- Intro
- We Don't Care
- Graduation Day
- All Falls Down
- I'll Fly Away
- Spaceship
- Jesus Walks
- Never Let Me Down
- Get Em High
- Workout Plan
- The New Workout Plan
- Slow Jamz
- Breathe in Breathe Out
- School Spirit Skit 1
- School Spirit
- School Spirit Skit 2
- Lil Jimmy Skit
- Two Words
- Through the Wire
- Family Business
- Last Call

×
Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date.
For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now.
0602498617397
$15.27
$16.99
Save 10%
Current price is $15.27, Original price is $16.99. You Save 10%.
View All Available Formats & Editions

CD
Members save with free shipping everyday!
See details
See details
15.27
In Stock
Overview
Kanye West's cohesive debut, The College Dropout, proves that some of the best hip-hop is rooted in the reality of everyday struggle and not gangsta gunplay fantasy. West, the Chi-town producer-cum-rapper who's crafted hits for Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Jay-Z, and fellow Windy City vet Twista, centers his disc on a familiar rags-to-riches motif, but like Will Smith before him, he adds his own black middle-class sensibility to it. West thumbs his nose at the old teachers who doubted him ("We Don't Care"), recalls smoking weed while on break at the Gap ("Spaceship/Slaveship"), and pokes fun at all the college-educated flunkies who didn't follow their dreams ("School Spirit"). His flow may not be as polished as Jay-Z's, but West has just as much zeal, honesty, and wit. On "Through the Wire," the radio smash featuring one of his trademark sped-up soul samples -- this time of Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" -- the charismatic rapper chronicles his ascent up the hip-hop A-list after a near-fatal car crash. Yet what makes that single and the entire disc so dazzling isn't just West's clever storytelling but his soulful, full-bodied production. Amid the strident bass shuffle of the inspirational "Jesus Walks" he adds a gospel tinge by employing the Harlem Boys Choir, and throughout the disc, he underscores the dramatic sweep and emotional edge to his raps by incorporating the work of violinist Miri Ben-Ari, who fiddles hip-hop beats. The College Dropout is a must-hear lesson in turning personal triumph into banging hip-hop with universal appeal. West may not have that degree, but The College Dropout makes him the leader of hip-hop's new school.
Product Details
Release Date: | 02/10/2004 |
---|---|
Label: | Roc-A-Fella |
UPC: | 0602498617397 |
catalogNumber: | 000203002 |
Rank: | 4037 |
Tracks
Album Credits
Performance Credits
Kanye West Primary ArtistTracie Spencer Background Vocals
Boys Choir of Harlem Vocals
Tony Williams Vocals
Consequence Vocals
Bosko Talk Box
Keith Slattery Keyboards
Terrence "T-Berry" Hardy Children's Voices
Beverly A. McCargo Vocals
Miri Ben-Ari Violin
Eric Johnson Guitar
Josh Zandman Piano
Ken Lewis Acoustic Guitar,Bass,Percussion,Keyboards,Vocals,Sampling
Aisha Tyler Vocals
Diamond Alabi Isama Children's Voices
Thomassina Atkins Vocals
Candis Brown Vocals
Tarey Torae Vocals
Tiera Singleton Vocals
Kevin Shannon Vocals
James "JT" Knight Children's Voices
Brandi Kuykenvall Vocals
Lavel Mena Vocals
John Legend Piano,Vocals,Background Vocals
GLC Track Performer
Technical Credits
Aretha Franklin ComposerBurt Bacharach Composer
Marcus Fuller Engineer
B. Miller Composer
Cynthia Weil Composer
Cam Wilson Composer
Albert E. Brumley Composer
Andrew Dawson Engineer
Lauryn Hill Composer
Keith Slattery Engineer
Damon Dash Executive Producer
Shawn Carter Executive Producer
Miri Ben-Ari Arranger,Producer
Carlisle Young Engineer
Kanye West Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Anthony Kilhoffer Engineer
Kareem "Biggs" Burke Executive Producer
L.D. Harris Composer
C.C. Mitchell Composer
Evidence Producer
Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua Executive Producer
Darcell Lawrence Financial Director
Tatsuya Sato Engineer
Tom Keane Composer
Dave Dar Engineer
R. Wilson Composer
Rich Balmer Engineer
Tim Morris Art Direction
Ken Lewis Instrumentation
Eugene Toale Engineer
Jacob Andrew Engineer
Michael Eleopoulos Engineer
Lauri Rowe Art Direction
Mike Godshall Art Direction
Francis Graham Engineer
Brent Kolatalo Engineer
Bobby Naugle Logo Design
Eric Duvauchelle Art Direction
Mos Def Composer
Jason Rauhoff Engineer
Customer Reviews
Related Searches
Explore More Items
Kanye West doesn't rap on his fourth album, 808s And Heartbreak. Instead, according to MTV, ...
Kanye West doesn't rap on his fourth album, 808s And Heartbreak. Instead, according to MTV,
the unpredictable hip-hop star sings on most of the album employing autotune and vocoder effects a la T-Pain. His beats are also noticeably more stripped ...
Y'all n*ggas got me really confused out there. I make 'Big Pimpin' or 'Give It ...
Y'all n*ggas got me really confused out there. I make 'Big Pimpin' or 'Give It
to Me,' one of those -- that had me as the greatest writer of the 21st century. I make some thought-provoking sh*t -- y'all question ...
After making underground waves with 2002's inspirational Even Closer, Cali neo-soul singer Goapele returns with ...
After making underground waves with 2002's inspirational Even Closer, Cali neo-soul singer Goapele returns with
Change It All, a cocktail of love and politics splashed over tranquil rhythms. Collaborating with savvy producers like Linda Perry and Kanye West collaborators SA-RA ...
The crew album can be a nervous situation, but with their debut double LP, the ...
The crew album can be a nervous situation, but with their debut double LP, the
Diplomats prove they are worthy Uptown ambassadors. Damien Lemon
Harverd Dropout is the second album from Florida-based trap artist Lil Pump. Featuring production from ...
Harverd Dropout is the second album from Florida-based trap artist Lil Pump. Featuring production from
the likes of Diablo, CBMix, and Fizzle, the album also sees Pump joined by the likes of Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert, Offset, Lil Wayne, ...
As anyone aware of Hudson Mohawke's activities between the release dates of Butter and Lantern
could attest, the Glaswegian producer did not spend those six intervening years on the margins. Following Butter, his 2009 debut album, Mohawke magnified his profile ...
Surpassing the simultaneously spiritual and comical material on his Grammy-winning debut, The College Dropout, might've ...
Surpassing the simultaneously spiritual and comical material on his Grammy-winning debut, The College Dropout, might've
seemed like an impossible feat. But that's exactly what rapper and producer Kanye West does with Late Registration. On his sophomore follow-up, West ups the ...