Though popular culture has dubbed him a rapper, Kanye West’s career didn’t begin behind the microphone — it started behind the boards. As a producer in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, he was mentored by legendary hitmaker No I.D., and helped launch Jay-Z to superstardom with his work on The Blueprint and The Black Album.
In February 2004, the Chicago native proved he belonged in the booth with the release of The College Dropout. Fifteen years later, it’s still one of the best debut albums ever.
At 1:16, it’s Kanye’s lengthiest project. He keeps his debut hunger and passion throughout all 21 songs, and nowhere on the album is it more obvious than “Through the Wire,” the album’s first single. It was recorded after Kanye fractured his jaw in a car crash, but the slurred delivery somehow works when paired with a catchy beat.
Kanye’s half-dozen years producing for Roc-a-Fella Records left him with good connections when he needed guest verses for Dropout. Jay-Z, Common, Twista, Ludacris and more make appearances on the album, but the Jamie Foxx hook on “Slow Jamz” tops them all. Foxx has explained in interviews how the collaboration came about — he met Kanye at a party and recorded “Slow Jamz” in the same night.
No feature help is needed on “Jesus Walks,” as Kanye does some of the most aggressive rapping of his career over a heavy beat with drill sergeant sound effects piped in. Songs like “Never Let Me Down” and “All Falls Down” contain irresistible string-incorporated instrumentals paired with poppy, female-sung hooks.
The album represents Kanye kicking down the door to the rap world, showing us his perfect production, top-of-the-line lyrics and outlandish personality. We loved all three. Dropout sold 440,00 copies its first week and received glowing accolades, culminating with a win for Best Rap Album at the 2005 Grammys.
Kanye ended his acceptance speech with an iconic line: “Everybody wanted to know what I would do if I didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know.”
There is an extremely telling shot of the crowd laughing and grinning after the speech — they love this flashy-suit wearing, cocky, talented guy. Flash forward 15 years, and it’s hard to imagine him getting the same reaction, or even getting a Grammy nomination at all. In terms of both public likability and music, he’s almost unrecognizable from the Kanye on that stage in 2005.
From calling President Trump his brother and claiming they both have “dragon energy,” to insinuating that slavery was a choice, Kanye’s had his fair share of head-scratching moments in recent years. It’s made lifelong fans — like me, full disclosure — question their devotion to him. The pink polo-wearing guy from the South Side of Chicago hardly seems relatable anymore.
Musically, he’s gone from creating lyric-driven anthems with Common and Mos Def to making “I Love It” with Lil Pump. His 2018 solo album ye was nearly an hour shorter than Dropout and its songs were dry and unengaging. For someone whose early work was incredibly intentional and meticulous, his delivery on ye reeked of laziness.
The evolution of Kanye West brings about a lot of frequently asked questions. At what point should a musician call it quits? Can we separate the artist from the art? Neither has an easy answer. Re-listening to The College Dropout shows us the reason we loved this controversial rapper/producer, but reminds us how much he’s changed since.
