened to before. I didn't expect the humour, the skits, the contrast between self-deprecation and self-aggrandizing. The rhymes are so good, the beats are amazing. I listened to every word of the 1 hour, 20 minute album and at the end I just felt sad. This album made me laugh and gasp and dance, but I felt sad for what the man is today. I don't know if Kanye in 2005 had the same opinions and beliefs that he has today and was just good at masking them, or has untreated mental illness and 20 years of fame changed him into what he is now. Since I'm rating the album and not the man, this is 5 stars. A 5 star album for me has to be something that I genuinely enjoy, but also appreciate for a unique approach, or a groundbreaking effort, or a contribution to music that deserves recognition. 5 stars doesn't require perfection but it does require innovation or creativity or generational talent. I see no reason not to recognize that here while boycotting the man in 2025.

"I miss the old Kanye, straight from the 'Go Kanye I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye The always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye" Don't even need half the brain cell kanye has remaining to understand that this album was insanely good. When were skits ever so fun to listen to? Who else did it so well to invoke deep thoughts in seemingly foolish and silly skits? 10/10

Rated without further comment.

Прикольный альбом, не раз слушал, всей душой люблю канье, поэтому 10/10

Ставлю этому сумасшедшему копчённому крепкую пять

Erg goed geheel, paar hele vette nummers. Jammer dat Kanye is geworden wie hij nu is, maar dit was gewoon echt goed.

There’s a lot of very immature reviews of this album here. This man lost his mind when is mother died. He’s done some abhorrent stuff lately but as far as I can see a lot of people on this list has that we don’t necessarily delve in to. The album is a masterpiece. A real standout from what rap was serving up when it came out. Immaculate production and soulful lyrics, there’s not many like it.

Bittersweet listening to Kanye these days, but, man, he used to be one of the GOATs. This album in particular is one of my favorite casual listens from his discography, and, therefore, overall. Pretty much all of his albums have some sort of central theme to the sound of the album, but this one doesn't. It's all consistent, clean, straight bars from the 2000s. Love it.

I miss the old Kanye

The haters will hate but this is a very good album containing my favorite Kanye

“I miss the old Kanye” -Kanye Probably on my Mount Rushmore of favorite albums.

Its a classic

we eating good today, two 5/5 albums in a row

Classic. Some of my favorite songs on here.

This album is such a fucking good debut, despite the rate Kanye is at right now, it is amazing where he came from and what comes after. The lyrics, vibe and production is something to praise. I don't have much else to say. 9.9/10

So damn amazing... from beginning to end. This holds up

90/100

Goat album hands down

Solid and timeless, poetic and creative. Still hate nazis tho sry not sry

god dam a fkn masterpiece The beats, hooks, flows, samples, wordplay, and features all top tier Truly groundbreaking hip hop album And it was his debut sheesh 10/10 You could cut this album in half, keep only the deep cuts, and it’d still be one of the best things released that decade I think through the wire is a goofy song tho

Absolute classic, this is one of the best Kanye albums, and it's all cause his lyrics hasn't been tainted by the big ass ego he gets in the future. It doesn't have the amazing and grandiose production like MBDTF, but the down to earth vibe, and way more likable Kanye works wonders here. Skits are great and funny, and i don't think there is a single forgettable song on here.

Yeah he sucks, but I’m not gonna boycott an artist because they’re a terrible person, then half the list would be null. Plus I don’t see you guys boycotting the Christmas album made by an actual convicted murderer. Anyway now for the actual review. This is some of the best hip hop production I've heard. Insane lyricism, kinda feels like every important rapper from the early 2000s showed up in this one, some emotional moments, some super fun ones, this is one of the best rap albums I’ve ever heard to be honest. Sucks that Kanye would go into a downward spiral 20 years later. But I’m not gonna let that deter me from saying this album is excellent.

good

The downfall of a great musician chapter 1

Class. Forgot how good this sounds

It’s hard to believe that this album is so divisive. I guess some people have trouble separating the man from the music. Is Kanye a narcissistic, mentally ill douche? Without a doubt. Is The College Dropout the most influential rap album of the aughts? I believe so. Like it or not, Kanye changed the production game and made it okay for rappers to be a bit nerdy. 4.5/5

it’s such a shame that it’s more or less impossible to talk about kanye without the shadow of his mental breakdown hovering over everything because he truly was so spectacularly talented. his music sounds so ELEMENTAL, like it’s impossible to imagine a world in which it didn’t already exist. i am ultimately pro-education but i think that the skits still kinda hit honestly lol. his lyrics are just so clever and funny!!!! ugh!!!!!!!! loses a half star cos “last call” is too long…i GET it but it should have been split up into two tracks imo. fav tracks: jesus walks; never let me down; get em high; school spirit; two words

aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHH!!! Well it’s very good. And it makes me kinda sad because it’s too bad that he’s taken the trajectory that he has because he really was a pioneer with such an identifiable impact on music as foreshadowed by this record. I maintain that if something tragic and shocking had happened like ~8 years ago to him and caused him to d*e he would’ve been immortalized as a misunderstood, cutting edge genius. I think he still will, but obviously his legacy has gotten pretty complicated especially considering the lyrical themes earlier in his career. I think besides the later skits skewing a bit too “we live in a society” for me, the messaging on the album is so well executed. His egotism is balanced out by a thoughtfulness about his surroundings that on paper sound contradictory of each other, but end up creating a complicated and compelling narrator, which kept me engaged in the lyrics basically the whole time. This is the first time I think I’ve actually listened to this all the way through despite recognizing several songs and lyrics, so it was great to see how it all comes together. The music itself is so interesting on this too, and he really did have to be kind of a crazy genius to think of combining ideas the way he did on some of these songs. “Jesus Walks” in particular has so much going on with the various choral parts, and even songs like “Slow Jamz” whose foundation is a more classic soul sound, has a twist because of the production and then is topped with iconic but ridiculous lyrics like the Michael Jackson line. Despite his impact of having mainstreamed hip hop / hip hop influences into pop music, a lot of this still sounds pretty unlike anything else I’ve heard. There’s so much variety and complexity on here, and despite its length, it never lags and kept me on my toes. It was genuinely very exciting to listen to. *Fav tracks: Jesus Walks, All Falls Down, Never Let Me Down, Through the Wire*

perfect 10/10

Es difícil hablar de Kanye West en big 2025 por lo de que está, bueno, loco. Sin embargo, nunca me ha costado separar arte de artista, aunque sea altamente personal como en este caso. Hace bastante tiempo, cuando en el mismo 1001 Albums Generator me salió MBDTF de Kanye West me volví instantáneamente en un fan del hip hop. Y, en consecuencia, me puse a oír el resto de la discografía de Kanye. Titular tu álbum debut como "The College Dropout" en una época donde la cultura de ser un gangsta en el rap estaba en su apogeo ya es una declaración de intenciones clarísima. Que tu primera canción sea sobre vender drogas debido a no encontrar salida y no porque es la cosa "gangsta" de hacer es otra declaración más. Y con ese inicio, tenemos más de una hora de canciones increíbles sobre hacer lo que tu quieras y no lo que la sociedad vea correcto para ti (vender drogas por ahí, graduarte...), donde lo mejor de la música de Kanye destaca especialmente: su producción, usando ese estilo de samples de canciones de soul antiguas para crear un estilo totalmente nuevo, donde el ritmo suele ser más importante que lo que se dice en la canción. Y es que, a diferencia de en su discografía posterior, aquí Kanye es una persona humilde, autoconsciente y con los pies pegados al suelo. En mi canción favorita de este álbum, Family Business, Kanye habla sobre una reunión familiar donde recuerdan a los que no están, momentos de la infancia y hablan sobre sus vidas, todo desde una perspectiva nostálgica y muy bonita. Y es que The College Dropout se siente reconfortante, se siente totalmente fresco pese a tener más de 20 años, y se siente como algo que nunca más vas a volver a tener (al menos con Kanye, eso seguro lol). En resumen, uno de mis álbumes favoritos y que es totalmente recomendable para meterte en la música de Kanye y el Hiphop en general. Olvida que es nazi, eso sí. TOP 5 Canciones: 1. Family Business 2. Through the Wire 3. We Don't Care 4. Jesus Walks 5. New Workout Plan 5/5

Listening to this album in 2025 feels like listening to an album from a deceased artist. I don’t know when or how or why Kanye became who is today but I’m able to separate the art from the artist enough to acknowledge the greatness of this album. It was fresh and original and exciting when it came out and remains a testament to the depth of Kanye‘s talent.

Way more my music taste. "Never Let Me Down" is such a good song. I love this song. The album is very cool. It was not my introduction to Kanye, but it is really good. I love this album. Laughed so hard at all School Spirit parts. Especially "School Spirit Skit 2". That's my life :D Also I like "Family Business". And the album cover is cool with this sad looking bear. Even if not every song is perfect, in my opinion, there are some diamonds in it that make it absolutely perfect.

One of the greatest rap albums of all time, probably the best rap producer of all time. Makes me feel sad about his fall off, but that doesn't change how incredible this album is. Even the skits are good. Iconic album that set the tone for a generation

I wasn't really in to rap-music in my teens. I had a Jimmie Hendrick's t-shirt and long hair. Still, the one rap-album I did own was "The College Dropout". I listened to this album a lot! I even remember having a PE-class where we had lead the warmup and me and my friend chose "The new Workout Plan" to do our warm-up class to! After listening to this, I still think this is a good album. There are a few iconic hits like "The new workout plan", "Jesus Walks" and "Through the Wire". The lyrics run from poignant e.g "All Falls Down" which may be my favourite song on the album (together with "Never let me down") to just stupid ("Get em High"). As always the samples are great and the guest raps are great to. I think this is a classic album and really defined a lot of the 00s hip-hop. Although i may be biased as this was all the rap i knew for quite a few years. I think this deserves a 5.

It's truly tragic what the cult of celebrity, unmedicated mental illness, and who knows what else has turned Kanye West into. Listening to this I can't help but think that 2004 Kanye would absolutely hate 2025 Ye. Yeezus has been my go to Kanye album in recent years, but this was a fantastic listen today. I found that despite not listening to many of these songs since I was a teen I still knew almost all of the words, particularly to faves like "Spaceships". His production remains unimpeachable. He'd been making hits for bigger acts for years and saving and tweaking these beats for his own debut and it shows, these aren't just beats they are entire songs built off of his prodigious drum programming and distinctive sampling style. Lyrically, this is definitely his funniest and most coherent album. At the time these sort of self conscious, introspective bars were far from mainstream. Also, there are so many clever and hilarious quotable lines. The outro in "Last Call" describing the challenges he experienced trying to get this album released is a great historical snapshot of the culture at the time, and prophetically lays out how influential this album would come to be.

Unexpectedly loved this. Not a huge hip-hop listener (mostly just lack of knowledge more than anything). I lived in Chicago when Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book” came out in 2016, and the album felt like it was everywhere. I knew Kanye was a key collaborator, but it was even cooler to listen to this album and here the original ideas that came to later influence Chance—the melodic qualities, chipmunk-y sound, etc. Listening brought me back home to Chicago.

Shitty person, but classic album.

he was excellent before he went crazy

Top 3 kanye

Kanye West used to be my favorite artist of all time. I once listened to his entire discography at the time on a road trip in 2016. I defended him when he was just an egomaniac comparing himself to God. Then, the Alex Jones interview happened. That was the breaking point for me and many others. This is the first Kanye album I’ve listened to since that interview. I’ve seen so many 1-star reviews for this solely because of what he did and not because of the content of this record. While that is valid, you would have to give 1’s to A LOT of people on this list (David Bowie, Koffi Olomide, John Lennon, Elvis, Morrissey, etc.). The reason Kanye is such an easy target for this is because we all saw it happen. There’s no speculation on what was said. I still find it tough to rate this low because of that. This album is a look into the Kanye that once was: a hungry producer / rapper hoping to make a name for himself by working nonstop for years, waiting for his shot. Once he got signed, he did not let that shot go to waste. Every song on here plays into the theme of betting on yourself, not letting others determine your path for you. The production is immaculate, Kanye peaked as a lyricist here, and the skits add even more life into an already lively album. Kanye sucks. This doesn’t. Don’t punish the art for its artist.

Finally something I know and I listened to when it came out. Now with new perspective (20 years!) I see it in new light, better light. Maybe I know more about music, maybe I am older and those lyrics hit differently. All in all I love it and I think it is important part of rap history.

Kanye... oh Kanye. What the fuck happened? Kanye West used to be cool. Then he started getting egotistical, but his music was still good, so there wasn't a huge problem. Now? Not only has he gone even more crazy with the Hitler shit from the past few years, but his music isn't even good anymore! But you know what? I don't care. Well, okay, I do. However, while it's important to discuss Kanye's issues, I'm not going to be one of those people who just gives all of his albums 1 star without even listening to the music. I have to focus on the quality and impact of the actual album that is The College Dropout. Fortunately, this is his debut album, so none of the issues that I've mentioned even really matter. I'm saying all this stuff like I'm an expert, but this is effectively my first time ever really listening to Kanye West's music. So, how do I feel about The College Dropout? It's great. While I obviously do not love Kanye West as a person, I do love his debut album. Admittedly, this album isn't perfect. However, my only major issue is the length, especially regarding the final track "Last Call." Everything else is great though. Kanye's rapping isn't revolutionary or anything, but it gets the job done quite well. I enjoy it. The writing is pretty good. I haven't listened to his other albums, but I do know that other Kanye albums have some lyrical issues. The College Dropout's writing is very solid. There's funny moments that are actually entertaining and haven't aged poorly. This album has aged remarkably well overall, and the writing demonstrates this well. The subject matter for these songs wasn't as common for hip-hop in 2004 as it is now. You have songs on here about things like religion (Jesus Walks), self-consciousness (All Falls Down) and, of course, school (School Spirit). The variety in songs is just incredible. The concept here is interesting. The production is incredible and ahead of its time. The features are all great. The skits add value to the meaning of the songs and the album as a whole. Ultimately, I can understand why someone would struggle to separate the art from the artist in cases like this. I know I have before. However, I think we have to look at the bigger picture pertaining to the impact of The College Dropout itself. This album not only kick-started the career of (for better or worse) one of the most influential rappers of the 21st century, but it also showed the world that hip-hop was more than edgy gangster music. Of course, other albums did that before, but the influence of The College Dropout is hard to understate. The album's also really good. While Kanye West as a person would probably get a 2/5, I think I have to give The College Dropout a 5/5. The impact and quality are just too hard to ignore.

Makes me want to have dropped out of college!

zna se

The beat sampled album of all time. Kanye is godfatherbof chipmunk soul

5/5. It's crazy this was the first drop from Kanye. Sure, he evolved into a concerning and dangerous person but listening to this shows great promise for a successful career and this is just a fact that his discography is excellent. This is a double album that never feels boring and has funny skits that compliment the songs. It's hard find a bad song here, even the silly ones are just good objectively. It's a balance of rap, R&B, and soul that creates a perfect experience. This is a great front to back listen and a must for this list. A nice dream to see a different man here than who he is today. Best Song: Never Let Me Down, All Falls Down, Through The Wire

Love this album, one of my comfort albums for a long time I'd say, enjoyed dipping back into it after a long hiatus!

He's a racist asshole now, no doubt, but rating the music purely on its own merits this has to be a 5*. Kanye at his best is one of the most captivating artists in modern music and impossible to ignore. Although he became more overtly experimental in later albums, this was still extremely fresh and successful when it came out. The beats are cool and all self-produced, showing his talent as a producer and ability to create a big, epic hip-hop sound. The rapping is great, with clever wordplay and tongue-in-cheek humour throughout. Oh for the days when Kanye didn't take himself too seriously. Packed with hooks and great moments, this is a classic

Awesome

Mix equal parts hip-hop, R&B, and gospel, throw in a ton of attitude, chill, and see if you haven’t changed the game completely. Not just groundbreaking, but still imminently listenable.

top 3 kanye, incredible debut with some of the best beats of the 2000's. shame he hates jewish people.

Let’s get this out of the way first: Kanye is a real asshole piece of shit but that doesn’t mean his music automatically is as well. College Dropout ranks among the best hip hop albums and just albums in general ever made. His latest output is shit but his first 5 albums or so are classics and this one, together with MBTDF is probably his best. Not a bad song on this thing.

Kanye has always been an insane, phenomenal producer. The beats and samples are crazy and timeless. Slow Jamz is one of my favorite songs on this album, it's beautiful.

Phenomenal storytelling, I think the skits really add to the appeal of this album. Completely recommend listening, it is just plain fun all the way through.

This album came out when I was coasting through college and changed the trajectory of mainstream hip hop.

Not a single bad song on this

Sigh. I was wondering when this asshole would show up. I'm going off memory here because I didn't spin this. Music: 5 stars. It's fantastic, and he only got better. His output from this debut through Kids See Ghosts is incredible in terms of quality, creativity, boldness of vision, and ability to get incredible performances from his collaborators. He's one of the all-time greats. But he's also a n*zi fuck. He wasn't always that way. And yeah, he's bipolar, and I don't think he has surrounded himself with people who exacerbate his worst inclinations. But that doesn't excuse him being a n*zi fuck. I adore his music. I hope he gets the help he needs and apologizes for all of his shitty behavior so I can listen to it again.

Fuck Kanye

ITS NOT GNX

Bad guy, great and influential album

Just impeccable to say the least. Amazing lyricism and rhymes, beats and production, features and performances, etc. This is definitely the most fun i’ve had with a Kanye album that i’ve heard. This album just keeps on bringing when you’re listening to it. It’s just iconic, and amazing 2000s hip hop. I really respect Kanye and his craft here, this does NOT excuse him being an idiot though. I don’t have a lot to say except that I encourage that people listen to this for themselves. It’s just a great listening experience, to say the least. Excellent hip hop record, one of the best i’ve heard so far.

Best kanye album

No explanation needed

This is one of my favorite kayne's

L’Old Kanye pre-follia è sempre una garanzia

The College Dropout broke minds back in 2004 and still breaks them in 2024. In 2004, people said "wow, this Kanye guy is making a whole new sound and is changing the rap industry forever! I sure hope he doesn't become anti-semitic one day " and in 2024, they say "aw dangit".

Anyone hating on this album due to present day Kanye’s antics need to reexamine themselves. This is a nearly perfect album. Every beat here is incredible, Kanye’s lyricism is both hilarious and introspective. The shift in vibe comparing this to other hip hop of the time is unmatched. He had something to prove here and he did just that. His best album. Where else can you find Jay-Z calling himself the Jeff Gordon of rap?

Well, this is another obvious one. Not my favorite Kanye album, but one that I find myself coming back to a lot. Hit after hit.

This is one of the most fun albums of all time. It’s absolutely Kanye’s best and you will not convince me otherwise

You can lie and say this is bad because he’s said bad things but take all that away, listen to this music, and you’ll realize, you’re just lying to yourself because you want to hate. His music still bangs.

Not a big fan of hip hop and rap. But this is really a great album. Great hooks. Good lyrics that are about more than most other rap songs. Really enjoyed it

Nok mit mest hørte kanye album. Det siger ret meget. Kæft jeg har hørt det her meget og er super glad for det! Et af de nemmeste 5/5 indtil videre :))

I'm going to avoid looking at his reprehensible politics in this review, and focus on the album itself and the influence. For anyone like myself who really isn't a fan of gangsta rap, you can thank Kanye for nearly completely destroying that genre and essentially ushering the alternative hip-hop world to the mainstream. As a debut, it's incredibly polished and impressive. The skits are far less irritating compared with many of its' contemporaries. I still think it's the weakest of his original trilogy, but We Don't care, All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz and Through the Wire are fantastic enough to warrant the 5. But yeah fuck Kanye, go punch a Nazi today. 20/10/24

I miss the old Kanye.

I would first like to acknowledge that Kanye is a nazi sympathizer and an anti semite. For the purposes of this review I will just be looking at the art and not the artist. This album is quite the way to announce your way on the scene. So many different styles and bangers. The skits don't feel over bearing or getting in the way of the music and help tell the story of the album. Jesus Walks, Never Let Me Down and many others are absolute rap bangers. It's a shame Kanye hasn't taken care of his mental health and allowed himself to fall from what little grace he had previously

I mean….. cmon.

I remember how impactful this album was when it first came out. Listening to it in 2024, it feels like a classic. Slightly dated with some of the sampling techniques, but still an album that kicked open the door and introduced most people to Kanye West

i miss the old kanye

The idea of separating the art from the artist has always been an interesting and divisive conversation. And one that I’ve never been able to give a definitive answer to. I feel partly inclined to begin this review with that topic because, whether his die hard fans like it or not, it applies to Kanye in many ways. From early on, he has been a controversial figure who was willing to take risks and put himself out there one hundred percent. That includes the good and the bad. Now, when it comes to that separation, it depends on what era of the man we are talking about. If we look at Ye as he is now, the man is broken, and the separation shouldn’t be made. Especially considering the anti-Semitic rhetoric which he continues to push in his new music. But the Kanye of the early 2000s is a different person entirely. It’s hard to explain just how on top of the world he really was during this time period. The Higher Education trilogy absolutely cemented him as one of the era’s greatest, and it seemed as if he could do no wrong. And The College Dropout is potentially the finest of the three. It’s rare for an artist to come out swinging so hard for their debut. And it’s especially rare for an artist to be nominated for so many awards and simultaneously win many of them after said debut. But that’s just the kind of person he was. I feel like most, if not all rap fans had a Kanye phase at one point. I know I did. I see it as a right of passage. And every bit of what made this era of him so great is felt the moment you turn this on. People should continue to look at his early works as a case study on how to structure and pace a hip-hop album in a manner that is effective and leaves the listener feeling satisfied. His production style and songwriting choices, influenced by the likes of J Dilla and Q-Tip, leads to some of the catchiest hooks you will ever hear on a rap record. If you don’t get the melody to All Falls Down or We Don’t Care stuck in your head, are you really even human? There is just such a clear love and care put into which samples are used, where the drums are placed, and how everything comes together. It’s seriously unfortunate to see how far Kanye has fallen from grace. It’s a combination of so many things, and mental health is a serious thing that people still don’t acknowledge enough. I admire Kanye as an artist because his catalog is undoubtedly one of the strongest ever made. But I also know what once was is long gone by now. Rating: 9/10

Insanely good. Every track is beautiful. Blown away. There is no doubt in my mind this is a top tier album.

One of the best hip hop albums of the 21st century. Essential hip hop.

straight masterpiece

Not all that glitters is gold but stack your money to the sky. Whatever Kanye. And let me be clear. Fuck this guy. But I feel like this is an objectively great album. So 5.

Toch wel het beste kanye album denk ik nu; morgen kan ik weer een andere zeggen

Joooooi

His best work

Great!

Definitely a classic. Kanye is an unfortunate figure in modern standards. He is very clearly mentally unstable and has a lot going on in his personal life. None of this to excuse the hate speech/radicalization but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy his music/loved seeing him live back in the day. This album stands the test of time though as this way kanye at his most pure/naive to some extent as he was just coming off the producing/feature game and taking the mic himself. Amazing singles (Jesus Walks, All Falls Down, Never Let Me Down, Slow Jamz and Through the Wire) and equal deep cuts (Family Business, Spaceship, I'll Fly Away). Beautiful soul production, great lyrics of coming up. Weird skits. Good features. The old Kanye is maybe the purest distillation of why he was such a great artist.

Good actual god, what ever happened to this Kanye?

I've never really been a huge fan of Kanye West, my introduction to him being seeing the music video for Stronger on RAGE as a kid. But man, this album was unbelievable. Not a single skip on here, I completely get why this album is so acclaimed. This album could have gone for 2 hours and I would have eaten it up like the pig I am. It was that good. If you can't separate the art from the artist, you shouldn't be on this site rating music, I guarantee I bet I'll see a bunch of paedophiles in your top artists. Get a grip. This album is flawless, no matter how rotten the artist is.

All time classic

I dunno. It would be too much to say that Kanye is growing on me. But this album was really funny :D And unfortunately, very catchy too. In summary: feeling blissful, not giving a fuck, and looking for my new job as a drug dealer

I don't care what your rating is, this is a good album. If you want to fight about it, meet me in the parking lot at 3

Wow! Production top-class, lyrics interesting and a welcome break from gangsta rap, incredible range of samples used. There's not one filler song here. Hip-Hop at its absolute finest. Love the skits too, as a degree holder it's a nice kick in the teeth from a different perspective. Last Call is an epic way of finishing it all off. Watched the Kanye documentary about Coodie and Chike a few weeks before listening to this, gave a great background on what the man went through to get to the point of being able to release this album. A producer, and a rapper?! One for the ages. Kanye is a lot of things, but he's undoubtedly a musical genuis too.

Favorite Track: Family Business

We all miss the old Kanye, don't we?

Amazing

One of my favorites! Too bad he hates Jews and lacks basic human decency!

I hate that this album is so great. I will separate the art from the artist and remember how I felt when this album came out. It was such a revelation and the songs were such a breath of fresh air. So sad what this guy became.

A pitch perfect debut from a musical genius and huge asshole. The beats and production are second to none.

this guy made vultures....

Im surprised with this one, I like it a lot

An all time debut album that totally helped evolve the rap game for ever

You miss the old Kanye? not a fan of Burzum kanye? Still on his meds kanye? me too, man. when he seemed to understand that "persona" used to mean mask. aesthetically I love the schizo-baroque edifice of the MBDTF era more than the smooth soul beats preppy Kanye, but this is something for the kids to listen to after all. A few songs overstay their welcome (Spaceship especially), and the album itself is probably slightly too long, but at the end of the day, who cares.

Known banger

Mega Platte! Schade, dass die Person dahinter ein absoluter Müllhaufen ist..

When I got this I was a little disappointed because I like Graduation and Late Registration of his early career more. After listening though I can’t believe how many good songs I’ve overlooked here. The entire album is a lot more solid throughout than I thought. This really throws my personal rankings of his albums out of order. Rating: 4.7

I don't think there's any denying this debut solidified West as a staple in music. This might be the most accessible, overall fun, silly and clever hip hop album ever created, and the start of an unparalleled run of quality albums in the 2000s.

Kanye's legendary opening statement instantly cemented himself as a genre-defining artist whose only real competition would be himself.

Through the wire All falls down Spaceship

I've been dreading the day that I get a Kanye album, I've been going back and forth as to whether I'm actually going to listen to it for moral reasons. My initial line of thinking was that I don't want this homophonic, misogynistic nazi to recieve any royalties from my streaming his music, but you know what? I'm here to judge the music, not the person. Now that the day has come for real that I get an album from this guy, it only feels right that I still give it a fair shot. Let's listen and see what happens.... Fuckkkkk why is this actually so goooood. I hate that the worst people are always the best musicians.

Escuchado

One of the best albums of all time.

automatic 5 for jesus walks and never let me down back to back, that's gospel to me

As a huge ex-Kanye fan, I was a little hesitant to listen to this again, but the lyricism and beats are truly phenomenal. It’s crazy hearing Kanye sound so well-spoken and passionate. 9/10 (rounding up)

It's one of the best rap albums of the 00s. Excellent production, unique bars from Kanye, the fire features on this album, and hearing Kanye's personal story on how he got to where he was are inspiring. He may be a bit wacky these days, but the man's talent and influence across hip-hop can not be questioned. Best - All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz, Breathe In Breathe Out, Through The Wire, Family Business, and Last Call Worse - no bad songs 5/5 P.S. Anyone who rates this man's album purely based on his actions and not the art itself is a sheep and has no free will.

As GLC says in Spaceship, "Lost my momma, lost my mind". It's a shame we'll never get this focused and introspective Kanye back, from around 2010 onwards he's just a lost soul. Somewhat understandable given what happened to his mum, but it just broke him completely. Never been the same. At least we'll always have this and 'Late Registration' to show that at one point he was completely changing hip-hop with his albums.

Legendary

Wow! I'm just blown away by this. This is the first time I've ever listened to any Kanye album - - I can't even say there's a particular reason why, and I feel silly admitting it. Of course I've caught the stray single here and there, but I never sat down and really gave ol' Kanye a chance. I'm 20 years late to this and I missed out! This doesn't really seem dated to me. Okay maybe what's popular these days has a different sound, so in that sense it may. But it doesn't feel inaccessible, shrouded by the mists of time. It still sounds very fresh and interesting and innovative to me. I think every aspect of this album was on point. I felt thoroughly entertained and mentally stimulated. The lyrics especially are so good, incisive, dripping with wit and cleverness. This is one of the few, if not the only so far, albums where I was completely unfamiliar with everything on it and gave it five stars, an easy five stars. A hidden gem, if only hidden to me. I will definitely revisit this album and check out his other stuff. PS. Seeing Kanye at the top of his game like this makes me sad in light of his ongoing mental health struggles. He's clearly very gifted.

Kanye’s The College Dropout is perhaps the most celebrated and well-crafted debut rap album ever. Just one look at the production is mind baffling, as this supposed up-and-coming rapper actually possesses immense musical talent. My god, every song on here is amazing. This backpack Kanye was genuinely amazing. Alls Falls Down is a top 10 song out of all genres for me, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz, Through the Wire, The New Workout Plan, essentially every song on this album hits hard. I should also mention the crazy good skit selections, ones that perfectly blend into the album’s flow. Just perfect. Best Song: All Falls Down Worst Song: School Spirit

9/10 Ahh, Kanye. Regardless of where he’s at now, he has been one of my favourite artist for a long time. I have a preference for the mid era around MBDTF, so this one doesn’t get enough love from me The best of the early Kanye albums Really flexing his muscles as a producer, this is basically all him. Sounds amazing, mix of his patented soul sound and some more forward-looking stuff Some excellent rhymes and wordplay Limited features, well selected Maybe 10 minutes too long and not everything is perfect, so 5 stars but not the full 10 Best: Jesus Walks

I miss the old Kanye. Yeah he’s a shitty guy now but this album is a masterpiece and the soundtrack to my college years.

That’s why he’s so the GOAT

Back when Kanye was good Kanye. This album is such a throwback. Fantastic tracks including the skits.

I mean it's just a classic no more no less, always good

Very good. Before Kanye went nuts

Missed the release of this because I was busy with a new baby and then all the ensuing controversies made me wary of all things Kanye. So I was surprised at how much I loved this. Crazy creative, musically literate, sarcastic, deeply misogynistic and funny with it.

classic. loved it, kanye’s so good

I miss the old Kanye

Hard to separate what is a really great album from what is a really shitful human being

Almost forgot Kanye is an immensley talented producer… This is outstanding!

**The College Dropout** by Kanye West: An In-Depth Review **Introduction** Released in February 2004, Kanye West's debut album, **The College Dropout**, is a pivotal work that not only launched West's career but also signaled a shift in the landscape of hip-hop. The album is noted for its innovative production, diverse themes, and introspective lyrics. This review delves into the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and its influence, while also highlighting the pros and cons of the work. **Lyrics** **The College Dropout** is renowned for its lyrical content, which stands out in the hip-hop genre due to its blend of personal storytelling, social commentary, and humor. Kanye's lyrics often reflect his own life experiences, including his decision to drop out of college, which is a central theme throughout the album. - **Personal Storytelling**: Tracks like "All Falls Down" and "Through the Wire" are deeply personal. In "All Falls Down," Kanye critiques societal expectations and materialism, reflecting on his own insecurities and struggles. "Through the Wire," famously recorded while his jaw was wired shut after a car accident, is a testament to his determination and passion for music. - **Social Commentary**: "Jesus Walks" addresses the intersection of faith and the struggles faced by black communities. Kanye's exploration of religion and systemic issues is both bold and poignant, offering a rare perspective in mainstream hip-hop. - **Humor and Wit**: Songs like "School Spirit" and "Breathe In, Breathe Out" showcase Kanye's playful side, with clever wordplay and a satirical take on college life and fame. **Pros**: The lyrics are relatable and reflective, offering a mix of humor, honesty, and critical observation. **Cons**: At times, Kanye's attempts at humor can feel forced or detract from the more serious messages. **Music** The musical landscape of **The College Dropout** is diverse, blending various genres and styles to create a unique sound that sets it apart from other hip-hop albums of the time. - **Soul Samples**: Kanye's signature use of soul samples is prominent throughout the album. Tracks like "Slow Jamz" (featuring Twista and Jamie Foxx) and "Spaceship" (featuring GLC and Consequence) showcase his ability to blend classic soul with modern beats, creating a nostalgic yet fresh sound. - **Instrumentation**: The album features a rich tapestry of instruments, including strings, pianos, and live drums, which add depth and complexity to the tracks. This is particularly evident in songs like "Family Business" and "Two Words" (featuring Mos Def, Freeway, and The Harlem Boys Choir). - **Variety of Styles**: Kanye experiments with various musical styles, from the gospel-infused "Jesus Walks" to the minimalist, almost spoken-word approach in "Last Call." **Pros**: The production is innovative and diverse, with a strong use of samples and live instrumentation that adds richness and variety. **Cons**: The eclectic mix of styles can sometimes lead to a lack of cohesion across the album. **Production** Kanye West's production on **The College Dropout** is a defining feature, showcasing his ability to craft intricate and engaging beats that complement his lyrical themes. - **Sample Usage**: Kanye's use of samples from artists like Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, and Aretha Franklin is masterful. He transforms these samples into something entirely new, creating beats that are both familiar and innovative. - **Attention to Detail**: The production is meticulous, with layers of sound that reveal themselves upon repeated listens. From the chipmunk-soul style of sped-up vocal samples to the orchestral arrangements, every element is carefully crafted. - **Collaborations**: The album features a range of guest artists, including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, and Common. These collaborations not only add variety but also showcase Kanye's ability to bring out the best in his collaborators. **Pros**: The production is top-notch, with a meticulous attention to detail and innovative use of samples and instrumentation. **Cons**: Some may find the heavy reliance on samples less original, though it is done skillfully. **Themes** **The College Dropout** explores a wide range of themes, making it a rich and multifaceted album. - **Education and Career**: The album's title and several tracks, such as "We Don't Care" and "School Spirit," address Kanye's decision to drop out of college and pursue music. This theme resonates with many listeners who question traditional paths to success. - **Faith and Spirituality**: "Jesus Walks" is a standout track that delves into Kanye's relationship with religion and his belief in a higher power guiding his journey. - **Struggle and Perseverance**: Tracks like "Through the Wire" and "Spaceship" highlight the challenges Kanye faced on his path to success, including his near-fatal car accident and struggles with working dead-end jobs. - **Materialism and Success**: "All Falls Down" and "Last Call" explore the pitfalls of materialism and the pressures of achieving success, offering a critique of the superficial aspects of fame and wealth. **Pros**: The themes are diverse and relatable, offering a mix of personal and universal messages that resonate with a wide audience. **Cons**: Some themes, particularly materialism, are addressed repeatedly, which can feel redundant. **Influence** **The College Dropout** has had a profound impact on the hip-hop genre and the music industry as a whole. - **Changing the Narrative**: Prior to this album, mainstream hip-hop was dominated by gangsta rap and themes of violence and excess. Kanye's introspective and conscious approach paved the way for other artists to explore more personal and socially conscious themes. - **Innovative Production**: Kanye's use of soul samples and live instrumentation influenced a new wave of producers who sought to blend classic and contemporary sounds. - **Breaking Stereotypes**: Kanye's success challenged the stereotype of the typical hip-hop artist. His background as a middle-class, college-educated individual showed that hip-hop could encompass a broader range of experiences and perspectives. - **Legacy**: The album's influence can be seen in the works of artists like Drake, Kid Cudi, and Chance the Rapper, who have all cited Kanye as a major influence on their music and careers. **Pros**: The album's influence on the genre is undeniable, opening doors for more diverse voices and sounds in hip-hop. **Cons**: Kanye's later behavior and controversies have sometimes overshadowed the positive impact of his early work. **Pros and Cons of the Album** **Pros**: 1. **Innovative Production**: Kanye's production is groundbreaking, with a masterful use of samples and a blend of various musical styles. 2. **Relatable Lyrics**: The lyrics are personal and reflective, resonating with a wide audience. 3. **Diverse Themes**: The album tackles a range of themes, from education and career to faith and perseverance. 4. **Influence on Hip-Hop**: The album has had a lasting impact on the genre, paving the way for more introspective and conscious hip-hop. **Cons**: 1. **Lack of Cohesion**: The eclectic mix of styles and themes can sometimes result in a lack of cohesion across the album. 2. **Repetitive Themes**: Some themes, particularly materialism, are addressed repeatedly, which can feel redundant. 3. **Forced Humor**: Kanye's attempts at humor can sometimes feel forced or detract from the more serious messages. **Conclusion** **The College Dropout** is a landmark album that established Kanye West as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Its innovative production, relatable lyrics, and diverse themes make it a standout work that continues to influence and inspire. While the album has its flaws, its impact on hip-hop and the broader music landscape is undeniable. Kanye's debut album remains a testament to his talent and vision, setting the stage for his continued evolution as an artist.

Kanye West is... a difficult character, to put it mildly. A near protofascist; a person with an extreme narcissistic or other personality disorder; bipolar disorder; and the thousand other things. But here's the catch: he's still a musical genius. This album is now 20 years old and it still sounds more fresh than almost anything out there. This album is an absolute banger. A classic of the genre. I imagine I will come across the other 2 of the trilogy here at some point, but man oh man. This album slaps soooooooo hard.

He used to be so good man.

5/5 - I miss the old Kanye.

I should’ve dropped out. It seems to be going really well for him.

When a lady walks up to me and says "Hey, you know what's sexy?" I say, "no, I don't know what it is But I bet I can add up all the change in your purse very fast"

Excellent Kanye album, lots of great tracks and guests. Definitely can hear on this one where he's starting to turn towards more eclectic beats and sounds. Great album from beginning to end.

Hard to separate from the artist, but can't deny the impact this had as a soundtrack during College.

Amazing as always

Amazing album

Obviously one of the best Kanye albums

Goated

I think this is a true masterpiece, which can be hard to say now that Kanye is what Kanye is.

I think this was the best rap album I've ever listened to. It's a shame that he's a bad person. It was easy to listen to, didn't overstay its welcome despite its considerable length, and had lots of variety.

Early Kanye. 10/10. No notes

People rating him as a person let's hope they did the same with MJ

One of my favorites