::Kanye West - College Dropout::

The American Dream.

Kanye (pronounced Khan-yay) West, producer and rapper from Chicago, pretty much has this one thing on his mind. Only, it’s not the American Dream most people have of money, success, and happiness. While West’s idea does encompass these three touchstones of the American Dream, it dives a bit deeper into the fray surrounding this abstract notion.

When immigrants first arrived on ships into Ellis Island, being successful in the United States was not something that had to be achieved through education. Gradually, as the 20th century began to wear on, education almost became a necessity for anyone seeking class movement. Especially in today’s world, one must attend college to become successful as evidenced by our enrollment in Wake Forest.

Kanye West wants to eliminate this preconception. Even before you listen to the record, you kind of know what you’re getting yourself into. After all, you are buying a CD in a record store called College Dropout. This guy is letting you know “even though I didn’t go to college, I’ve made myself successful. Eff the system.”

Once the record hits the needle, it’s a bit different than the uninitiated listener might expect. He’s not a cocksure or brash in proclaiming “I’m #1”, because he constantly checks himself by confessing his weaknesses. It’s incredibly exciting to listen to College Dropout because Kanye is a man who is arrogant yet mindful. In other words, he’s someone the listener can relate to.

The best tracks are the ones that illustrate this duality. “All Falls Down” is the first track we see this, when he says, “Man I promise I’m so self-conscious/That’s why you always see me with one of my watches”. “Jesus Walks”, on the other hand, is a view of an actual cry for help, something almost unprecedented in the hip-hop world and one of Dropout’s best songs. Pair this subject matter with West’s smooth, simplistic (but not half-baked) flow, and the record becomes almost unstoppable.

Unfortunately, as a whole, the record does lose steam at some points. Most of the skits are unnecessary and truly boring. They serve no purpose to the record. Just keep that finger on top of the fast forward button when they come up.

Thankfully, this lull in quality throughout is more than made up for with West’s dominant production. West was a producer before he decided to step up to the mic, having helped on Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”, Ludacris’ “Stand Up”, and Talib Kweli’s “Get By” (all three appear on Dropout). His studio experience is mesmerizing as he easily weaves 70’s soul and jazz reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest into soon-to-be (or already, like “Slow Jamz” with Twista & Jamie Foxx) club tracks.

Kanye West’s debut is an incredible one. He, with a few missteps, has created an incredibly successful album bridging the underground and the mainstream. West is living the American Dream, but he still remains insatiated, wanting to conquer even more real-estate. He’s there, but not yet.