Kanye West--College DropoutRoc-A-FellaFeb. 10, 2004
Kanye West is Chi town's premier beat maker. His past is filled with various production gems like Jay Z's "H.O.V.A." and Talib Kweli's "Get By," but with his new release College Drop-Out, Kanye steps up to the mic to show off his skills. Said skills are decent, with nothing astounding or groundbreaking to be found in the rap, but the beat making is tight as usual and the guests hold their weight. Beats made Kanye famous, and beats made this album.
The best tracks are "Two Words", "Slow Jamz," and the single "Through the Wire." "Two Words" is a power track with a guitar riff as the main break and Kanye's staple sped-up soul sample in the background. The MCs spit a strong "1, 2" rhyme that provides the poppy main thrust of the track and gives the song possibilities as a single. The main single and archetypical Kanye track is "Through the Wire," a personal song (made nearly into a party jam...) about a near-deadly car accident West was involved in.
If you look at West's other singles, this album shouldn't hold any great surprises or changes. The beats are nice to chill out to, even if the technique he uses is essentially the same that RZA has been using since 36 Chambers. The singles mirror the album; if you're feeling them you'll be feeling the LP.
