Artist: Kanye West
Album:College Dropout
Label: Roc-A-Fella Records
Rating:
Reviewer: Zoë Holmes

It’s easy to find the flaws with West’s debut album—far too many guest spots, too many songs on the same topic, and an album bloated with terrible skits. Yet, The College Dropout is by far one of the best rap albums released this year. Despite its many misgivings, West’s tenacity, beats, and even his arrogance pull his album across the finish line with true style.

What makes West’s album stand-out is not the focus of his songs (which range from girls, sex, and cash to minimum wage jobs, family, and Jesus). Instead it’s his lines that will get caught in your mind. Even on the worst tracks the rhymes are memorable and will get caught in your head. At his most amusing West will make you laugh out loud and at his most touching you could cry, but mostly he’s just clever. Song such as “Breathe In Breathe Out” and “Get ‘Em High” would be downright vulgar by any other rapper, but with West they become stand-out tracks.

Given West’s past as a producer and his connections within the industry, it’s not surprising that a good chunk of the songs on the album have other rappers coming in to spit. On many track this works well—Mos Def is biting on “Two Words”, Jay-Z and J. Ivy shine on “Never Let Me Down”, and Talib Kweli gives it his all on “Get ‘Em High”, but when it doesn’t it’s a disaster. Overall “Breathe In Breathe Out” is a great track but Ludacris part is repetitive and boring and he’s just not given enough to do. Common stumbles too much on “Get ‘Em High” that even when he picks up speed his spot is weak. By relying on famous friends too much Kanye deadens his own album when it should be as crisp as his beats.

Where West succeeds the most is getting the listener involved. Even the overly long “Last Call” is worth one listen, because it engagingly tells his life story. Tracks such as “Family Business,” “Through The Wire,” and “Jesus Walks” connect the listener not solely with the songs, but Kanye’s life as well. He bares it all about his career, family, and his life-threatening car accident and you walk away loving him all the more for it. Those tracks allow for him to come into his own—rapping by himself he manages to be both introspective and witty at the same time. Much of the album leaves you satisfied, but on those tracks you leave gasping for more.

In the end West proves to be much like his beats—creative, multi-faceted, and just different enough. While he lacks the raging politics of most underground rapper he seamlessly ties their passion together with catchy ready-for-radio tunes. Even at the albums worst, with “Spaceship” and “Slow Jamz” just lagging miles behind the other songs West manages to stay ahead of his billboard charting brethren. Did Kanye West make the best rap album of the decade? Hardly. But he may have made the best debut.