About

The College Dropout is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999. Prior to the album's release, West had received praise for his production work for artists such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as a recording artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Nonetheless intent on pursuing a solo career, it was several years before West finally received a record deal from Roc-A-Fella Records.

The album's production was handled by West and developed his "chipmunk soul" production style, which made use of sped-up, pitch shifted vocal samples from soul and R&B records, in addition to West's own drum programming, string accompaniment, and gospel choirs. It features vocal contributions from Jay-Z, Mos Def, Jamie Foxx, Syleena Johnson, and Ludacris among many other artists. Diverging from the then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop, West's lyrics concern themes of family, self-consciousness, materialism, religion, racism, and higher education. The album was promoted by singles including "Through the Wire" and "Jesus Walks", both of which received critical acclaim. "All Falls Down" and "Slow Jamz" both charted within the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter charting at number one.

Upon its release, The College Dropout debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies during its first week. It was a massive commercial success, producing five singles that achieved chart success, and it received universal acclaim from music critics, earning West several accolades that included a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 47th Grammy Awards. It is West's best-selling album in the United States, with domestic sales of 3.4 million copies and worldwide sales of over 4 million copies. It is often listed among the greatest debut albums of all time and has been named by Time and Rolling Stone as one of the greatest albums of all time. – Wiki

“West’s delivery is unhurried, and when choruses come around, he slips into amateur, regular-guy singing that makes his tunes seem natural. He compares himself to A Tribe Called Quest, from whom he learned Q-Tip’s off-the-cuff charm, and when such guests as Jay-Z, Ludacris, Mos Def and Common show up to repay West’s contributions to their albums, he sounds casual compared to their superheated attacks. He defers to Twista on the ultrafast finale of “Slow Jamz,” which reappears here with an extended intro.” – Blender

“Kanye has tremendous charisma, uses constant voice inflictions and has a great combination of humorous and thought-provoking rhymes. His Jigga comes out with lines like “I don’t know what I love more, getting laid/or getting paid/all I know is that when I’m getting one/the other is getting away.” But he brings out the Talib posing questions like “why can’t we make it to the booth to vote for leadership/but we can make it Jacob’s and to the dealership.” It’s like he swims in the deep end but loves the shallow water. This contrast is further illustrated on the phenomenal and honest Jesus Walks and his hilarious guide to getting fit for gold-digging The New Workout Plan. Even Kanye‘s guest represent his diversity; Jay-Z, Ludacris and Freeway on one hand, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Common on the other. It is no coincidence that some of the best songs result from these unions. Jay-Z drops 2 incredible verses on Never Let You Down with Kanye not far behind delivering the verse of his career. Luda lends a hook to Kanye‘s bouncing Breathe In Breathe Out and Talib and Common rip one of Kanye‘s darker efforts Get’em High. The Sense has certainly been put back in Common.” – Hip Hop DX

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