Complex Releases "The Making of Kanye West's "The College Dropout""
This article is a very comprehensive outlook into the making of The College Dropout from the perspective of many people who worked with Kanye West.
Summary
Introduction and Background
Kanye West's first album, The College Dropout, came out on February 10, 2004. Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings released it. Making the album took a long time and was often hard. It showed West's big goal: to be known as a rapper, even though he was already famous as a producer. When it finally came out, the album was important for hip-hop. It went against the popular gangsta rap style and connected mainstream and underground fans.
Early Work and Getting Signed
Kanye West started out in Chicago. Producer No I.D. mentored him. He connected early with local artists like GLC and Common. West wanted to be a rapper since he was young. His mother, Donda West, really backed him up. Often, he didn't get credit for his early production work, like tracks he helped make for Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie.
West moved to New York and got known as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records. He made beats for artists like Jay-Z (like "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "This Can't Be Life" with Beanie Sigel) and Cam'ron. His managers then, Gee Roberson and Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua, saw his skill with beats and signed him mostly for that. But West kept pushing to be a rapper. People doubted him and just saw him as a producer. He shopped his demo around, which had early songs like "Jesus Walks," but had trouble getting a solo deal.
Damon Dash, who co-founded Roc-A-Fella, finally agreed to sign West as a rapper. Dash said part of the reason was to keep West's beats at the label, and he also saw West could express real culture in a way many people could understand. Even with the deal, West had to fight inside the label to get support for his album. Around this time, Coodie Simmons, a videographer from Chicago, started filming West for a documentary, thinking it could be like the movie Hoop Dreams.
Recording the Album and Key Moments
A very important thing happened on October 23, 2002. West got into a near-fatal car accident in Los Angeles. He broke his jaw, and it had to be wired shut. This experience affected West a lot. It made him more determined and gave him ideas for songs, especially "Through The Wire." Because he couldn't fly, West stayed in Los Angeles to heal. He worked hard on the album there, using his room at the W Hotel and later Record Plant studios. Gee Roberson said this period put the album work into "overdrive."
Important people joined or became more involved then. Rapper Consequence became a key helper with writing lyrics and added his own verses. Singer John Legend, who West met through his cousin Devo Springsteen, sang and played piano on the album. At first, Legend wasn't sure about the album, but later he felt it was becoming something special, like Lauryn Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds worked at Def Jam helping with A&R tasks. He became important by setting up studio time and dealing with money issues, sometimes getting around label rules and money freezes that affected Roc-A-Fella artists (but not Jay-Z). Making the album reportedly cost over $1 million, much more than first planned.
Important Songs and Teamwork
The College Dropout is known for its soulful sound, using samples, live instruments, and West's honest, funny, and personal lyrics.
- "Through The Wire": West recorded this song just weeks after his accident while his jaw was still wired. It samples Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire." West paid for the music video himself. Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah directed it. The video showed his accident story using a Polaroid picture style. The song and video really helped people notice him and built excitement.
- "Jesus Walks": This was a strong song early on, but radio stations hesitated to play it because it was so clearly about religion. It samples The ARC Choir's "Walk With Me" and Curtis Mayfield's "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go." Miri Ben-Ari played violin, adding string parts. John Legend sang background vocals that sound like a flute, using Auto-Tune, but he didn't get official credit for it. The song later won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song.
- "All Falls Down": This song first used a sample from Lauryn Hill's "Mystery of Iniquity." But Hill didn't approve using her actual singing. So, singer Syleena Johnson came in and re-sang the hook her own way. The song talks about feeling unsure about oneself and buying too much stuff.
- "Slow Jamz": This song featured Twista and Jamie Foxx and was a big hit before the album came out. West had the idea, and Twista and Foxx helped build the song, which names many R&B singers. They made a deal so the song was the first single for both West's The College Dropout and Twista's album Kamikaze. Atlantic Records (Twista's label) paid for the video. Kamikaze came out first and sold well, which put pressure on West. But the hit song also made people look forward to West's album.
- "Spaceship": This song featured GLC and Consequence rapping about being frustrated with regular jobs and trying to make it in music. It started as a song for GLC. Tony Williams, West's cousin, added soulful singing near the end of the recording process.
- "Never Let Me Down": This song included Jay-Z and poet J. Ivy. West supposedly made the track after he couldn't perform with Jay-Z or get free tickets for his big show. J. Ivy wrote and recorded his spoken-word part quickly after being flown to L.A. for it. Tarrey Torae sang many vocal parts that sounded like a choir because the first choir hired wouldn't sing due to the song's lyrics.
- Samples and Skits: Getting permission for samples was often hard. For "School Spirit," they needed Aretha Franklin's "Spirit in the Dark." Craig Kallman, the head of Atlantic Records, helped get it approved, but only if certain words were censored, even on the main album version. West also put many skits on the album. Comedian DeRay Davis performed on some (doing a Bernie Mac voice for "Intro" and "Graduation Day"). West insisted on keeping the skits, even when his team wasn't sure about having so many.
Album Themes and Sound
The College Dropout was very different from the gangsta rap popular in the early 2000s. West rapped about family ("Family Business"), religion ("Jesus Walks"), school ("School Spirit"), buying things ("All Falls Down"), racism in society, and his own challenges. He was open, funny, and talked from a middle-class view not often heard in hit rap songs then. West produced most of the album himself. He used sped-up soul samples a lot, called "chipmunk soul", but also added live instruments like strings played by Miri Ben-Ari and piano and singing from John Legend and others.
Release and How It Was Received
When The College Dropout came out, critics loved it, and it sold well. It started at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies in the US in its first week. People say the album helped bring new energy to mainstream hip-hop by adding different topics and sounds. It successfully connected the big commercial stars like 50 Cent with the underground scene artists like Talib Kweli and Common.
The album made West a huge solo star. It also helped the careers of many people who worked on it, like John Legend, GLC, Consequence, J. Ivy, and Miri Ben-Ari. West won many awards for it, including the Grammy for Best Rap Album. Collaborators like Common said they saw the change happening even before the album release, watching different kinds of hip-hop fans come together at West's shows. The album is still remembered today for its new production ideas, honest lyrics, and how it changed hip-hop music, influencing many artists who came later.
*There may be errors on this page.
Event Date: February 10, 2014
