Ten years ago today (February 10), Kanye West’s debut album, The College Dropout, was released. While it wasn’t originally received as an instant classic, the album went on to change Rap music. Let us show you how.
As one of Hip-Hop’s most valuable beat makers at the time, his soul sample influence would help shape Jay Z’s landmark effort The Blueprint. Going into recording Dropout, it was clear West was coming from an entirely different lane.
From the production to the overarching school theme, everything jelled musically and the result, which wasn’t with out its flaws, was still a watershed moment in the Rap game. The album garnered generally favorable reviews from critics worldwide–and maybe more importantly, fans–and would go on to receive platinum certification in two months. But in an interesting twist ‘Ye was still relatable to us.
So we carefully looked back at this body of work to present the 10 reasons why Kanye West’s The College Dropout is a game changer.
Feel free to let us know what you feel is the album’s biggest impact on Rap in the comment section below.
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Photo: Def Jam Records
