While not a stranger to controversy, West faced particular backlash for objectionable behaviour in 2022. Once Slow Jamz came into the picture, his career was on autopilot., JB Marshall: For him to get Luda on the record, he had to give I dont know how many beats for free to get that verse because Luda was and still is a big artist. Sooner than later, hed come to parties Id promote, and we started our own relationship and talking about music., Kyambo Hip Hop Joshua: It might have been 96 [when] we got introduced through No I.D. Since then West's music. I dont know why but it was not only a no, it was a dont bring it up again. So I had to call him and say, Youre going to hate me but theres no place for you over here but I hope we can remain friends. He was mad, but wasnt mad at me. One evening, I met Kanye. Kanye West's "The College Dropout" turns 15 years old today And Im a bigger artist than you in my city. This was in my head. Kanye has a viewpoint, a message and a need to express that to an audience. There was all this drama between Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam and they had paused all the budgets at Roc-A-Fella, because they were spending all this money. [8] Watch the Throne, a collaborative album with Jay-Z, was released in August 2011 and broke the US iTunes first-week sales record. Looking back, thats one of the worst on the album. Kanye would always have dope rhymes, but he didnt have his style down at that time. We re-produced music that I had created. In August 2018, he released the non-album single XTCY. We were playing CDs back and forth, except this time hes playing music from College Dropout. He put Spaceship on, and I start riffing on top of the track. All of us was were kind of fucking around with some shit, and here we were with this opportunity to be a part of something great and extract greatness from ourselves., 88-Keys: Lauryn Hill was supposedly working on a follow-up album [to 1998s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill]. He would give us a batch of beats on a daily basis. Then in 2016 Kanye rapped on his song "Famous": "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? We looked at each other and said, Daaang. We played that song all night because we couldnt believe we got Luda on that joint., Gee Roberson: We had reservations about Breathe In, Breathe Out. It was getting a couple of spins because it was out there already on mixtapes. All Rights Reserved. College Dropout by Kanye West Reviews and Tracks - Metacritic His 2003 debut has a couple of bangers, but "What We Do," in particular, is a perilous look at life in the streets where he holds his own with Jay-Z. "" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. I instantly knew that this was something I had to be a part of., Syleena Johnson: I met him a long, long time ago. He used to sit in the studio and watch me arrange for hours. That thing was so loud, but it felt so good. Not Roc-A-Fella, not Def Jam, it was you guys., Joe 3H Weinberger: Just cause Dame grabbed him I dont think he was actually signed to Island Def Jam until Through the Wire happened. When he finally released his debut solo album, The College Dropout (2004), it was massively successful: sales soared, and critics gushed over its sonic sophistication and clever wordplay, which blended humour, faith, insight, and political awareness on songs such as Through the Wire and the gospel-choir-backed Jesus Walks. The latter cut won a Grammy Award for best rap song in 2005, and West also picked up awards that year for best rap album and best rhythm-and-blues song (as one of the songwriters of Alicia Keyss You Dont Know My Name). But then I thought about it, and I was close to everyone I dreamed of being close to. With his jaw wired shut, he recorded the album's lead single, "Through the Wire," which was released on September 30, 2003. Gangsta rap was doing what it was doing. Wed go to each others apartments, going to the studio together for almost four years.. Yeezus remains the only West album to have sold fewer than 1 million copies in the US. I stepped in and gave the technical terms because I lived in the studio growing up. He fooled Dame and told him that he was doing a compilation album. Kanye is one of the most successful artists in Grammy Awards history. He could rap but [Damon Dash] wasnt buying him as an artist. I miss her every day, but I especially missed her that day. Little was known about these invite-only sessions, with the public getting glimpses via social media clips. We got kicked out the studio, so we went to the waiting room, because DJ Clue was working. I was like, Okay, what you got? Hed been to my basement rapping, so he was my guy. I couldnt really hear the words but he told me what Jay and Kanye were saying in the verse. Everyone involved Kanye West, those he grew up with him in Chicago (GLC, Coodie, Chike, Really Doe, Olskool Ice-Gre, JB Marshall), those who he met at the latter end of the albums development to those who in the thick of it all were so hungry to achieve something that they became one unit. Before we went to the studio that day, we were working on a song called Self-Conscious. The lyrics were so on point. Finally, Kanye West, the artist, had arrived. In early 2019, West debuted his Sunday Service sessions performances of the rapper and associates singing gospel versions of his hit songs from various locations. Lyrically, West sounded paranoid and narcissistic to the point of bathos, especially on "I Am a God," which contained the immortal line "Hurry up with my damn croissants. We being Kanye, me, Don C, John Monopoly, Gee, Hip Hop doing all this. I went to visit him at the hospital and the first thing this man tells me is, Man, were out of here. Wed be down at radio stations, at performances, floated through out the city, and sleeping in No I.D.s parking lot trying to hear our music heard. The College Dropout peaked at No. As Kanye West was preparing to put out his debut album, The College Dropout (2004), his first full-length release as a signed artist to Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records, his label paid a New. Two months later, he fired a lawyer for me and hired a new one just to be really easy to deal with. /s. When Kanye West released Graduation on September 11, 2007, it was the candy-colored, beatwise album that, famously, beat 50 Cent for a battle over release date bragging rights. I was still dabbling in the streets. I dont want bodyguards at my house. But with me, knowing the history of where these lines started and to see it turn into College Dropout, I can see how bad he wanted it and you can hear it. When he was performing, people werent paying attention and he demanded their attention. George W. Bush doesnt care about black peoplea comment that Bush later characterized as one of the worst moments of his presidency. He wasnt drug dealing, but he was telling stories of about those who were drug dealing., Consequence: The great thing about the album is, to this day, the lines still have staying power. Deal. We shook on it.. At that time, he was just a producer that wanted to rap, basically. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Days later, he confirmed the rumors about new material in a rapid-fire series of tweets, declaring he would drop two albums within a week of one another in June, the second one involving longtime collaborator Kid Cudi. ', John Monopoly: I was still working at Violator, but mostly on the music side, and Jive Records. He chopped it, which I always give him props for. My aunt said he wasn't feeling art and asked me for some recommendations on some equipment. The Prerequisite (2001) An early demo tape, and essentially the first solo project from Kanye. Tarrey Torae, vocalist, she got one of them strong voices. He heard that and said, You sing? Thats how it became a barber shop. I really loved his production and respected him. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 a feat West would repeat with every subsequent solo album release. He put me on speaker phone, and I spit the piece as if I had done it a million times. West apologized, then retracted his apology in a New York Times interview in 2013. Im in Bedstuy, broke and by myself. Youd get a chain from them and youd be down with them, but just because he was on Roc-A-Fella didnt mean there was a plan. ', Plain Pat: We all thought he was making a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella, but when I met with him, hes like, Nah, Im rapping! It was shocking because nobody [at Def Jam or Roc-A-Fella) knew he was going to rap [on] the whole album., Olskool Ice-Gre: By the time Dame heard the compilation album was really his album, he revealed he had offers at record labels like Capitol. He had a Def Jam deal, but that was once he put out Through the Wire, which he funded himself. Wed come up with the hot stuff, like Coodie and Chike shooting three videos for Jesus Walks. Def Jam would piggy-back off our stuff. He liked Slow Jamz, but he didnt really want to make it the first single. We werent managing Ye at the time, but trying to help him make it in the game., Shalik Berry: I was A&R at Roc-A-Fella at the time. But with Graduation's groundbreaking (for hip-hop) palette of layered electronic synthesizers, and sloganeering wordplay "I'm like the fly Malcolm X/Buy any jeans necessary," he smirked on "Good Morning" there could only be one winner. This is how dope Kanye was: He wanted to make an album without the beats and just the orchestration. In Kanye's mind, the release of The College Dropout is the ultimate response to any of his haters. Kanye West 18-Year-Old Album 'College Dropout' Surge On Billboard With He even reportedly interned at Gap in 2009, and later Fendi, to gain experience. . Within eight minutes of our conversation he told me was going to be a star. I then knew what he was going to do. Wed push music to DJs went to clubs and pushed. I hate him for this comment to this day. I remember one day being at Jive when Jesus Walks was exploding on the radio and he, Chris Lighty, wanted to put 50 Cent on the remix. He wrote and recorded a song about the experience, "Through the Wire," with his jaw still wired shut following reconstructive surgery. The brashness that caused him such trouble in 2009 fueled a triumphant return to music the following year, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, a monumentally complex exploration of the nature of success and celebrity. I always loved you as a child. On May 31, West held an exclusive listening party in Jackson Hole for industry insiders and select celebrities, like Chris Rock and Jonah Hill, to debut his new studio effort, Ye. I perfected it and added one more line. Thats awesome. I didnt hear the entire thing til it hit the radio., GLC: That was originally my record. You walk in the door and you hear, Its J. Ivy. He just wanted the beats.. ', Gee Roberson: Kanye caused the tipping point of rap when he put that album out. A 27-year-old rapper/producer from the South Side of Chicago, Illinois by the name Kanye West had released his debut album, The College Dropout. I used to date his girlfriends brother. After that he was raised on Chicago's middle-class South Shore neighborhood by his mother, and spent summers with his father. Feel like fivio is the 2022 cheef and Kanye's hangin onto him for the drill (sorry for this comment being 2022 damn im so sorry ) 19. She ended up three songs that night. I like how you move in the studio. We were fighting him like, You cant put [in] all these skits. We didnt want him to do skit after skit like that. "I don't agree 100% with anyone but myself," he wrote. People liked his beats but they saw hip-hop as 50 Cent, Ja Rule, streets and if he didnt fit into that perception then he wasnt really hip-hop. Thats when people started gravitating towards him., Coodie: When wed go to offices, hed rap and jump on the desks. I hated that record. We bumped into Lyor and played him Breathe In, Breathe Out. Next thing I know his budget was open, literally the next morning. He wasnt drug dealing, but he was telling stories of about those who were drug dealing., Visit Billboard Pro for music business news, Daniel Caesar Teams with Kali Uchis for Get You:Premiere, Virgil Abloh Premieres Ray-Ban x Boiler Room Set, Talks Breaking Stereotypes & Snobbery in DJ Culture:Exclusive, KAMAU Recruits Lion Babe For Jusfayu Remix: Exclusive SongPremiere, He was really trying to be on Rawkus Records. He had DeRay [Davis] in the booth for an hour to talk shit, and then went through it and broke up, and picked the parts he liked. Through the Wire was starting to get a lot of love. I met him once then, very briefly. It yielded four singles, including "Monster," on which West, Jay Z and Rick Ross were memorably battered into runners-up spots by a blistering guest verse from Nicki Minaj. Netflix's 'Jeen-Yuhs' Reminds Us Why We Miss The Old Kanye - Forbes But that year the headlines were more concerned over his relationship with the reality-TV star Kim Kardashian, which began in April. Please don't send them at my head"). By 2015 they had become friends and were even spotted at dinner together. We were in the car, on the way to my grandparents, and we would play music of whatever we were working on. Before its release on February 14, 2016, West hit the headlines for a series of controversial tweets - including one that proclaimed Bill Cosby, on trial for drugging and raping women, to be innocent. Omissions? As he intended, Kanye brashly walked the line between mainstream and the "real hip-hop . ', Gee Roberson: Slow Jamz was a huge tipping point for the album. Even though I dont get it, even though it doesnt seem interesting to me at all. I said, Thank you. At that time, we both lived in Newark. [18] Donda 2 was released in February 2022 via the Stem Player. I was throwing around the Luther Vandross sample. He did it exactly how we was supposed to be done, with the power of that camera. Kanye and I were riding around one night and he said, We should do a skit to that shit. We went to crib and we recorded it. I could sell 500,000 records for the compilation with everyone on it who was on Roc-A-Fella. Kanye West Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements sold the shop to him. That's really all i have to say but the Old Kanye is lit asf. The very next morning they called me and said, This is the single. He was like, Im at Kanyes crib, come through. I was with Tarrey Torae, my girlfriend and stage-mate at the time, my wife now. Swift hit back from the stage at the 2016 Grammy Awards this time uninterrupted with the words: "I want to say to all the young women out there: There will be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments Don't let those people sidetrack you. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z 's Roc-A-Fella Records. In celebration of Kanye West's "The College Dropout," here are the stories of 26 contributors "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" who were involved in the making of the album, and more importantly. Me and Kanye were running into the studio, 1:30 at night, and he opened the FedEx and he puts the CD in. I knew I was dealing with a different human being after the accident. Kanye really didnt like it, thats why he didnt care about showing up to meetings.. After that, they looked at each and smiled. He goes in the other room and I hear a bunch of people talking. In response, West decided to make it better: he revised and rewrote songs and refined the production, adding stronger drums, gospel choirs and strings (he paid for orchestras out of his own pocket). He would put out music by John Legend, Big Sean, Common, Pusha-T and more. I left at 11pm and I think he stayed till 3am. ", A Twitter spat erupted that September with West and Jimmy Kimmel, after the talk-show host mocked an interview West had given to the BBC in the UK. But, I didnt hear my name on the album. Even as everyone moved on to fulfill their own ambitions and dreams, The College Dropout was in the pit of each of them. I dont know what we thought. Of course, along with that, MCs wanted to challenge me. After his second collection a year later received a lukewarm reception, West announced he would no longer be showing in Paris. West and his old sparring partner Jay Z then released a collaborative album, Watch the Throne in 2011 it yielded seven singles including "Otis" and "Niggas in Paris"; and added three more Grammy wins to West's and Jay Z's respective hauls. I told Pat, I want to do something more [as] an experience. and Doug Infinites music studio. When I rapped on that beat, I rapped on a different part of the beat that you hear. I know how Im going to do it. He went on to release 'The College Dropout'. Rewind. I wasnt thinking about Hot 97, New York City. It was what made him rap on a table and rap for people. Wests fashion work continued leading up to the release of his eighth studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016); in fact, he debuted tracks from the album at his showcase of YEEZY Season 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York. We were up all night [recording], up til 7am cutting it., Kyambo Hip Hop Joshua: I think that Lauryn was more mad at her version of that record, that the real one never came out. I think it was originally for Busta Rhymes., John Monopoly: He started playing the Get Em High beat and I told him I need this joint, and, of course, he then said hed keep it to himself. didnt really have any music but he told me, I have this kid that Im working on. I met a kid the next day the kid was Kanye. At the MTV Video Music Awards, 'Ye debuts his new record "Love Lockdown," performing the drum-heavy song live. Justin Kautz was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopaedia Britannica. It became West's sixth solo album in succession to debut at No. In an early May interview with TMZ, West revealed that he had been addicted to opioids prior to his November 2016 onstage meltdown and hospitalization, which he began taking after undergoing liposuction because "I didnt want y'all to call me fat." Man, you sound like one of the legends. I took him to take the Lauryn album. I recorded that in Kanye Wests Hoboken apartment. Atlantic had a couple of priorities, [and] one was Twista. I finally got a meeting with the head of the company. In November, he releases his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak, tackling the loss of his mother and the end of his relationship with his fiancee. In June he headlined the Glastonbury festival in the UK, despite a petition of 135,000 signatures asking for him to be removed from the bill. Whats happening over there? I hear Kanye say, Man J, spit it again. I did the joint for a half hour, and the piece was only a minute long. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. We were in the studio, and he said, Syleena, I have this record that Lauryn Hill wont give me the clearance for the sample. He needed someone to re-sing it. Kanye West fought for recognition when he was 12 years old, and still thirsts for respect today. He also raised eyebrows by describing the history of African American enslavement in the U.S. as a "choice," his words again inflaming social media outrage and prompting another attempt at a clarifying explanation later. Like ye, it focused on mental health but to much better effect; intense and spooky, the album was widely viewed as more interesting and rewarding than Wests solo effort. I went to where I felt the familiarity. On The College Dropout, Freeway lends his talents to "Two Words," a similarly gritty track that distills the institutional issues that affect Black people in the inner city. Kanye Didn't Fall Off. He's Always Been Exhausting - Vice That holiday, I took him over to a friend of mines studio, that was producing for Color Me Badd. He was the first non-athlete with a signature sneaker deal, and personally connected Kanye with the 'Bok. We were scrambling. Kanye West's 18 Most Career Defining Moments. Kanye is a very musical person. Months later he retracted his statement in an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper in England. Later that year Kanye West officially changed his name to Ye. A series of apologies, some of them appearing as a stream-of-consciousness narrative on Wests Twitter feed, soon followed. That was the first creative experience Kanye and I had, around 02. One family, one machine, with the goal to kick down doors and brighten Kanye Wests future. But he said, Thats it that was the one., John Monopoly: The Jay verse came at the 11th hour. I wasnt trying to get a song like Get Em High. So he put it on his album and [later] asked me to jump on it., Plain Pat: Get Em High was a late addition on the album. Jays idea was completely different than Kanyes. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He then wrote much of the rest of his debut album while recuperating in L.A. Ten years after its release, The College Dropout is still popular among its readers, as it remains a story for underdogs and underachievers. (Laughs) That was the song that got his budget opened from Lyor. I like him. Me and Hip Hop were good friends at this point, even beyond business. It was one of the ones that Lyor [Cohen] really fucked with. West returned to music in November 2010 with his fifth album with paranoid celebrity and rampant consumption the dominant themes: it was a bombastic and towering monument to self-aggrandizement that sounded "like an instant greatest hits" according to Pitchfork. Of the 21 tracks on his very first album, 14 samples were used on 12 songs. His goal was to be [as] tough as possible. From there, West went on to produce for other stellar talents, including the rappers Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Ludacris, and the singers Alicia Keys and Beyonc. It turned out the two had known each other prior to the spat, which was why West had been hurt by Kimmel's portrayal of him.