Who would have ever thought that the guy producing soul samples would end up creating one of the best rap albums of all time?

The College Dropout was Kanye West’s first commercial album. At the time, gangster rap dominated the industry. The biggest names were the ‘old heads’ like Tupac, the newer money rappers like Jay-Z, and upcoming stars like Eminem, but Kanye was different.  

Kanye had never claimed to be the gangster type, and his music was a reflection of that. The album itself consists of 21 songs. His discography usually comes down to 13-14 tracks, so having 21 was a way for him to introduce himself.

Some of the more notable songs in the track are: 

• “We Don’t Care”
• “All Falls Down”
• “Spaceship”
• “Slow Jamz”
• “Through The Wire”

“We Don’t Care” is the first song on the album, where Kanye is able to handle deep topics, such as the failings of the education system in poor neighborhoods, and how negative idols can impact children, all over a beat that he produced. A line that stuck out to me was when Kanye said, “We wasn’t s’posed to make it past twenty-five, joke’s on you, we still alive.” This is a part of the chorus, and it encapsulates the message of rebellion and spite in the song.

“All Falls Down” starts off with a Kanye classic, a soul singer with a guitar in the background, but the track is deeper than this. “All Falls Down” is a song about materialism, insecurities, and self-consciousness. Its constant repetition of the phrase “When it all falls down” is a way for Kanye to represent the fear that he and many members of the black community felt. When they reached success, the thought of it all falling down lingered constantly in the back of everyone’s head. 

Kanye is able to show materialism through the line “Couldn’t afford a car, so she named her daughter Alexis.” Kanye has an interesting way of using play on words, as a Lexus is a car, but also a name. It shows how the protagonist’s insecurities, both financial and personal, affect her family.

“Spaceship” is a track that is meant to represent everyone. Its theme is about wanting to quit working a dead end job and be able to fly away on the “spaceship.” The spaceship is a metaphor for freedom, and Kanye uses the grind as a way to represent the difficult work that is dead-end jobs and racial profiling.

I think of this song as a way to share the struggle that many people face, and something that just musicians feel. The spaceship is the dream that everyone works for.

“Slow Jamz” is a tribute and a celebration of R&B style. I see this as a way for Kanye to fully connect to the beginning of his music career, as he started off as a soul and R&B sampler. Some may say that the song is a parody of R&B, with the exaggerated innuendos in the song, and humorous lyrics. 

Some of these include, “Got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson, got a dark skinned friend look like Michael Jackson,” referencing MJ’s R&B and also his skin condition. 

Another humorous moment is when a woman asks Kanye to “Go faster.” This is a good segue for Kanye to introduce his feature artist, Twista, as Kanye says, “I can’t go faster, but I know someone who can,” and starts the faster rap. Overall, a funny and classic tune.

“Through the Wire” was a way for Kanye to show who he really is. In ‘02, Kanye was in a severe car crash, in which he had his jaw wired shut. The whole tune is about how he overcame his injuries and struggles after facing such hardship, as well as many other things, to continue his career. The beat adds a level of emotion using the song “Through the Fire” as another way to show the fire that Kanye has been through.

Overall, this album sets a standard, not just for Kanye’s music quality, but what the world should expect of the coming out of this artist. This album was the brick in Kanye’s career, and although as of recently he has faced some controversy, this album shows how truly amazing he was at the beginning of his career.