The College Dropout

Clearly a massively inspirational album for artists like Watsky and Logic. I really enjoyed this

Like the other Kanye album, would be a 5 but he made it. On a side note, thank you Jonah Hill for making Kanye cool with Jews.

Don't love Kanye but these are some bops

Kanye West 👎 The College Dropout 👍

A pretty good album, I liked Spaceship, Slow Jamz, Two Words and Last Call.

Incredible stuff on this album. Some of the skits are stupid, and this probably would have been better with cutting some songs out (1 hr 16 minutes is a long 'un). I will always be excited when this album comes on, even if Kanye has gone fully insane.

he was hungryyyy

Very 2000s sound, I really liked a lot of these songs! The album was just too long for my liking with all the skits, and some songs were way longer than they needed to be 4 ⭐️

As time went by, I changed my mind about this project. There are thoughts that stayed with me, and others that changed. But here is my review of Kanye's first project. The College Dropout' is Kanye West's first album. A Chicago artist who was already making a name for himself in the US for his production appearances on albums by artists such as Jay-Z. The latter releasing 'The Blueprint' where he shines in full. February 10, 2004 arrived and Kanye West finally debuted. The College Dropout' was released, an album that to this day would be considered one of the best in Hip Hop. Why does it stand out so much? It came out at a time when what was most popular with the public was Gangsta Rap and guys like 50 Cent. Kanye West, on the other hand, was a normal guy who wore pink polo shirts and loved his mother. This was the key to Kanye West's success. That and his self-esteem. What makes this project so great lyrically is that it's where Kanye West knows how to best blend his comedy with his interpretation of life. Where these two can coexist without clashing. Kanye West speaks as if he were one of us, with experiences that could happen to anyone. Songs like 'Through the Wire' stand out for how they speak of such delicate subjects with such versatility. It is also the album where we see Kanye West having fun with his music. Having a good time. Doing what he loves. In terms of production, I think it's his most interesting album, playing a lot with samples and jazz/soul/nu soul bases. That's what catches you the most of the project, the beautiful variety of instrumentals he has. There are some tracks that I connect with less than others, as is evident in basically any project, but overall it's a very complete album.

Really good stuff. Watch the documentary on Netflix if you want to know more about the stuff Kanye when through to get the album made. Doesn't detract from what he has become now. But this album on its own is good. Only didn't like the 12 minute ending song

horrific person. excellent album

Favorite: All Falls Down Least Favorite: Workout Plan

There are some really great songs on this album, but the first few songs, the last track, and the skits hold it back from greatness. Still a very good album, though.

im so im so im so northern california

-1 for nos addiction

The person Kanye wouldnt get a single star, he seems like a first class douchebag. The rapper Kanye is quite alright, with a little help from his friends it works. The producer Kanye is what makes this record. The soul and Motownsamples hits a sweet spot for me, that gangstarap never will.

I've never been particularly impressed with Kanye's flow and wordplay, this album is proof his rapping ability is his weakest especially when compared to his features. This album is a great showcase of why he gained his popularity as a producer and why he's been so successful with his projects going forward. Memorable beats, great sample flips and impressive mix of instruments and genres. Also, fuck Kanye West.

Guy is a lunatic now but good album

Rating the album and not the person, College Dropout is a cohesive vision that helped shift rap to the conscious and self reflective version that I enjoy. Amazing beats, guest artists, and overall feels like a work that West put his heart and soul into.

I miss the old Kanye

the new workout plan - such a good song possibly the album that changes my life

Fav: Two Words Least Fav: Get Em High Not bad for my first hip hop album of this project

This is absolutely some of Kanye’s greatest work. My favorites were “All Falls Down” and “Through The Wire”

Damn you, you racist pig. Why do you have to make decent music?

I’m a middle class white English guy who had never heard of Kanye apart from the somewhat embarrassing clips and news articles you see online. I don’t think I’m his typical demographic. I certainly never listened to his music. But wow! That was great! It didn’t feel like a typical album, it felt like a show. Each song blended in with the next nicely. It was very immersive, there was lots of variation on the style of music as the album progressed. I’m not sure I agree with some of his lyrics, but it’s an entertaining listen.

Tunes

- Ach, da war die Welt noch in Ordnung. Kanye war der neuste heißeste Scheiß und galt als upcoming underground Künstler. - Erinnere mich noch, dass Alina das Album viel gehört hat, vor allem All Falls Down und Through The Wire. Erinnere mich ebenso, dass ich den Typen damals irgendwie cooler Fand als Nelly, P-Diddy, Neyo usw. - Es mag nicht sein künstlerischer Höhepunkt sein, dafür bestimmt aber sein psychischer. - Stimmiges, rundes und seichtes Album 3,75/5

3.7/5. Listened 1x. Enjoyed much more than the previous one listened to.

Drops a star only because I get a bit bored of the interludes and skits but it is the style of this kind of album and is made up for by the absolute gems on here, the production is insane. Ye's mad, but that's why he's a genius.

there's a reason why this launched his career

It’s too bad he’s gone around the bend crazy, because this is a really good piece of work. Rating this on its merits and not his jackassery.

I surprisingly really enjoyed this album, not one for Kanye but this was good

Dk

this was a bit better than i was expecting. ive always found kanye to be pretty mid and this didnt really change that but some of the humor was actually pretty funny and theres some unique beats on here. 7/10

Regardless of what you think about him as a person, Kanye West has always been quite the genius when it comes to rap music and The College Dropout shows this, even from the very start. The lyrics could range from quite a lot of different topics from religion to education and many of the lyrics in all of these songs were really smart and cool sounding like he wasn't afraid to talk about what he wanted to talk about. The production here was also really good and even the skit tracks fit really well. This one might be along one at a 76 minute runtime but it did more than enough to keep me interested. This truly is a great one. Best Song: Two Words Worst Song: Breathe In Breathe Out

The first thing I remember about Kanye is the video for All Falls Down and the girl from Clueless walking around in it with hard nipples. Anyways This is classic Kanye, in my opinion he has not changed his style and delivery. If you find yourself a late blooming Kanye fan, you can rejoice in knowing that album 1 follows the same lines as whatever set of songs you liked later on in his career. Choice cut: The New Workout Plan

Not bad but still an overrated artist imo

Today, instead of having a great, interesting rock album ruined by vocals that I just don’t enjoy, we have a great, interesting rap album ruined by vocals I just don’t enjoy.

There's a lot of opinions about Kanye and his controversial appearences. But all that aside, this album rocks. It's so freaking well produced. The album is loooong and full of Top tracks: We Don't Care, All Falls Down, Never Let Me Down, Get Em High, Slow Jamz, Breathe In Breathe out, School Spirit, Two Words, Through The Wire, Family Business and Last Call. It's one one of those albums that just don't feel like an debut album, even though its Kanyes first in his own name.

I miss the old Kanye. A classic record from a very divisive celebrity. As time has gone on it’s been harder to separate the artist from the art with Kanye. As someone who used to be a fan of his music I got used to ignoring his antics outside of his releases for a long time. Of course that all stopped once he got into the Nazi/MAGA bullshit. His music started going downhill and into overly religious territory too for my taste so he no longer had anything that I could connect to anymore. The last Kanye West album I truly enjoyed was Yeesus. Every album before that was phenomenal with the highlight for me being My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The College Dropout was the “backpacker determined to prove himself as a rapper and producer” era of Mr West. I remember seeing the MTV thing that aired talking about Kanye as an emerging artist. That was where I heard about his car accident and rapping through his mouth being wired shut for Through The Wire. Pretty incredible story and showed his determination. His trademark production style that he honed for Jay Z and other rappers shines here on this debut.

Apparently it's not too tricky to rock a rhyme that's right on time; everybody's doing it now. So now that rhyming in time is a given, the focus shifts to the beat and what you are saying. "I'm a spiritual being, an instrument of God, so pass that joint so I can go give her that dick all of the time, motherfukka." -- Paraphrased quote from Kanye West Not really sure where he's coming from, but his production and flow is definitely cleaner than his lyrics. "School Spirit" is a sure to be played at the mentioned fraternities, despite the relevant dig at higher education in "Lil Jimmy Skit" where the goal is to be the smartest dead guy without money to leave one's family. 1/3 serious, 1/3 satire, 1/3 self-righteous, The College Dropout has something to say, even if tongue-in-cheek. "The New Work Out Plan" is just funny from concept to execution. This album opens the door wide to whatever possibilities rap can become after the gansta rap of the mid-nineties. "We Don't Care", "Spaceship", "Through the Wire", and "Family Business" are highlights here. I can appreciate Kanye telling his story on "Last Call"; so if you don't know, now you know.

This is undeniably great. First and only Kanye album i don't find utterly unsufferable.

One of Kanye’s best albums. Love it

Hadn't listened to this one for a bit. I really like it, except the skits are dumb, and it's too long. Those drag down what could have been pretty much perfect. 4.25/5

ngl i liked it better than i expected

Good album. Takes me back to my growing up years.

This was a great album at the time!! It holds up even though Kanye has not. It’s a little bit long which is why I give it a four.

Although I really don’t like the artist and his behavior, I gotta admit that this concept is really fun and entertaining to dive into…

It's hard not to compare this to the CeeLo Green album from the same year, 2004, because I just listened to that one before this. You have 2 hip hop artists with large egos trying to make it on a competitive scene with their distinctive soul style. Unfortunately for CeeLo, Kanye actually has the talent. As flawed as he is, and insufferable now, Kanye was undeniably fresh. The way he layers sounds on sounds on vocals is magical. My favorite tracks: All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Through the Wire. Honorable mention to School Spirit, which isn't as deep in the lyrics but just fun to listen to. Respect to Kanye for bringing his religion into his music in a way that doesn't turn me off.

Not really a rap or Kanye West fan, but my husband’s excitement that I would be listening to this softened me a little. I have to say that I did actually like it and some of the lyrics were pretty funny. "Oh my God, is that a black card?" I turned around and replied, "Why yes But I prefer the term African American Express" 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

El 5 solo es para Elvis

I'm not here to talk about the character and beliefs of Kanye West (especially after recent years). This isn't the place for that. Instead I'm going to separate the art from the artist for the moment, transport myself back to 2004 and analyze Kanye's debut studio album. I've always been fond of this album and the whole "Dropout Bear" trilogy. This era of Kanye is him at his artistic best in my opinion. The production is top-notch, which makes sense given Kanye's history as a producer. Very soul and gospel-inspired too, given the samples featured throughout. This was also the height of "chipmunk soul" in hip-hop, which featured those noticeable sped up and pitch shifted samples of the aforementioned soul and R&B. (I was today years old when I learned that this style of hip-hop had that name. Pretty apt name I guess!) Kanye has always been socially/politically conscious and introspective in his work and the see the start of that here. The stretch of "Jesus Walks" immediately followed by "Never Let Me Down" are good examples, with the former focusing on religion and its lack of representation in media/music in favor of more "marketable" content. The latter, along with "Through The Wire", recount Kanye's experiences and reflection on life after enduring a near-death car crash during production. There is a lot to this album. The skits and what essentially amounts to a monologue in the finale "Last Call" bloats the album a bit. Some big names in the hip-hop industry lend their talents nicely here, though. It's still high quality and served as an announcement to the hip-hop world that Kanye West was more than just a solid producer and could rap about some thought-provoking content while having a little sense of humor. I wouldn't peg this as my favorite in the "Dropout Bear" trilogy, but it's still pretty damn good.

Good lengh and diversity in songs. They are all memorable songs, with great features with other artists.

Listening to this now, it's a bittersweet feeling. He was crazy talented, but it sucks that his brain broke like that.

Kanye's best work

Separating the art from the artist is tricky, especially when said artist makes very personal music. Kanye wasn’t particularly problematic at this time, he was a breath of fresh air in the mainstream when this album came out. As an obsessive underground rap nerd, he bridged the gap in a way few did. I listen to the bulk of the albums in this project at the gym in the morning. The gym I belong to is at the Jewish Community Center. His turn to maga nazi was tough for me as a longtime fan, but his early work is still very important to me.

Tirando uma ou outra faixa de transição, as faixas musicais são ótimas. 4/5 Destaques para: Jesus Walks que é uma das musicas mais clássicas do Kanye

this makes me nostalgic for when kanye wasn’t unsupportable. the skits hold this one back could i write poetry to this? y

This album is amazing. The beats are great, the lyrics are clever. I understand not wanting to listen to Kanye because of things he's said and done, but I think he's having severe mental health problems. He's not dealing with his issues, and he doesn't deserve a platform NOW. But this album was obviously recorded by a different person.

Yeeeeeee? Okayyyyyyy Some bangers, some not bangers 4/5

Strong album I think. I feel like this album is way before the line where Kanye became more problematic, so I'm still willing to back the music. Jesus Walks was my favourite track.

Man, if only this Kanye could still be here today. I really enjoyed this album for the most part - despite him seeming like a braggadocios, annoying frat boy at some parts. "Jesus Walks", "All Falls Down", "Slow Jamz", "We Don't Care" and "The New Workout Plan" - all great songs.

Before he was the Kanye that everybody knows today he was a pretty good rapper. Kanye it seems is not a very good human being but I tried to put that to one side when listening to this album. I haven't heard this album in years I bought it just after I had bought his 2nd album and it is a really good album his lyrics focus on his life growing up, his love for his mother and having his jaw wired shut (something a lot of people which he had done now). I prefer the 2nd album but this one still has some great tunes on in with Jesus Walks and Through The Wire being the highlights as well as the hits. Whatever has happened since back in the mid 2000s Kanye made some good music.

A classic that was on a constant loop for me in my early 20s, but now it’s hard for me to listen to these songs. Did we cancel ‘Ye or did he cancel himself? That’s always worth asking in these debates over cancel culture. If he’s still deserving of your attention, by all means, rock that “School Spirit.” But he’s lost mine.

Once again, one to see without the rose tinted nostalgia glasses. "sounds like Kanye West" was the first thought on my mind upon first listen. But then again by reading I understand that this was his first album and that it formed a massive building block on top of which this genre has continued building. Even the "BBL DRIZZY" Tiktok latest owes the "chipmunk soul" to this album. Fascinating! One to come back to - cannot give it 5 because it hasn't haunted me, but perhaps it's one of those that I wish I could've voted 5 on...

*3.5*

I mean, so good. But difficult to listen to.

It's a very good debut album. Kanye establishes himself well to the audience. The production is quality and very well thought out. Obviously there are some absolute stone cold classics here but they didn't immediately stand out to me as a new listener. Overall good album.

Really like this album. I love early Kanye. The production, the beats, some good turns of phrase. The sampling and use of the human voice as its own unique instrument is always good. However, it's a shame he became the type of person he spoke out against within this album.

Setting aside the fact that Kanye West is a horrible human being, his talent as a musician cannot be denied. I'm not a fan of the hip hop genre, but I forgot my dislike of rap entirely while listening to this album. The melodic backing tracks made it easily digestable for a non-rap fan like me. Strangely enough I even heard some soul influences in there, which I really enjoyed. I didn't even mind the skits, they really fit the overall vibe of the album. Lyrically, we get some interesting stories about Kanye pre-fame which are intriguing to hear considering the (awful) person he's become now. Overall, this album is not something I'd listen to again, but I recognise its quality and significance.

nostalgia

I accidentally split this album over two days and I think that benefitted my appreciation bc this album is long, but the last half is so charming and personal that im glad i had a fresh attention span for it. Through the Wire is great. Currently listening to the runout of "Last Call" 20 years later. Well. It's a good album at least. It was a 3 yesterday, but it's a 4 today.

There's an incredibly tight 55min album in here. I still remember being transfixed by the Through the Wire video and it might have been one of the first rap songs I had fully memorized. It's a bummer to know what Kanye is like now, but this album still feels fresh and interesting to listen to.

I know this isn’t a popular opinion at the moment, but I have always been a fan of Kanye’s music. I was in high school when this came out and I was instantly hooked. I think he is a very talented, yet troubled person. I hope he gets the help he needs because his music is special and so is this album.

mjög góð, of löng. uppfylliefni. 4,5.

Jesus Walks is a fave. And for all his shortcomings, Kanye can drop a beat.

Enjoyable, with a sense of humour.

This would have been a 5 if dude wasn't a nazi now.

Not my usual kind of thing, but it is a very good and unique album. Kanye may have ruined his own reputation by being a bit of a madman, but he made some good music.

4.5

Talented. Too bad about the mental illness though, Ye know?

Ignoring West's current behaviour, this is still a good listen. Overlong and too many skits but there's some strong stuff here

it’s a good album with great production. it’s hard to separate the art from the artist here though given what we know about kanye now. will not listen to this again but happy i did a full listen at least once on my own.

a fun infusion of pop and chipmunk soul with Kanye's storytelling abilities, plus a twinge of sadness tied to his recent albums. good album.

Yoooo

"I don't know about sex but I bet I could count the change in your purse very fast." After yesterday the world clearly decided to prove to me Kanye West is actually good. Packed up and cooked listening to this (didn't need a repeat dog incident) but I actually had a bop, and a laugh. Idk how much persecution he's getting for talking about Jesus in America tho

4/5

Spoiler alert - Graduation Kanye is my favorite Kanye. I prefer Kanye’s message and personality in this album, but his overall abilities as an artist (producing and rapping) are not to the level of graduation, 808’s, and MBTDF. He still has some of his highest highs in this album in songs like all falls down, we don’t care, and slow jamz. The album in general is clearly more elementary though and has some weaker songs. Kanye is corny as hell, but still so arrogant that it works. He shows more humility in this album than later albums though, talking about how people didn’t think he could rap and how he had to prove himself. Jesus walks was one of the biggest middle school anthems for us. I could see Kanye looking back at this album and cringing at some of the songs though. With all of that in mind, this album has one of my favorite Kanye lines - “Some of them dyslexic, their favorite 50 Cent song 12 questions.” In spite of him not rapping to the same level of some of his peers, he is one of the goats of 1 liners like that.

Early Kanye is so much better than the later “head up his own arse” Kanye.

Fáránlega góð debjú plata. Ekki besta stöffið en samt drullu gott hjá honum. Through the wire og All falls down eru helvíti góð lög. Þetta skit dæmi er mjög leiðagjarnt.

Solid hip hop classic. Not my favourite but produced to the max. Deserves a place on the list, whatever your opinion of Kanye.

Альбому вот двадцать лет было, насколько я понимаю. И это очень забавно, на самом деле. Кане Вест вот этим самым альбомом убил моду на вот этот разбавленный ар-эн-би начала двухтысячных, на все это однообразие, да банально разбавил всю эту хип-хоп риторику о тяжести гангста-жизни в любом городе на земле будто бы. И вот двадцать лет спустя визуальная мода возвращается в начало нулевых, поп-хоп уже лет пять (десять?) стоит на месте, даже последний альбом Кане Веста в этом смысле лучше не делает, а повторяет те же самые шаблоны, что и все остальные. И более того, некогда революционер, сейчас взрывает головы другой совершенно выдающейся (очередной) поебенью: люди буквально забивают хер на всё, что этот человек позволяет себе говорить и делать, из-за битов? Так получается? Для меня то, как Кане Вест бьется со своей отменой, конечно пример вот этой новой революции, когда можно сказать абсолютно непростительную хуйню, не признать своих ошибок, и тем не менее продолжать купаться в славе, забираться на топ-1 билборда или чего там, развивать какой-то ритейл-бизнес и всё прочее. Человек, который постит извинения в соц. сетях, а после в музыке выставляет всех тех, кто повелся на эти же извинения, дураками. Человек, который не первый раз оказывается в абсолютно диких скандалах. И всё это прощается релизом новой, довольно стандартной музыки с на новом уровне кринжовыми барами. Как при всем при этом, заслугах двадцать лет назад против "заслуг" вот сейчас, можно разделять артиста и его творчество, каким бы хорошим оно ни было? Лучшая песня - Jesus Walks.

Bit long but lots of bangers

Was I expecting to enjoy this? Nope. But I did. West's lyrics remain fun and impressive for the duration of the album. Skits on rap albums are hit or miss -- and these definitely missed. Another miss is the final track "Last Call," which is a 12-minute poem/monologue about West finally breaking into the music industry. But everything else was pretty good.

I can see why Kanye is so revered. The highs on this album are very high. The beats are just incredible, with a lot of great samples. But, this album suffers from bloat, especially that 12 minute song to end it

Don’t like the guy, but have to admit this album is kind of awesome.

Pretty wild listen. I see why people liked it so much.

Have I heard this album before? Yes Highlights: We Don’t Care, All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Never Let Me Down, Slow Jamz, School Spirit, Two Words, Through The Wire, Family Business Favourite Song: Never Let Me Down Rating: 9.4/10 The production on this is amazing, so rich and soulful. Kanye himself raps with so much personality and there are great features littered throughout. So many hits, possibly his best.

4. Listened previously

Good album

This album is a real listening exercise in separating the art from the artist. I want to judge the album without having my opinions of Kanye influence it but it's hard when his personality is so pervasive throughout. Regardless, this is one of the best produced albums you will ever hear. The lyrics bounce between juvenile and deep, but there some incredible tracks on here that elevate the hip hop of its time and still don't feel dated.

Yeah he’s a dick but this was good

*THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONDONE THE RECENT WORDS/ACTIONS OF THE ARTIST GIVEN IN RECENT YEARS* An excellent debut, with great beats, and awesome guest features.

Great album from Ye before he became extra crazy

I hated how good this was.

Putting personal feelings about Kanye, especially in recent years, aside: this is a fantastic debut album. The production is stellar, the features and skits perfectly complement the songs, and Kanye has some of his strongest and funniest bars throughout the record. Is it my favourite Kanye album? No - there’s a fair bit of filler towards the middle (I’ve never cared for The New Workout Plan for example). But songs like All Falls Down, Never Let Me Down, Jesus Walks, and Through the Wire show the hunger and passion that early Kanye had in spades and, while it goes a bit long, Last Call demonstrates a humility behind the bravado - all aspects of his personality that made him such an undeniable force in hip-hop that have sadly been missing for the last few years

starting to get some of the hype all falls down never let me down slow jamz school spirit two words

It’s a really impressive first album. There are certainly some reasonable cuts that could be made, particularly in the back half, and I don’t think anyone would really miss New Workout Plan or School Spirit, but there are a lot of real hitters. Through the Wire, We Don’t Care, All Falls Down, and Jesus Walks are all incredible. With the benefit of hindsight, things like chipmunk soul and the sort of benign topics he raps about are also super influential to artists that came after, and especially to those he would go on to produce for.

There’s something so intoxicating about an early Kanye beat. He had it figured out. Had such a good persona and a good ability to communicate like he was talking to you while rapping. What happened man

Amazing album, probably his best Great beats and witty lyrics at times 4.5

Incredible debut album

Man, it's too bad that the crazy eventually completely won the battle with talent in this dude.

I came into this biased against Kanye as an artist and a person. I will devote the beginning of my review to expressing my annoyance at the huge number of people who are coming here to call Kanye a nazi or an antisemite, state they refuse to generate him 0.04 cents in streaming revenue and then leaving a 1. The point is to listen the album and rate THE ALBUM. If you don’t want to listen, skip it. As much as he should be dragged for expressing his dogshit opinions, he is also wildly mentally ill and off his meds, ya know? Anyway, this thing is a fuckin’ banger. I always genuinely thought Kanye was lame and overhyped, but this thing is really fucking good. The production is really solid, hooks are good, rhymes are tight. The only reason I’m not giving this a 5 is because Kanye himself is objectively a below average rapper (boring flow - I can name 10 better skilled rappers off the top of my head) and the skits on here add nothing (possibly subtract).

I like it fine. It's pretty good. But it was kind of the beginning of the end of hip hop

heavy rotation in my car

I'm not a fan of rap but I have to say this album did connect. Most rap are words spoken (or some verbal means) with plenty of profanity to a beat. This album had all that but also had musical sense.

Love this. Never tire of it. I wish he wasn't such a wierdo.

Thoughts before listening: Kanye from when he was still interested in putting out smart, fun hip hop bangers. This is a fun album with lots of iconic songs. Kanye is insufferable now but I still enjoy his early albums. Review: This album is great...even if Kanye is like the worst person ever now. So many great songs and even the skits tend to fall on the right side of funny where as most rap album skits are cringey as hell. "We Don't Care", "All Falls Down", "Spaceship", "Jesus Walks", "Through the Wire", and "Slow Jamz" are all very good songs that are getting added to the playlist. 4-stars.

Kanye West worked his ass off to break through in the music industry, then dropped one of the greatest debut albums in rap history. And 20 years later, look what he’s become. There are a lot of tragedies in the history of hip hop. Most of them sadly end in death. But instead Kanye’s story was one of a steady decline into paranoia, celebrity excess, mental illness, and hate. Kanye is culturally significant for a lot of reasons, many of them dubious. But “The College Dropout” is why Kanye is musically significant. I can’t stand him now, but I can’t deny the brilliance of his start any more than I can deny the lunacy of his present. “College Dropout” treads a fine line, with Kanye walking in two worlds - one of hip hop’s excesses of dope and bling, and one of consciousness and social critique. The writing is self-aware and filled with references and call-outs. The guest spots are well placed. Kanye demonstrates his rapping skills with a great flow and often seems to be having fun. And there isn’t a hint of auto-tuned vocals. It’s surprising that he had such a difficult time getting an opportunity as a rapper and not just as a producer. His talent and skills are evident throughout “The College Dropout.” If only things hadn’t gone steadily downhill after “Graduation.” He is now a terrible person dealing with likely mental illness, but I can’t imagine completely missing out on his early work because of who he’s become. There are a lot of terrible people in the history of popular music. I don’t know how to rank or compare their different crimes and aggravations, but my bar is higher than this for flat out refusing to even listen to the music. I’ll definitely judge it with caveats, through a different lens than I would have when it first came out. I’ve deducted a single star from other artists who turned out to be awful people - how do Ye’s shenanigans and hate compare to that? Musically, in a vacuum, this is a five star album.

Kanye is nuts but this debut album is quite good

I always avoided anything 'Kanye West' related as I've been under the impression he was a cunt. Those fucking awful Kardashians he hopped into bed with made matters worse. His gradual decline into being a mentalist added more fuel to the fire. In summary, he is a cunt, he's got more cuntier over time, the Kardashians are also cunts, but this is a great album! I'm very torn, I guess the only take away here is cunts can make good music.

This was frustratingly pretty solid. Kanye is a horrendous person but the beats were largely good, except for the pitch shifted singing which I've always hated. Kanye actually had really good flow on this, and there were a few lines that were unexpectedly self deprecating, really worked against the general self promotion. For the genre it was quite light on guns and girls, I even laughed at the college skits. It was still overproduced, too long and not very varied but far better than expected. 3.5.

For me, Kanye West is 808s and Heartbreak, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Yeezus is cracking, I like Watch the Throne with Jay-Z, and would pick and choose songs from his earlier albums. So I've not listened to his first three "academic" albums in full. The College Dropout was very, very solid. Jesus Walks and The New Workout Plan stood out most. Regarding skits, I do not understand the re-listen value. Last Call was very interesting, but I wouldn't listen to the story again. 3.5 stars. Bad boy bonus, of course, but this isn't a 5 album.

I've listened to "my dark twisted fantasy" before, but not this. I think this is better. He sounds down to earth here, not completely full of himself. I really think he's got some sort of mental issues, which make him like he currently is so won't say anything more about that..... He is a gay fish though. Hilarious that he actually seems still not to understand that joke. Think he actually mentions it in a track on the twisted fantasy album. Anyway, this is actually good and I will be back. I think Jesus walks is the highlight. 3.5

graduation day, spaceship, the new workout plan, two worlds my first time listening to this album and i can't deny how amazing his music was. it's sad what his untreated mental illness has done to him...):

good album can't deny that Jesus walks, New workout plan, all falls down

Peak Kanye

In 2024 I oscillate between Kanye’s a garbage human and I hate him, and Kanye’s clearly need mental health help and isn’t getting it. Either way, I don’t much like the guy. I’ve never listened to his music before he went off the deep end and I certainly wasn’t planning on listening if it wasn’t for this project. I listened through YouTube as to not generate any streaming revenue for this guy. That said, this album is really really good. If you separate the art from the man, which I absolutely think is possible, then objectively this album is one of the best hip hop albums. He’s still a garbage human being.

I like this album a lot. Workout plan is hysterical. Two words is my fave.

Jojojaoaja

Obligatory Kanye is horrible, which means that this will be my only listen-through for this album. With that out of the way. This is an incredibly impressive and fun hip-hop album which samples heavily from soul music while showcasing Kanye’s signature heavy percussion and grand string arrangements. His flows are all great, and I love the ground covered by the lyrics as he moves back and forth between being funny and introspective. Overall I think the album is pretty great, and the fact that it was his solo debut makes it even more impressive. My only quibble is that I do think it’s bloated, with some forgettable tracks and wayyy too many skits. 4.5 leaning 4.

First Kanye album I've ever listened to. Pretty good.

Solid early Kanye.

doidera

Lots of good songs, including "Slow Jamz" with Twista

This album was hit or miss for me. Some songs I couldn't stand, and some will be in my regular rotation for a long time. Overall I'm glad I listened to this album.

Kanye, before all of the controversy or maybe at least most of it, had a real spark. Juxtaposed vs his later albums it is shocking. Kid from Chi who want to talk about black power and God to... Whatever you may say he is now. This album is a primer on mid early 00s production. You can tell what items he has kept to himself for his inevitable debut. This album only lulls in a couple of tracks and really only carries a couple of consistent faults: a few too many skits (though some are great) and Kanye poorly singing one too many hooks. Remarkable how well it held up and how it transported me back to that time. I miss the old Kanye, straight from the 'Go Kanye Chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye

Being honest here, Rap doesn’t really have much to it musically, just a good hook and a base line is all you need, and then it’s all about the lyrics. Kanye’s lyrics are good, he has some important things to say, and says them well. As Rap goes this is among the better stuff.

Really hard to separate the art with the artist with this one. Production value is really high. I can just listen to it without caring about the lyrics, I guess.

Really wish he didn't decide to be evil.

Interesting. Recognised more than thought I would. Would revisit.

Going to try and separate the art from the artist on this one. I find 2024 Kanye to be a mentally unstable insane person who does and says horrible things and someone who I couldn’t support. That being said, this album is a fantastic hip hop album and very nostalgic to my high school days.

All very good + several bangers

It’s a great album. I’m never a fan of skins on albums, they just date the album and hurt the replay value for me. It loses a star for that

my favourite kanye album

This album is pretty interesting

Never really listened to kanye and dislike the person he is but this album surprised me

I know one song of this, Jesus walks, and it's not a bad one. I'm expecting more from him, since this is one of his best albums(so I've heard). The first song was an intro, weird voice and not literally but still mentioned the album name. Oh wow second song is so good. It has an RB vibe but better. Oh now rap, it's so smooth, idk how. There is a jazz like sample also. The chorus is veery good. Kids? Chaotic song indeed. The fact that kids sing that drugs part makes it more iconic. Also song meaning is to break through society ideals. There was two trainsitions already wow. Into the third song, I've heard that voice actually it's a meme I think. The operatic woman voice is idk what it is. Ouuu such beats. I love it. Little classical RB (to me at least). 4th song is also vibey, it's smooth rap again. Like I would rap with him, that kind of vibe. There's an RB woman voice with him rapping (excepted from Kanye). Also I'm not a fan of him(I only know 13 songs of him). Bridge was without the main bass and beat, and it kind of slayed(first time using this word for an album). I like his parts when he sings along with that woman, it's unlike him so. A transition to the 5th song, a slight one. It's giving temptations, the start(Black men vocalising basically) oops it was an interlude, well it wasn't bad. 6th song(loving it so far). The rap is less smooth but still a good one. There's vocalising in the background and woman singing after that. Kanye isn't rapping for now I think. The other two did a satisfying job at rapping I must say. I quite loved it, the gospel made it better too. 7th song, the one I know, it's giving him I think. I love the way that woman says "jesus walk". There's black woman vocalisation along with Kanye rapping, perfectt. This was as good as expected. 8th song and JAY Z. also there's ivy I sense she's an RB singer. Jay started the rap. Kanye has a better style of rapping I think, jay has a voice that I can't find nice to hear. Greaat, going well, it changed the vibe twice I think, the bridge and stuff. 9th song has an classic hip hop vibe. No samples or added voices just plain rapping. That woman's short rapp was very good. Not the other guy's one. It was low key monotonous but not bad. 10th song is mean girls talking smth, nothing much. 11th song has a Latino piano vibe. I love it. The violin, the beat. I like the little epicness in this song. Kanye has some fun rhymes too btw. The woman voice comes and praises Kanye. Same with another woman. I am liking this more and more. The mean girls continue talking in this song, not mean girls apparently. The best changed fully. I love the last part of the song. The end sample is so out of place. 12th song Starts with the talking then comes RB's girl vibe. That Michael Jackson joke was funny. It's chill for a too long time. I liked that rap tho. Ohh Twista came in fasst. I love him for that verse. I don't like the chorus. Basically the ending is boring. 13th song, I rap along with him, it's so fun. Ludacris has an amazing hook. Kanye's verses are good but not as catchy. I liked this because of the overall catchyness. 14th song, it's an interlude, he's talking. Great transition to the 15th song, which has a sample instantly going on and his rap which I low key already like. I didn't like this one as much as the other ones, it was too repetitive I think, but the lyrics were interesting somehow. 16th song is the continuation, a motivational message is what I'm hearing. WAIT, 17TH SONG IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF THAT MEN'S CHILD, oh a father trauma continued and he also wanted to become a nerd basically, I think Kanye is showing us why dropping from college is a valid idea? Idk seems like it, I love this skit quite a lot, it's unique. 18th song, it's nothing different, I don't catch the lyrics to be about what was a problem in the last three song. But there is the vibe in the room with us. He says two words and actually says two words after it, fun. The choir makes it better, little more dramatic. There is some instrument at the end, it sounds too good. 19th song, it's a vibey song, but not catchy or interesting. He raps in a satisfying way in all the songs, so that's the bare minimum for Kanye now. I want to check the meanings, but I'm too lazy. 20th song, is about his dead cousin(?) for now at least. The children singing is enjoyable in a weird way. He talks about his family basically. It wasn't bad, just not sure what it was exactly. 21th, whaaat 12 minutes? What has he has to say? It was jay z at the start. The song is gonna be about his life story, wow. I'm not gonna write his story here, but it's interesting. It's about him fully and like he has a point, but he's still a bad guy overall from what I've heard so who knows. He said how he used a sample for the first time. He's telling a story of him and jay z, I'm hooked. He wasn't accepted instantly and actually worked for today's title I guess. Not gonna say a lot about this song, but I want to, it was great and too good, I loved that it was storylined. Basicallyyy Imma rate this 4 stars, it was fun, especially the last song. He raps in a very good way, can't get enough of it, the samples were great. However it's not a 5 star album, because hip hop is not my main genre, plus Kanye is a shady person, also there were some songs that were not as good. Overall I loved it.

Obviously a good album, but not peak kanye yet.

Kanye's music used to be so fun, serious themes with a silly presentation.

It's not written for me, but I appreciate the musical talent and wordplay behind it.

amazing favorite tracks: Slow Jamz, All Falls Down, Get Em High

Before Kanye lost his damn mind, he was one of the most creative and innovative rappers/producers out there. To say this one changed the game would be a huge disservice. He created a genre with this one. And it is a shame he isn't doing it anymore, because this was an amazing debut. 9.2/10

I really hate how much I am enjoying this album. I still hate Kanye as a person and overall his later music. Ah, this last song is the Kanye I know and hate...

A masterpiece from a maniac. His 2nd best, next to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Bom, começando aqui a ouvir e já começo com essa pedrada. Já havia ouvido antes, claro, e é ótimo poder revisitar músicas que você já não ouvia há tempos. Sempre que acontece, eu gosto e ainda mais quando as músicas são boas assim. Sabe, tem coisas sobre esse álbum que são muito valiosas que são: 1) Uma saúde mental do Kanye mais em dia (definitivamente mais em dia do que hoje); 2) A criatividade LATENTE, TANGENTE, PULSANTE que ele tinha nessa época; 3) O homem canta muito bem, obrigado; 4) Os feats, aqui, estão até hoje, entre os melhores da carreira dele; 5) Produz muitoooooooooooooo, dá pra ouvir detalhe diferente toda vez que for ouvir, são muitas camadas de tudo. Infelizmente para muitos, esse continua sendo o melhor disco dele.

Tough. I get why people won't listen to this. He has said some pretty hateful things about Jewish people. However, he also has some serious mental health issues as a root cause. I mean, he also said the earth was flat. Not saying this to excuse, but to put in perspective. Keeping that in mind, I chose to listen to this. While I don't think he is as talented as others, this was a very good album.

Better than I anticipated!

I would be surprised if I ever listened to it again, but I appreciate the innovation, multi-level complexity of the entire album. Better than so much of the crap that tries to be rap. Wish I could give 3.5 stars, but will round up.

Not bad. Pretty clever. Very different for its time with good variety. It didn’t feel like a slog through the album.

Classic case of art vs artist. The album is good, but I won't be listening to it again since Kanye is, well, Kanye. 4/5.

Unfortunately, it's a bonger. Spaceship is an all time driving at night song. Through the Wire is a 10/10 story song. Jesus Walks really made Jake Gylleyllelyllelnhall's performance in the feature film Jarhead pop.

Phenomenal debut album that showcases Kanye’s remarkable skills as a producer and (at the time) fresh, eccentric style of rhyme, making connections and insights overlooked by many rappers of the era.

4.25 lekker album. Vooral de skits zijn erg genieten, wat niet vaak het geval is. Verdere top nummers zijn: Spaceship! Never let me down Through the wire The new workout plan

Veel blijer dan nieuwe kanye

i would have given this a 3.5 if i could, i think it suffers from two issues a overabundance of mediocre features, maybe this is just me but i dislike when 3 or 4 artists jump on a song it just makes it feel tacky and directionless, and god dammit it happens a lot here, there are one one or two times i would say it works well like on two words or spaceship all the others just sound awkward and being too bloated,, most songs rattle of for too long or the tension they built up is destroyed by a skit (i dont hate the skits but why the latter part just feels too long and unnecessary) , it just falls a bit flat in my opinion, we dont care, all falls down (besto), ill fly away, spaceship, jesus walks, the new work out plan, school spirit, two words

If you try really hard and ignore the antics of Kanye and take this album at face value, it's good.

A millennial classic

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I am not a fan of rap but this is very accessible. I would listen again.

Many here want to use their review to signal Kanye is a bad man. This would be a considerably shorter list if every artist who had said offensive things or even committed crimes (thankfully Gary Glitter or the Lost Prophets albums are unrepresented) are absent. Without endorsing his awful views in any way, this is a stone-cold classic, the first half of which is pretty flawless. One too many college digs on the second half for a five, but it's a clear 4.

This is a tough one to rate. With hindsight and some of his takes on the album, there's some pretty hurtful things that he says. But the music is really good. The lyrics that aren't controversial or hateful are really good, and occasionally brilliant. I love that he shares his story of the album on the last track. If he wasn't a shitbag guy, this probably gets 5 stars/a 10.

I believe that Kanye West as a person is deeply troubled and he has spouted some shitty and bizarre conspiratorial sentiments publicly. As a musician, producer, and rapper, I think his genius is vast. Taking his music and being able to objectively rate it without letting my personal opinions of him as a person is difficult for sure. Kanye as a person 1/5. Kanye as a musician 5/5.

The production, the features, the beats the lyrics. The albums was fire when it dropped and still holds up. I can’t entertain or stand current Ye, but this album I will listen to for a long time. Belongs in the all time list somewhere for sure.

3.6 actually wasn't as impressed as I thought id be faves: two faves, never let me down

Kanye absolutely sucks as a human being but this is an all time classic album. Difficult to separate the art from the artist sometimes but some truly great songs on here. Through the wire will always impress me

Kanye is the master of the samples. You can hear it right here. Great stuff. Not many artists can mix so distant genres so easily. And brilliant beats all over the place.

I love Kanye as a producer - great production on this album. His rapping I find a bit annoying really but the guests keep it going here

The only Kanye album I've ever owned or listened to in it's entirety. This has some great songs on it and I like the lyrical content. Few too many skits but they work on the whole. I do not need the auto tune but other than that the production is fantastic. I remember having a hard time thinking of Kanye as a rapper when I first heard this and I still do. His verses are stitched together so obviously from multiple takes and I can only imagine it's a stylistic choice in search of perfection, but a proper rapper would surely perfect the verse before recording, or at least give the illusion of that. Is it because Kanye is consciously using his own voice like the samples he uses to construct the rest of the tracks? The result is good but I still find it somewhat jarring. Having listened to this I'd be interested to try some of his other albums out of curiosity. The last track is too self-indulgent.

Good

The music is really good. The little skits not so much. Could’ve been a five but we had to try to be funny. You aren’t Adam Sandler, stick to the music.

The second album I've had on this list that I've listened to in it's entirety when I was younger, The College Dropout reminds me of why Kanye West was so popular. It also maybe foreshadows a bit of his downward spiral, but for what it was it is a really good album. Fun interludes, catchy lines, and quality beats are all over this album. There are a couple lows, but the highs more than make up for it. I'm not sure it'd be the first Kanye album I'd recommend for new listeners, but it's got to be up there. Highlight: Slow Jamz Lowlight: Get Em High Surprise Hit: We Don't Care

Of all the Kanye albums on this list, this is the best one. But in my opinion he has much better and more important/influential albums. Late Registration should be on here, and a few others, instead of what is actually on this list. Anyway, this album is really good. I still remember when it came out and how great and different it was. It’s a shame Kanye became what he did because his early albums were something special. “All Falls Down,” “Never Let Me Down,” “Slow Jamz,” and “Through the Wire” are my favorite songs from the album, and the whole thing holds up really well. A solid 4 stars.

Prime, pre-cray, Kanye. So talented.

Favorite Songs: Jesus Walks; Slow Jamz; Through the Wire A great first album.

Early Kanye West is a lot more humble and down to earth with the lyrics and the beats as well. He's still a master producer and it shows in every single track on this album but my favorite type of Kanye has yet to come in his discography. Pink Polo and backpack Kanye is still pretty great

Fuck Kanye. And fuck me for liking this. Production, samples, and features are brilliant with some great hooks too.

Well I have to throw out a disclaimer that Kanye is bad and I don't feel great about giving him some pittance of streaming revenue. His decision to start openly spreading antisemitism sure turned me off of him as I think it did a lot of people. But if we're just looking at the album then I have to profess that it's very very good. A generational shift point in the genre for sure, bright bouncy production, oozing with charm and authenticity. All that talent, and look what he's done with it. It all falls down, huh? Best song: All Falls Down

Actually 4.5, it's amazing but just so misogynistic!

i mean it’s not on the level of MBDTF but old Kanye was a force to be reckoned with

Bars bars bars … such a good album

Good. Four stars.

I figured some Kanye was gonna be on here. But it wasn’t bad, I enjoyed it at least

(((Sounds Great)))

7/10

Good but kanye

this is only the first listen review, but i really like it! I'll give it a higher score once i listen to it more but its defo more than a 4!

Postiivisesti yllättynyt

I enjoyed this album, though it was a tad long. Some songs weren’t necessary and/or overstayed their welcome, namely; Workout Plan and Last Call exemplify this best. Other than that, a wonderful and introspective album about the psychology of rap artists and what really matters (not those FUCKING DEGREES). Production is impeccable and lyrically this is one of Kanye’s best albums. No huge complaints, although it definitely could have been better. 4/5

It's hard to separate the artist from the art sometimes. Great album but Kanye is a real disgusting human.

Album is klasse. Ben niet echt fan van alle skits maar de tunes zijn bijna perfect. 8/10

Kanye West 0/5. Album 4/5. Paar dikke bangers wel

One of Kanye’s best albums. Before he went crazy after his mom died and then his later nazi shit.

Incredible release by Ye, it’s insane to think it came out when I was just getting into high school.

Album muito bem produzido, rapzao de alta qualidade com bases diferenciaadas, justifica a fama

Believe it not kids, there was a time Kanye was a focused, creative and energetic musician and producer. This holds up pretty well. The hits still hit.

Suprisingly good. Much more melodic and lyrically interesting than I expected. A new down load from me.

That was a decent album.

Young Kanye might be the most interesting Kanye, not quite fully formed but really lets you into his head. Kinda setting the tone for a new era?

Good album but probably only my fourth favorite Kanye album. 4.5

8/10

Was quite fun.. but it went on forEVER!

Never Let Me Down était très bien, Jesus Walks et All Falls Down aussi. De façon générale l'album a une bonne cohérence et de bons samples. Les premiers albums de Kanye West sont très bien, jusqu'à l'apothéose de My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, mais l'artiste lui-même a besoin de bien fermer sa gueule sur tous les sujets de société et d'aller suivre une thérapie.

Hyvä albumi, hullu mies 😂 Sopii ehdottomasti myös lenkille, the new workout plan 💎

I miss the old Kanye

Tamara 6/10 Rosam 7.5/10

It’s been hammered to death at this point, and I really don’t think I have anything new to add to the conversation so. I did listen to it, Kanye’s already rich, I don’t see how the fraction of a dollar I’m gonna give him is gonna make much of a difference. Judging by the quality of his character, I’d have told Kanye to go and shove his head up his arse, if he hadn’t already done that years ago. Judging by the quality of the music; this shit slaps. Apart from Last Call, fuck that noise

Some top notch songs in terms of production and lyricism. Skits and Last Call waste a lot of time and mess with the flow of the album as a whole.

Kanye's personal life aside, this album is a really great album with almost every song being one to remember. The first half of the album is non-stop in this idea, although I would say that it slows down in the second half a little bit. All culminating in the final 12 minute ballad where Kanye explains his whole story over a beat. A little self indulgent. But Kanye exhibits all the Kanye things here we will see to grow throughout his career, like talking over a beat. Like gospel inspired beats and lyrics. And just plain old good beats.

Pre crazy Kanye is pretty cool. I listened to Graduation a lot when it came out but I know that this was what put Kanye on the map. This bucked the gangsta rap sound so in that sense is very influential.

Back in the late aughts I had a coworker who was super smart and funny. He was a very likable guy. He got me into Kanye through this album and Graduation. My Beautiful Dark Twisted fantasy wasn't out yet, but if it had been I bet he would've pushed that one along with these two. Despite being a hater of skit interludes, I've enjoyed all these records. Obviously things haven't turned out so well for Kanye and it is difficult to listen to some of this music now. I can't abide some of his statements. I also worry about his mental health and stability. That all said, this record still has some bops that hold up.

Oooh, I really liked this. Hadn't really listened to this one before. Shame the guy's gone off the rails as he makes good music. Standout Track: Never Let Me Down

Excellent. Love this album except for the skits.

The standouts were family matters and the long, long skit last call still prefer late graduation and it’s kind of in the middle of Kanye Albums

I can't directly relate to this album, but I ABSOLUTELY recognize how College Dropout is the PERFECT album for those who do. The beats, the flow, the lyrics, the features, they all combine to make College Dropout transcend humanity. Anyone can appreciate this album. Great art has something to say. Great art makes you feel. College Dropout is great art.

Very uplifting album. Super bright sound. Choruses are great. Set up Kanye’s years of success.

Kanye is... divisive. Somehow, he is my teenager's favorite artist, yet this album came out before he was born. This was the first time I listened to the album from start to finish and damn man. I didn't want to like it but it was very good.

This was a great album. He’s tortured. For all his faults and the frenzy that he creates. He’s really fucking talented.

Very good debut album, with entertaining lyrics with catchy beats.

Problematic treatment of women. Kanye’s a pretty good rapper. And a fantastic producer.

Muito bom. Gênio da bola.

Quite enjoyed it even though its not my preferred genre

Before he spent a decade taking the rap game back to school a few times, Kanye was humble—or at least still able to pretend. Unlike his future works, much of The College Dropout's content is genuinely grounded and relatable; even the title and cover art of his debut evoke a self-effacing sense of dejection. But as a no-name producer for bigger names, Ye was the only one in the room who knew what his future held and he clearly felt pressure to prove it on his debut. While his later output—especially his rapping—would become raw and uncut, the bars here are remarkably tight. No head-shakers about bleached assholes here. While his wit and flow are uncharacteristically slick on The College Dropout, his production skills remain the undisputed star of the show and the source of his influence on the shape of hip hop to come. His signature chipmunk soul sound was fully formed right out the gate, inspiring many other artists to jam sped-up soul samples into their beats in Kanye's wake. Later West staples like orchestral strings, techno synths, and overdriven autotune pop up here and there as prototypes foreshadowing the rise of hip hop's future architect. All of it coalesces into a varied but cohesive podium from which Kanye introduces himself to a pop culture that would consume him as he consumed it. Standouts: It's been a while since I heard this, so I was taken aback by how just how many great songs are here. There's a lot of filler tracks on this album, but none of them are actual songs. "Through The Wire," "Slow Jamz," "All Falls Down" and "Jesus Walks" would all be unmatched peaks of any other career. Sleepers: "Breathe In, Breathe Out" goes hard while still matching the tone of the rest of the record. It's hard to call it underrated, but "Spaceship" deserves more credit as a rare example of a very smooth hip hop waltz. Stinkers: The last 8 minutes of "Last Call" is an interesting story to hear once, but adds unnecessary bloat to an already long runtime. The same can be said of the multiple skits, though the School Spirit skits have a legitimately funny payoff. four out of four degrees: associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctorate

Classic album, great intro, the skits between songs takes away a bit

Great album, bad dude

Ахуеть, репчик про школу, серьёзно? Нет, можно было конечно по названию предположить, что так и будет, но даже все возможные ожидания это переплюнуло. С творчеством Канье у меня знакомство очень поверхностное; я слушал Donda, потому что мы обсуждали всякие разные концептуальные альбомы с Артемием Соловьёвым. И тогда на меня это произвело впечатление, потому что там были местами супер-минималистичные биты, хоралы, он был прям весь нагружен... Здесь же скорее вайбы Бисти Бойз: репчик про школу, про большой член, про диплом. Блин я так ору с этих панчей про "что ты оставишь после себя? Диплом", это мега хорошо. Да и вообще он сделан ещё так, будто из прошлой эпохи. Вот этот вот запитченый женский вокал... не эксперт, когда это появилось, но сейчас это звучит уже очень старомодно. Эх, был бы ты Канье человеком нормальным...

It’s still very hard to listen to Kanye. His antisemitism ruined this so much. Why has everyone forgiven him? Fuck him. Having said, had he not become that, this would probably be 5… I’ll give it a 4.

You know it's really a shame that guy went and became a Nazi.

1. Family Business 2. Never let me down 3. All falls down

Easily one of the best albums top to bottom, the flow is tremendous, absolutely insane use of the human voice

I'll be honest, there's rarely a week that goes by that I don't jam at least one track from Dropout. I think West's strength has always been in production, and it shows on his debut. Check out that big, high stepping beat with those keyed up soul samples on School Spirit for a prime example of the sound he established on this record. The impact of that vibe is still reverberating in hip hop almost 20 years later. it's kind of bittersweet listening to this album in the time where kanye has lost his damn mind, but the dude had some great verses on this album. I'll put All Falls Down up against any 'conscious rap' tune. It seems kind of ironic listening to kanye criticizing materialism, but I respect that he has always been willing to voice his own struggles with faith, insecurity, wealth and fame. 1 star deduction for song to skit ratio being 1:5

It's old kanye, so it's automatically better kanye.

Well I know this is regarded as one of the best KW albums and I have to say I agree. It was tight and funny and far less self involved and weird as his latter work. Obviously hard to feel that supportive of him given his recent antisemitism and general idiocy... But listening to this separately from those thoughts it was good wasn't it

I’ve been in the dark about a lot of Kanye’s music. Man this album is really well produced, I’ve ’known’ about it, but never listened. Good character and great beats.

Why did you have to blow it kanye?

This album was pretty cool. Too bad Kanye is a skinhead facist. That was saved by the fat kid in super bad

Surprisingly good--but too many skits.

Jos turhat skitit ja muu läski leikattais pois, olis helppo 5/5. Valitettavasti ilman tiivistämistä jää neloseen, vaikka osa Kanyen parhaista biiseistä onkin täällä.

Its a classic. despite his controversies i still enjoy this album a lot.

Decent album, not my typical genre. Good for background listening. The longer I listen to it, the more I like it though!

I've never given Kanye much of a shot in the past, and unfortunately it's harder than ever too now. That said, this is a damn good album. 3.5/5

Some cliche and self-absorbed lyrics but original style and a great break from gansta. All Falls Down is great.

Surprisingly relevant, especially in this day and age when Uni is expected of you.

still great, Kanye things just kind of aged funny for me

Oh Kanye. This album, like so many more of his, is a masterpiece. I was grooving to this, cranking it on my way into work only to remind myself that he's a Nazi and to turn it down at red lights, lest people think the wrong things about me. Ugh. I want him to get the help he so clearly needs, but mental health can't always be used as an excuse... I mean, he was always kinda an asshole... I'm meandering, but Kanye was my first true foray into Hip Hop as a whole; he hit when I was in high school and was a total breath of fresh air in comparison to the stuff that was coming out. I loved his music, he was smooth, confident, funny and had great production. It's a bummer he went the way he did

There's probably not an artist anywhere who does a) generally good work and b) makes me feel exhausted upon immediately reading their name. I listened to this album a lot when it first came out. There's a lot of really good work on this. But I haven't listened to it in years, mainly because I don't want to think about Kanye. But here we go. I mean, this is good. There's really nothing here that loses me. And I kind of like out anti-college it is. It's pretty obsessed with college being a waste of time which seems petty but it's beaten into the ground so hard that it becomes funny. This is good. I wish Kanye was a likable guy.

Kanye is an unlikeable mess when he's outside of a studio, and sometimes within one too. But this? It's pretty great, highly entertaining and made me laugh more than once. Can't deny talent, even if the person who wields it is deeply unpleasant.

This a real good album. Alot of fun, so many top quality bars throughout, full of cheek and wit. Fav track: Two words 4/5

The irony of these (great) bars stings. Jaunty, fun, intelligent and incredibly accessible. The style wears a little thing for me over the inflated runtime. Fave track: Jesus Walks

Clear mixed feelings here - but I also doubt anyone is really ever going to read this. So yeah, Kanye has damaged his legacy a fair amount by his own doing. He can get fucked. If he dropped a new album tomorrow, I'm not sure I'd listen. This album is also very very good. It is very very good. I listened to this a lot in high school, and I liked it a lot then. And this listen was also really good. So I don't know. I'll give this rating today based on just how I'm feeling about the spin I gave over the weekend, and maybe I'll change my mind later and go back and change it. Let's move on to the next one. Fave track: Through The Wire

Bijzonder goed debut album. Met dit album heeft hij laten zien dat hij niet alleen goed kan producen maar ook kan rappen. 'Through the Wire' blijft mijn favo hitje van dit album. Funfact: Mevrouw Chaka Khan was helemaal geen fan van hoe Kanye haar nummer had gesampled tot dat het een hit werd. Jammer dat Kanye zo'n bipolaire gek is.

Through the wire is echt een van mijn allllllerlievelingsnummers dus was zo blij dat jur op vakantie zei dat we deze moesten luisteren!!!! Niet m’n favorietste album van Kanye maar als nog dikke 4 sterren voor toch wel een absurd invloedrijk en vet album

Onwijs sterk debuutalbum, hits die vandaag de dag nog steeds worden gedraaid. Kanye als producer vind ik misschien wel een van de beste, hij kan samples gebruiken als geen ander. Maar rappen kan die ook. Humor, zelfreflectie en ironie komen genoeg voor op het album, waar ik samen met de skits wel van hou bij hiphop. Het behoort helaas niet tot m'n favoriete Kanye album, met een lengte van ruim een uur staat er te veel filler op. Ander puntje wat me hier opvalt is de hypocrisie die ik in de andere reviews lees. Het maakt mij niks uit wat je van alle artiesten hier vindt, maar ze zijn er als de kippen bij om Kanye van alles te beschuldigen en af te doen, terwijl ze wel gewoon 5'jes aan MJ, the Smiths en alle andere freaks uitdelen. De 1001 lijst zit vol met weirdo's, pedo's en andere psychopaten. Als je die eruit haalt blijft er weinig meer over. Luister gewoon de muziek, een statement maken in je sullige review boeit niemand wat (net als wat ik nu doe).

I don't listen to Kanye any more at all these days, and it's certainly been a while since I've listened to this, and man is this a great record. Still sounds as fresh as it did nearly 20 (!!!) years ago when it came out. Great record.

He's unfortunately a genius. Still opting for 4 stars here since I think this one is weaker than some of his others (like MBDTF and Graduation.) Also, he can handle getting a hit to his ego.

Solid set. Only one clunker in the list - stupid Workout song. Otherwise pretty good stuff. I am obviously not a hip-hop guy, but this is really good for an album without real guitar and drums.

A great start to a strong musical career. Creative, leans heavily on a good sense of R&B which not enough hip hop or rap does today. Found myself singing along which is rare for a rap record. Runs a little long, no rap album needs to be an hour.

When Kanye wasn't a dick

4.0

Before Trump. Before the conspiracy theories. Before the antisemitism. It's easy to forget amongst all of his various controversies, that Kanye West was (is?) a rapper, and a good one too. He showed his promise on this debut album, with a charming, easy-going vocal style. There's some occasional wonky production, including on the hit single, but overall, an auspicious first effort.

3.5 stars. Very impressive debut album. Lyrics tend away from "gangster" feel and are more introspective. The sped up beats/production as well as the guest artists are the strong points of this album. Although there are plenty of hits, personal favorite is "Spaceship."

Hip-hop fusión. Está bien. Un 4.

This is quite the dilemma, it feels a bit like the medical research done by Nazis in WW2, should we use it to save lives, knowing it was based on unethical experiments? Although Kanye West is a terrible person, this is a very good album. It's also a breath of fresh air compared to the generic gangster rap garbage that was doing the rounds at the time. If it was anyone else it would be a 5 star album, but because I know it's a bigot that produced this, I'm reducing it to 4 stars.

I did not want to like this, because of what Kanye has become. But man, he really had some talent. This was great.

Always Heard How Kanye West was a amazing rap artist and probably the best artist of the 2000's, I have never heard really any of his albums but have liked a few of his songs. So was quite excited to give this a listen! After Listening to this you can tell alot of modern artists used Kayne's West's style nowadays. he pioneered a generator. aside from the skits and school spirit this is a amazing album

Je trouve Kanye West imbuvable, mais dans ce premier album il a une conscience sociale et de bons textes. J'aime mon hip-hop plus «dansant», mais c'était satisfaisant

Feels like high school

Almost a 5, but no truly great song on the album.

Shows a very distinct pivot in the more mainstream rap and brings forward another album that does a great job describing the experiences of people who could not really benefit from the things that others could by no fault if their own

4.5

I seriously dislike Kayne the persona but damn this is a great album. Clever, funny, introspective, real, and superb production. Credit where it's due ....

I couldn’t listen to it bc Kanye is a little off the rails but it’s such a good album…

It made me so sad to listen to this and know how Kanye turned out. This album rules.

Superb debut. While it could be tighter, Kanye immediately cements himself as a killer producer, great songwriter and a serviceable MC. The guests are amazing and the singles are classics, certainly among the greatest rap debuts or even best debuts overall. A great record.

Terrific beats and strong samples make for a rich, layered and highly tuneful sounds. The soul and gospel effects are particularly welcome and balance out the excessive length and endless braggadocio. Opener is great, maybe the best cut, “Slow Jamz” is outstanding (lines like “I’m gonna play this Vandross/You gonna take your pants off" are the sorts for which we listen to hip-hop”) “Through the Wire” is great too. This is a concept album that doesn't need the concept. The jokes about degrees are more silly than not and there are far too many of them. Still, pretty great.

Kanye se fait ici voler la vedette par son narrateur, inspirant et expirant les h comme personne.

Kanye rejoint Michael Jackson dans le top 2 des artistes du générateur, il tente même de lui infliger un superbe jab du gauche, mais Michael parvient à l'éviter et à contrer d'un supperbe uppercut. S'en suivra une phase de ground and pound qui verra Michael s'imposer par soumission grâce à un superbe étranglement, mais Kayne aura définitivement fait douter notre champion des 1001.

4.5/5. Everybody not wanting to cancel Kanye because he made Graduation but if there was an album that saves him, it’s this one. A strong debut that puts Kanye’s groundbreaking production and samples on full display. It singlehanded elevated the relevance of alternative hip hop and marked the shift of mainstream hip hop from shitty pseudo gangsta rap towards emotional and socially conscious lyrics.

No, it's okay guys, he watched 21 Jump Street. Actually, I'm shocked, but I quite liked this. What happened between this and Yeezus that went from something so good to something so... Yeezus. Any way, this was pretty great, nothing amazing, but satisfying flow and great beats. Only some songs where my dislike for Kanye started to shine through, but that ego definitely wasn't fully developed yet.

Ignoring certain words spoken by Mr west (thank God for Jonah Hill) pretty good album

4th April 2023 Listened during the day while working from home. Kitchen cabinets and range dropped off, chatted to Douggie and watched Chelsea Liverpool in the evening. Having seen Jeen-Yus I appreciate this already great album more. Ye does have some chips on his shoulder! It’s not 5 despite having some all time classics on it because I think it’s overlong. 4.5 if I could.

Best Song: All Falls Down. Easily the most iconic samples on the album, and Kanye is restrained enough to not bungle it with too ridiculous bars. Worst Song: Get Em High. This would be a great Snoop song, but it's a pretty weak Kanye song. Both features are just okay too. Overall: A big album full of huge hits, but given its runtime it inevitably has a few duds. None of the features are that interesting (Jamie Foxx notwithstanding), and some of the tracks linger too long on beats that aren't worth that much time. Feels like a mid-2000s time capsule.

Great, much better than I thought it was gonna be.

Somewhat ironically as I had Taylor Swift yesterday, today was interrupted by Mr Kayne West with Collage Drop out. He's a knob, but I just cannot deny the talent, its such a good album and slow jamz is a masterpiece. Loses a star because he is such a knob so it's 4

Har jo hørt den før, men stadig rigtig god. Lille, søde Ye. Der er lidt fedt der kunne skæres fra, men man kan ikke lade være med at smile over den barnlige spænding og energi.

This will always be seen as a classic no matter how crazy Kanye becomes. Gotta give it up for a rapper that uses a Happy Gilmore joke in his raps. Never been a fan of skits just keep the jams rolling.

this album makes me want to go back to school just to drop out (fav tracks: all falls down, spaceship, jesus walks, slow jams, through the wire)

I miss the old kanye

If we had been doing this between 2005-2010, definitely would have gotten 5 stars. Still a classic album that brings back good memories.

Not all bangers. Comparing this to other rap records at the time was night and day. Kanye makes a point of steering away from the thug shit with a bit more vibrancy. The secret is that he hacks up old songs and pitch shifts the vocals!! Kanye also has an eye/ear for what is cool at the time and capitalizes on it. I would argue that most of his success has rode on the backs of his features, licensing, and ripping off other artists. I did listen to this album a lot in my formative years though!!

The voice who talks to Kanye is hella funny and it’s really interesting how it’s a whole story in one album and all the songs fit in there. I’m not a big fan of this speaking rap thing but I like the beat/melody of the songs. In a lot of rap songs it’s always the same beat and rhythm and here it’s a bit more interesting. This is really well produced. Best songs: Jesus Walks (I really like the back vocals and the melody as a whole, there are always new elements which keep it really interesting), Never let me go (This shit fire), the new Workout plan (especially the second part), two worlds (this is such a vibe)