The College Dropout

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)

Great album

Great album that manages to carry its vibe to the very end. Kanye achieved his goal and history was made. Hard to imagine hip hop culture without this album.

Crappy person, solid album. Don’t love all the skits, but didn’t take away from it too much.

This album is funnier and more ecclectic than I'd remembered. Great production as you'd expect. Jesus Walks is still an absolute number. You can see the makings of the man we now know here. Despite that and a few unnecessary tracks / underwhelming feats it deserves a solid rating.

I dig this album. Wish I could let the kids have a listen.

First time hearing this album. It's a great album made by an unfortunate human being. Won't be listening again.

I've never heard an album from him before, this one was the first. His music is good, but it's sad to see what kanye became nowadays.

Enjoyed a couple songs, not quite my cup of tea but will listen again

Man I just can’t with this dude anymore.

Highlights: Spaceship, School Spirit Skit 2, Two Words, Last Call

Dobrze, że wpadł po sesji, bo niektóre piosenki nie zachęcałyby do dalszej nauki. Nie interesuje mnie co obecnie robi Kanye i nie powinno to mieć wpływu na ocenę albumu.

Slaps but it aint my fav Kanye album

Étonnamment intéressant. Comme quoi il y a bien à boire et à manger dans le rap. Là les samples s’écoutent, les paroles ont parfois des choses à dire et certains titres emportent tout, comme “We don’t care” ou “Jesus Walks”. Je ne me fais pas à toutes les intros, skits et c’est franchement écoutable contrairement à 99% du rap de cette liste.

Before they were good

Kanye is a mess but this is an above average hip-hop album and an impressive debut.

This album had some great songs on it, but the message becomes lost in a lot of places looking through the eyes of so many recent events with Kanye’s Holocaust denial and general insane antics.

Not usually a fan of hip hop, but like the mixture of rapped verses/sung choruses. Smooth beats, flows well. Would add to car playlist

kanyes music is good!

He’s become a flaming POS, but this is still one of my fav rap albums…

I like this album some provocative perspectives on subjects that I don't necessarily associate with rap. Intelligently and artisticly presented. The production s mostly interesting and musical and generally appeals to my musical sensibilities. 4 stars

Probably his crowning work

I'm not into hip hop so never really listened to Kanye and always kind of wondered what's the big deal with this guy. Never really got a chance to listen to his albums. Then recently all kinds of disgusting things he said I assumed I'll just skip him entirely. And now I get this on my challenge. At first I was going to skip and give it a 1 star like some people here (always enjoy reading those reviews). But then I though that I listen to and enjoy many artists that were horrible people and did some questionable things. I mean, talk about the entire classic rock genre, guys like Jimmy Page or putin sympathizer Roger Waters. So I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did. It's probably the best hip hop album I've heard so far. I don't know much about influences in this genre so I rely on other people's opinions in this regard, but man, the music on this just flows. And it's so accessible to non hiphop heads, I can definitely see myself using it as a gateway into the genre. The lyrics are impressive and I'll be damned but I can't find traces of anything he will have said in 2022. I'm gonna tell myself that this young Kanye from 2004 was a different person and continue to enjoy this. Now let's try some more of his works.

Bold, unique, and thought-provoking.

In 2022, we can look at this album and determine that perhaps this was peak Kanye West. Entertaining, musically engaging, and overall a finely told story this is the kind of production that puts Kanye at the top of the rapper/producer listings.

It's far from his best albums for me, but it's a very solid debut from one of the worst persons in the whole world (a great rapper, though)

Hip-hop fusión. Está bien. Un 4.

Overall pretty good

vaikee arvioida tää... alku oli selvä 3.... yks kova biisi vahvisti että ainaki kolme.... sitten... parempia ja parempia laulunpykälöitä... jaha no annetaan neljä (kiva yllätys kiva antaa neljä tähteä se on positiivinen arviointi) mutta huhhuh... kuin bit koin menee vain ylös myös meni laulu lorautuksien laatu myöskin... lähellä viisi... mutta onko (sinä tiedät annoi nko neljä vai viisi tähteä mutta minä tällä hetkellä kun kirjoitan EN TIEDÄ JOTEN ÄLÄ HUUDA! ÄLÄ VITTU AINA HUUDA MULLE!! MIKS SUN PITÄÄ AINA VITTU HUUTAA IHAN TÄYSILLÄ AIVAN KURKKU SUORANA KIRKUU!! paras biisi two words

Top 3 Songs: 1 . Slow Jamz (12) 2. Through the Wire (19) 3. Gem Em High (9)

Nice debut album, flows very well.

Impressive debut album, not all tracks work equally well but still very enjoyable.

My second Kanye album so far and safe to say his image has taken quite a dramatic fall from grace in the intervening couple of months. He has effectively dispelled any doubts that he is a pea-brained shock jockey devoid of any subtlety or nuance. This record, however, is not a reflection of this fact. It’s really outstanding. It’s appeal is not immediate, but not only is there a wealth of genuine insight in his social commentary (something which I felt Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy lacked) the songs carry an infectious pop sensibility that I really enjoyed. Its mammoth length is a drawback but, without wishing to labour my criticism of Kanye West the feckless iconoclast, the end result is still a phenomenal album. Personal favourite tracks: We Don’t Care, Get Em High, Never Let Me Down & Two Words

Klassiker. Seit 2008 auf meinem Radar!

Good album. I like the idea of having a theme throughout. Lyrics are intelligent and tell a story. I knew a few of the songs before listening. “Jesus Walks” DAMN! Such a great beat and arrangement. I will be checking out some of his other albums. Sidenote: this was a refreshing album to listen to. I’ve had quite a few albums recently “this is an album I needed to listen to?” U2, Dylan… big artist with large followings. The albums were nothing to recommend to a friend. I guess I will have to check the book to see how albums were chosen.

Good stuff

I actually enjoyed this when it first came out. I still like it now. Not too sure about Kanye himself but I guess you can divorce the music from the person to some degree.

Life comes at you fast

Amazing to think that Ye was already an insecure megalomaniac with a victim complex on his debut album. The main message of the record is the dumbest of takes: "Kids, don't stay in school. Instead work a lot to make money so that your kids can afford to... go to school?". Overall, the production and sampling is off the hook with Ye being responsible for the vast majority - absolutely incredible. Apart from too many interludes/skits (why is this a thing?), the only true miss is 'The New Workout Plan' and maybe the last 8-9 minutes of 'Last Call'. The rest of the album is fully packed with absolute bangers - 'We Don't Care', 'Jesus Walks', 'Never Let Me Down', 'Family Business', and the mythical origin story that is "Through The Wire". Great debut setting the tone for hiphop for years to come.

det här var ett jättebra album! tyvärr för långt så sista halvan tröttnade jag på

Tuneful and fun and relatable, with great beats and samples, and the raw ambition (and excessive length) of many a great hip-hop album. Fair amount of Puff Daddy, innit? “Slow Jamz” is outstanding (“I’m gonna play this Vandross/You gonna take your pants off”) “We Don’t Care” and “Graduation Day” and “Through the Wire” and “Last Call” also excellent. Skits don’t add much, though one liked the spoken word outro (though it’s self-serving).

Nice surprise! Never heard before and liked it!

Nice

listened to again strong start from ye

Best album he made before he went nuts. Other than with Jay-Z

Not usually my cup of tea but the man obviously knows his way around a tune

Better than expected - some quality.

not bad.

classic album, slow jamz always a standout

Kanye West – The College Dropout Kanye’s debut album, often considered one of his best. - We Don’t Care (Intro -> Graduation Day -> Grduation Day) – It’s a song about the necessity of dealing drugs to get by. In a celebratory tone. It’s basically a big middle finger to people who moralize about how evil drugs by while making it necessary with poor socioeconomic conditions. The beat is hella smooth. I don’t really like the inclusion of the children’s voices in here, though. Ties in with Intro being a request from school faculty to sing a song for the kids and the following intermission “Graudation Day” having the same faculty member berating Kanye for singing about drugs. The sung part of Graduation Day by Jon Legend signals Kanye’s realization that he isn’t going to follow a traditional path in life. - All Falls Down – Examines the pursuit of materialistic wealth and the insecurity that drives it. What will you do if you lose it all? Sylveena Johnson’s background vocals on this are great. Beat is smooth and message is solid. Followed by the intermission “I’ll Fly Away”, an adaption of the gospel song, that represents separating from the material world, which also transitions in the next song Spaceship. - Spaceship – Shows Kanye’s discontent with mundane life and a decision to separate from it all. It’s bragging about stealing from Gap too lol. It’s not my favorite track since the background “Whoos” and repetitive beat kinda turn me off along with the lyrics I don’t like. I also don’t quite resonate with the expression of frustration from working shitty jobs, even though I have worked shitty jobs. My least favorite main track so far, but not bad. - Jesus Walks – A track actually endorsing Christianity?!?!?! It’s mostly about his decidedly un-religious lifestyle and the broken world and that God is the only one who can redeem both. “I wanna talk to God but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long” is a great line. This is actually a really incredible song. - Never Let Me Down – An interesting track that presents three different interpretations of the message of hope. Jay Z talks about how he’ll never let the rap world down with his talent. Kanye thanks his grandparents for never letting him down. J. Ivy believes God will never let him down. It’s a strong concept with a very uplifting message from everyone except Jay Z. A really incredible collaboration, though Jay Z’s verses are needlessly self-aggrandizing. So yeah, it’s two thirds of an amazing song. - Get Em High – Following up two spiritual and uplifting songs with a drug song lol. That’s Kanye. It’s got a nice beat, but it’s about a subject I’m not interested in. I don’t like Common’s verse. It’s out of place. - The New Workout Plan – The intro Workout Plan and this song mock the pressures people put on themselves with diets and working out to be perfect and attract those of the opposite sex. It’s a very upbeat track with a frantic beat reminiscent of workout tunes. The fake testimonials from women who tried out Kanye’s “workout plan” are hilarious. This is a fun one. - Slow Jamz – Fittingly due to the name, a lower-key, smooth track that nonetheless has some fast parts. Not really any particuarl meaning in here, but it sounds real nice. Guests artists on this one are all really great. I like the hand drums in this as well. I guess it’s a tribute to slow jazz and R&B given the number of artists name-dropped in it. Is good. - Breathe In, Breathe Out – A self-deprecating song about his own superficiality. Features Ludacris. Ludacris’ chorus isn’t my favorite, but it’s a decent, fun song. - School Spirit – Includes multiple skits as intros and outros. The whole cycle mocks school as the only path and place to learn. It mostly talks about it as a place to do drugs and have sex. I don’t really like this one. While the point that college isn’t the only path is valid, most of the reasoning and the alternative paths suggested really sucks. Considering the alternative painted is “don’t get an education, get money”, as if money is inherently valuable. - Two Words – A song where each beat is tied to two words, the pairs of words broadly painting a picture of racial injustice and broken America. It’s a solid concept and execution. Bass at the end is really nice though, along with the violin. - Through the Wire – Title refers to the fact that when Kanye recorded the original version, his jaw was wired shut after a car crash. I like the bongos and other percussion. I don’t like the super high pitched background chorus. Kinda grating. Concept is decent though, talking about him overcoming his car crash to carry on with his career. - Family Business – Inspired by Tarrey Torae’s (who sings on the song) family. Tarrey was a member 48 grandkids on one side and 36 on the other, so there’s a lot of family stories. It’s a nice concept, but a pretty middling track. - Last Call – Tells Kanye’s story from going from producer to famous musician, thanking Roc-a-Fella Records for signing him. It’s a mega track at 12 minutes, but the main track ends at about 4 minutes. It’s a good one. The outro is an interesting monologue about his process of creating beats and his story of using those beats to meet other famous artists such as Jay Z. It’s not as artistic or introspective as a lot of my favorite rap albums, but it’s really, really good. Jesus Walks and the good parts of Never Let Me Down are my favorite, but there’s a lot of good to great stuff in here. The beats are insane, and there’s some cool alternative instruments in here. It’s not the most consistent, and it’s a bit too long and stretched out, but it’s very good. Solid 4, maybe 4.5 out of 5.

A real bop

I was already familiar with this album, it contains one of my all-time favorite bangers "We Don't Care". But it had been a while since I had listened all the way through. Towards the end I began making dinner so I missed the end, but I loved the theme. The progression in here had Kanye as a bratty, but talented high school senior to a jaded college student. The later half of the album focused on his disillusion with the college experience and the lack of rewards available for all the time and money spent to get a college degree.

Skits are good ;^)

im surprised how much I enjoyed this album. I don't usually go for any hip hop/rap music, but i was pleasantly surprised how good this album was.

solid old Kanye. braggadocio, racial laments, weirdly catchy 00's beats

3.6⭐️

I enjoyed this album and the story it told. The first 20 minutes or so were excellent, and the variety and creativity were well appreciated. It gets kind of distracted in the middle and I had mixed feelings about some of those tracks. I think some of these tracks maybe bloated the album's length just a bit.

Kanye has never been an impressive MC but man, those beats are great. And this album is so much fun, full of life and ambition. In my book it's way better than anything Jay-Z ever produced, that guy must have been in shock.

Not an absolute masterpiece, but a very enjoyable debut that could have been a little bit shorter. I mean, the last song was very useless. Anyway, glad I took the time to listen to this.

Kanye is one of my guilty pleasure. Not is best one for sure, but still really enjoyable.

This one made me upset, as I kind of expected. The thought of Kanye just makes me unhappy...I have never been a fan of his personality and antics...but I know that he has some skill when it comes to creating and producing engaging hip-hop. So, although I struggled as I listened because of the images of him that ran through my mind, there wasn't much about the musical tracks on this album that I didn't enjoy.

To my surprise, I was very into this for the first hour. My listening notes consisted of a couple of notable rhymes: "Vandross" rhymes with "pants off" and "breasteses" with "messages."

I think its a good album?

Prefs: All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, The New Workout Plan, Slow Jamz, Breathe In Breathe Out, School Spirit, Two Words, Through The Wire, Family Business, Last Call Moins pref: Get Em High

Unique, creative, and catchy with a conscious message. This is the album that got me into Kanye, and this is a top recommendation for anyone trying to get into hip hop. It's like nothing else of the era, linking the golden age to modern hip hop. Kanye was already a fantastic producer years before this release, but he really outdid himself with hit after hit. Full of impactful lines like "We all self-conscious; I'm just the first to admit it." The samples are soulful, light, and enjoyable, and the skits are goofy, something to look forward to. The songs are bangers, but I admit there were 2 or 3 I didn't care for, and I felt the album was too long for comfort. Favorites: We Don't Care, All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz, Two Words, Last Call

I remember a joke Dave Chappelle made about his friend Kayne. Dave had noticed that Kayne seemed distracted and couldn't  figure out why. It  became clear when he found out that Kayne woke up one morning and had a second mother-in-law. Too funny although  Dave eventually started to get in trouble for such jokes. Everyone knows the name Kayne but I really didn't know his music and when I would see him on a media clip I always thought he seemed too cool for school. Obama summed it up by saying: "What a jackass." Well - I like this album which must be from his pre-jackass days. Humour replacing anger makes it a welcome change from gangsta rap.  Until today,  if anyone asked what my favourite hip hop subgenre was I'd be a deer in the headlights. But after today, I'll look them straight in the eye and say: "Chipmunk soul - of course."  Glad 1001 settled that for me.

So I really don't like Kanye and his antics, but this album, with it's sampling and army of back up vocalists give it a very listenable funky soul gospel feel. It reminds me a bit of the last Kendrick offering. I especially like the "chipmunk soul" tracks, like Never Let me Down. Jesus Walks really pushes the boundaries. I expect the budget for this debut album was massive. I'll add a point for making an album with so few F-Bombs but I could have done with even fewer spoken word rants, which we seem to get too many of these days.

A very bold debut album from Kanye. At a time when the industry was filled with gangster rap, Kanye shatters all that with his soulful, self-reflective and humorous writing style. The production on this album is stellar, many different styles, layers, samples, instruments and guests are featured throughout and it all comes together as a cohesive piece. The songs are catchy, and still hold up well to this day and despite it's length, I never felt like there was any filler, or I was waiting for it to end. I have never been on the "Kanye train" and don't particularly enjoy him as a person, especially in recent years. But the man knows how to make an album. Fav Tracks: Spaceship, Slow Jamz, Two Words

Really enjoyed. Skits were funny and was a good break.

What separates Kanye from other rap artists is his sense of humor, sense of play, and his ear for good music. This is great time capsule for all of us to revisit when Kanye is elected President of the United States in 2024. It's not we haven't elected a narcissist before...

Too much filler in the album for my taste. Songs are all great but can sometimes be jarring going from a slower soul-styled song to faster beats and verses.

Really good. Not nearly as much of the self-indulgent egotistical nonsense from his later stuff. He's an incredible wordsmith and it really shows here.

Oh man, I've been waiting to see when we'd get a Kanye album, and which one would come up first. He's one of my favorite artists ever, but bias aside, this is still an excellent album. Kanye inserted himself in the mainstream hip hop scene that at the time was obsessed with proving how hard one was. Ye rejected the gangsta rap formula that was popular and just made everyday raps, talking about things like Jesus, materialism, and the accident that almost killed him. This is one of the only albums where he solely produced almost the entire thing, and it's a lot of the chipmunk soul style that made his name as a producer. After this, he had a lot of co-producers which isn't a bad thing, but the solo effort is always impressive. He's changed a lot since, but this album still sounds fresh, which is crazy because it's littered with skits, a relic of an era of hip hop that usually sounds dated. Some of the skits here are actually pretty good though, keeping in line with the college dropout theme, but they add about six minutes of runtime and I really don't find them vital. Nevertheless, it's a classic album, and perhaps my favorite part is the closer, "Last Call." Who would have the audacity to make a 12+ minute song about their rise to success on their first album?? The answer could only be Kanye West. I don't think I could give it a perfect score because of the skits (and because of the very unfortunate censorship of the School Spirit sample, thanks a lot Aretha Franklin), but it's very close. Excited for more albums from Yeezy. Favorite tracks: Last Call, Through the Wire, Jesus Walks, Spaceship, Two Words, All Falls Down, We Don't Care. Album art: As far as his catalog goes, it's fairly weak. But it's definitely become iconic, and the bear imagery carried through three albums. Is Kanye secretly a furry? Why is no one talking about this? 4.5/5

Kanye has a good commentary on modern education and how much influence our culture puts on it; he also talks a bit on his faith and how he feels like he can't talk about it on his songs; tracks like Jesus walks and all falls down stand out for me and the talking bits in-between add a good deal to the album.

I think this was my first exposure to Kanye.. was this his first album? I'll always remember jesus walks and all falls down

Surprising entertaining - I didn't expect it to be so varied & interesting.

As unlikeable as Kanye is, he is a genius, this is a great album, maybe slightly on the long side.

Encapsulated an era of mainstream hip-hop where it appeared to be going in an interesting and innovative direction, but sadly it didn't. The first half of this album slaps, but it gets silly towards the end - chipmunk soul aged horrendously.

Kanye's remarkably consistent: Dropout was already overstuffed but has the magic. This time through I continued to miss the factor that sets the bear albums apart for so many, but find it hard to dislike a Kanye project.

Kanye sets the stage for the albums that’s are to follow while also showing he’s more than just a producer. Great features permeate throughout.

I don't think any other artist could produce anything as unique as 'Jesus Walks' or 'Through the Wire.' The use of skits was too excessive, I found myself sitting waiting for the music to start again. His personality is clearly represented throughout. This album marked the industry shift towards mainstream hip-hop, lyrically inoffensive (for the most part) with soul beats.

Once again, a great rap album marred by unnecessary skits and whatever that 1w minute spoken word outro was. The degree skits were actually kind of fun, but still not what I want from an album. The actual songs were bangers though.

So obviously Twista is the best part of this album. My only suggestion would be: More Twista. All modern Kanye baggage aside, this is a pretty good album.

Remove the skits (though they weren’t THAT bad) and the 12-minute finale and you’ve got an awesome album.

It's pretty good, I feel like the famous songs hold up pretty well.

Drug dealin' just to get by

Kind of proves the persona couldn’t be separated from the music from day one. The genius is real, but man the self-absorption is too. Really great though.

stack the money till it gets sky high

Well, I guess I had to come across Kanye eventually. A lot of people love him, a lot of people hate hi, his general conduct explains the latter and to be fair I think this album showcases why the former is true. That's not to say I'm a Kanye convert - I wasn't expecting to be but I was somewhat hoping to have the epiphany that his fans seems to experience with his music. Certainly, I find this a *lot* more interesting musically than any of the other hip-hop or rap that I've tried off this list - the compositions are complex and varied and would actually be worth listening to even without a vocal track (which is not something I would say of the earlier albums I bounced off). That said, I think I have to begrudgingly admit that I just don't enjoy rap as a vocal delivery style. For whatever reason, when lyrics shift into that spoken-rather-than-sung register, they just do not penetrate into my brain without serious conscious effort and I'm sorry but while TCD is lightyears ahead of something like The Chronic in terms of the depth and complexity of its lyrics, I just do not think that anything Kanye says is worth quite the endeavour. I think I've also had more than enough of 'skits' on hiphop albums. Being funny or incisive in a song is one thing but it's harder to pull off when you don't have music supporting you and you're a musician, not a comedian or philosopher. The School Spirit skits were especially obnoxious, wasting way too much time on a very belaboured, and not very funny joke. All that said I still think this is the best hiphop I've heard and it's not really even close, though my personal enjoyment of the genre (or lack thereof) puts a pretty hard ceiling on the score. I thought long and hard before clicking 3 or 4, but gave the singles another listen and the instrumentation won me over.

Very good. Star deducted for talking too much on 'Last Call'.

This was the first time I actually listened to a Kanye album. I quite enjoyed this one, with 11/21 songs standing out to me. I feel like melodious rap with a story tends to turn my ear more often than not. The themes of racism, family, materialism (in the form of traditional distractions and surprising, academic degrees), and religion were enjoyable to hear through the metaphors and melodies.

Yllätti todella positiivisesti.

I liked this a lot! Kanye really has a gravity about him, where I feel like I interpret a lot of the generator’s other rap/hip-hop selections in context of what they mean in context of things before/after KW's big deal albums

siiiiiiiiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

No pensé que un disco de este wey podría gustarme así. Hay que dejar de lado detalles del mismo Kanye, de sus invitados y de su estilo, pero musicalmente es un muy muy buen disco. El detalle que me costó más trabajo al final, fue el último track, que dura casi 13 minutos y son básicamente de Kanye contándote una anécdota.

Love me some nightcore rap

4.0 - At his best, Kanye is able to channel his enormous ego to stoke some incredible artistic output (e.g. the unmatchable "MBDTF"). Sadly, that same ego can also be his downfall, as evidenced again and again in recent years. Both sides of his ego are apparent here, though this record has considerably more hits than misses. "I'll Fly Away" is a spiritual hymn that flows beautifully into "Spaceship." "The New Workout Plan" is witty and fun. "Get Em High" is an arena-ready banger. The collabs are pretty remarkable, from Common to Talib Kweli to Jay-Z...However, the record isn't without its warts. The "School Spirit" skits are pretty lame and on "Last Call", Kanye fully indulges his ego by sharing his backstory. To be honest, I enjoyed the 13 minutes of storytelling where he recounts all the struggles to break out as a rap star. But, really, who wants to listen to any of that more than once? And at 76 minutes, why not just release that last track as a B-side? All in all, he's poured so much into this record and it's mostly great.

This was very good. Even though this is his first album, Mr. West already has a signature style. Thank you Kanye, very cool.

This had some bangers on it for sure. Need to go back and listen to it more when I’m on rap kick.

Makes a more than pleasant change for Gangsta Rap lyrics. Nice.

I have to give it up where credits due, this album kicks ass.

Reading the details on the background of this album was just as interesting as the album itself and it's a pretty good album. Kanye who had been recognized as a great producer couldn't get himself a record deal at the time since he wasn't "gangsta" enough. This debut album was recorded over a four year period where midway through he was in a very bad car accident leaving his jaw wired shut which motivated him to finish the album and produced some the best songs on the album. Another major theme and, hence the album title, was his decision not to go to college which disappointed his Mother and led to another string of songs. The combination of not getting a record deal, dropping out of school and the car accident fuel the content of these songs which cover family, racism, higher education, religion and Kanye himself. The star of the album is the top notch production. The flow of the album is smooth but sprawling at 116 minutes long and I'm not sure if there is any reason for the song order. There are a number of guests including JAY-Z, Ludacris, Talib Kweli & Common, Mos Def & Freeway with the best of those songs being "All Falls Down" with Syleena Johnson and a soul acoustic-based song. Other song highlights include "Slow Jamz", featuring Jamie Foxx and Twista and more straight-forward soul-pop with some rapid rapping (Hey an Al Green mention) and "Through the Wire" which describes his experience and comeback after his car accident where his jaw was wired shut. There are a lot of good songs here and this quite an achievement leading to an extraordinary future, whether you like him or not. It does take a lot to get through though, which, I think, could have been edited to the same effect.

I once had a friend compare Kanye to Beethoven. I like this album, but I’m not sure it merits being broadcast in deep space as the best humanity has to offer, despite the inclusion of the song Spaceship on the album. Jesus Walks is a good early example of Kanye’s transgressive combination of of sacred/religious themes and profane language and themes, which I find interesting as a religion scholar. Also, knowing some of his nonsense since 2004, including support for Trump, the sort of victim mentality in that song of “oh now no one’s gonna play my record because I mentioned God” is both sort of funny and irritating (because obviously millions of people played his record—it’s on this list, after all). KIMYE out

Well, what can you say about Ye that wasn’t said before? This one has solid tracks. Like it!

Great overall album, very easy listening and good for everybody, not just Hip Hop fans, since it's a great combination of Hip Hop with some singing, some soul and R&B etc

There is a startlingly stark difference between this freshman album and everything else Kanye has released. There is an energy and hunger here that's utterly lacking in everything else I've heard from him. It's good. I mean, duh, right? This is the album that rocketed him to stardom, after all. But I'm surprised at just how good it is. The lyrics are great, subject matter is relevant, and the production is on point. There are several unexpected musical twists and turns that are just wonderful. Missing is the bloated ego and disingenuous subject matter of his later work. Instead, there's a bare honesty and energetic aggression to these songs. The word I keep coming back to is 'hungry." The Kanye we get to see on this album is hungry for recognition and it drives him to great heights. The real question isn't, "How is this album so good?" The question is, "Why is nothing Kanye has put his hands to since this album even close to this good?"

Objectively great, although it doesn’t make my rotation

Génie mais trop long

Les morceaux transition un peu relou mais sinon c'es cool.

chouette mais la dernière track est interminable c’est un podcast le bail

Saved Prior: All Falls Down, Jesus Walks, Slow Jamz Off Rip: Spaceship, Never Let Me Down, The New Workout Plan, Through The Wire, Family Business Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: It's honestly weird listening to this seeing what has become of him. That being said, there are some great songs on here with the iconic Kanye production style (Spaceship is so good, astoundingly underrated) but not everything goes all the way to excellent (special shoutout to that preachy ass feature by J. Ivy on Never Let Me Down, free skip the second he starts his bullshit). Much has been made of the skits, but they didn't bother me as much as they seem to bother others people. Good album, but he would definitely go on to make better. And worse.

His infinite arrogance makes me want to hate him but his music and lyrics, I must admit, are fantastic.

Ma evo ne znan haha mislin krenila san slušat i bile su mi dobre pisme, al nisan bila baš zadivljena i onda kako su išle jedna za drugom bilo mi je sve bolje, tako da ne znan jel to do toga šta su mi te prid kraj pisme više moj đir ili mi je tribalo duže da skuzin da su mi top haha zbog toga evo 4 ipak da ostavin mista za čiste peje

There's a lot you can criticise Ye for, but this album isn't one of them. I'd probably act like a dick if I'd released something as cohesive as this, too.

So. What to do with a problem like Kanye? It becomes more and more difficult to review or listen to past works of people who become more and more known for their antics on the Hollywood gossip column than their records and tours. Still, and Kanye's swagger just reminds me more and more of Chad Ochocinco Johnson, where there he keeps saying"hey look at me, I'm still here, remember me?" Chad Ochocinco Johnson just got older and lost a step, where as Kanye? Kanye's life got intertwined with the Kardashians, and everything he released afterward doesn't... quite feel right. But. There was a reason both of them became famous before. It's different than say, watching old footage of OJ Simpson. This album and the next few afterwards have some great and I mean great stuff. "Two Words" is just... wow. The Workout tape song is pretty funny, and the skits aren't bad. But those skit interlude kind of things always grate on me a bit on albums. They do not warrant a lot of relistens. (The only one I ever liked was Fishbone's "If I Were A... I'd") I can see West's flow and lyrical sense. It is something to behold. He has definite skill, and this first album shows where he's going. "Last Call" did tend to ramble on, but so does Kanye. Best track for me was "Two Words"

Pretty good, dragged a bit towards the with too much record company stuff

First time I've really listened to any Kanye songs. There's a couple that feel a little dated, but I can see why he became so popular if this was his debut album. Added it to my library, glad I came across it.

not the best Kanye album despite what tryhards may say Definitely good though

It’s a game-changer of an album for the fate of hip-hop; really helped bring in a new era. And not to mention it introduced the world to the crazy ego of Kanye lol. It is definitely bloated; not every track is a winner; there are too many skits for my taste; and Kanye is really hit or miss on his bars for me. But even given all that, the strengths of this album, the boldness and openness of his lyrics, the great features, they all pull this album back up. What really secures the fourth star for me is the production: few people ever match Kanye’s ability to flip a sample.

Ne znam jesam više iznenađena s Kanyeom ili sobom sta mi se ovo bas svidjelo. Nikako my usual đir ali sviđa mi se sta nije neki hard rap neg bas za đuskanje. I još vristi 2000te.

In 2004, Kanye seems very socially aware. I like some of the songs but others just aren't my style. Most of the other artists on the album seem out of place. Above all of that, it is a very inspiring album. I've actually listened to this album more than once today - the topic of college degrees and how it relates to intelligence is all the more relevant in 2022. This album opened up a new part of my mind.

Classic hip hop album.

My opinions of Kanye aside I actually really enjoyed this album. There are a good number of his iconic early 2000 songs on here but as a whole I really enjoyed it.

The best of this album IMO: - All Falls Down - Jesus Walks - The New Workout Plan - School Spirit - Two Words - Through the Wire - Family Business 3.6/5

i wouldn’t really call myself a kanye fan, this album was alright, 7/10

The narrative intro on this album is really engaging, I'm hooked. Jesus Walks comes in like a bomb on the first third of the album. I think the album feels bloated in the middle. Get 'Em High is pretty bland. The New Workout Plan is pretty fun and very influential. Slow Jamz kicks ass. I really like School Spirit. Through The Wire is really impressive. Last Call is nuts and I love it.

I really love Kanye's respect for the album format, they always flow really well and have a nice narrative. Not my fave album of Mr West's but still a great one and he is undoubtedly one of the best/ most influential artists of the 21st century

When I was a lad, and failed presidential candidate West was just a rapper and producer, I bought the Twista album which also had Slow Jamz on it. That album is rightfully nowhere near this list, and I probably should've bought this one instead - it's much better. Plenty of good tracks that seamlessly skip between styles and themes. The album goes on too long, but as it's Christmas week I'll still give it 4 festive stars.

I never understood all the hype around Kanye. While I did enjoy this album second time of listening I still think it’s over rated. Fun fact though: he wrote and mumbled Through The Wire after falling asleep at the wheel of his car, but still manages to frame himself as the victim. The guy is a joke, but I get that he was a reasonable talented joke at this stage of his career.

A classic for a reason

Great album, too many skits though

Genuinely enjoyed it, I understand why Kanye had a old fan base that I was ignoring

Not a huge Kanye fan but gotta respect the album

It's catchy and the rhythms definitely make you move involuntarily.

Undeniably a talented musician. Good album from before widely known that what he was being taken advantage of who knows. Jesus walks is a good nostalgia track

Fuck Kanye

Debutalbum fra Kanye West. Faktisk fedt, og med en frisk lyd. 3.5

9/10 Why isn't Kanye's other stuff even half as good as this?

9.0

How does one appreciate the art without considering the artist? If you're going to marry the two opinions together, do you consider who the artist was at the time of the creation of the art, or what you know about their whole life? This album made me struggle with this idea, because it is a great album but I'm not much of a Kanye fan nowadays. Every song on the album is a winner. So many great collaborators and the tracks themselves are as enjoyable to listen to (in some cases moreso) than the rap itself. Holding it all together is the clear narrative of the impact poverty on a generation. And yet some of the songs still convey hope and celebration. It's an album that hits on so many levels and I really enjoyed revisiting it. Who knows. Maybe I'll see what Kanye has been up to since then. Maybe.

Kanye West's debut album was sensational! It's certified four-times platinum and won Best Rap Album of 2005. This was Kanye's big break, because most record labels weren't interested in signing him as a rapper and only saw him as a producer. Finally, he landed a record deal and created this banger of an album. The album has a message for everyone by discussing issues from all parts of life including education, religion, careers, family life, self-consciousness, and independency - to list a few. He has the touch of a thorough producer and the rap skills of a gangster. Love him or hate him, Kanye West made history with this music, and is still creating sick beats and spitting rhymes to this day. This debut album may be his best/most famous work so far...

I really liked listening to it. His best lyrics.

Nice, but long

A hilarious and extraordinarily produced album. A cracker that apart from a few missteps (The New Workout Plan) stands the test of time.

Metal Wires!

-it's nice coming off his latest albums to be reminded of what made Kanye fucking KANYE! I don't need to write much of a review for this album we all know it slaps.

Great debut album.

True Rating: 75

Lots of different styles. Very melodic even though it's a rap centric album. Wide range of vocalists keep it really fresh. Fucking acoustic guitar solo in Slow Jamz!!!!!!! First half of the album until Slow Jamz is a lot more enjoyable to me than the second. Slow Jamz is the highlight of the album Some of these songs sound like they're improvised and I love it. Overall, loved this album way more than I expected.

Ah, gospodin West. Početak. Odličan album, ali po meni nije ni blizu njegovim najjačim albumima. Jesus Walks tho...

Es nota que venia de ser un productor d'èxit, per com bé que sona i totes les col.laboracions top al llarg del disc. Més enllà del personatge, que ja aleshores apuntava maneres, el disc és molt bó, amb uns quants temes que destaquen entre el millor del hip hop 00's, especialment 'Jesus Walks'

Could be a 5 if there were less skits and he cut the “The New Workout Plan”…which did not age well and ruins a pretty well thought out and socially conscious piece of art. Favorite tracks are “All Falls Down”, “Spaceship”, and “Jesus Walks”.

Haven't had listened to Kanye's first album yet. All Falls Down and Jesus Walks as highlights. Will definitely give it another listen.

This album surprised me. This is highly intelligent, creative and trans-stylistic postmodernism. The blend of sometimes 3 different styles with a mix of Frank Zappa-esque orchestration. A sharp edge between Hip Hop and Pop (7/10) Favourite Tracks: Jesus Walks, Spaceship

The only good Kanye album.

A Kanye classic. It holds up. The hits on this album are all memorable. Not his best album, but reminds me of how great he was earlier in his career

I don't like Kanye that much but you have to admit the man has talent. Some great songs, lots of variety.