The College Dropout

The College Dropout is the debut album of American hip hop artist Kanye West, released February 10, 2004 on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999. Prior to the album's release, West had worked on Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001), which showcased his style of melodic and soulful hip hop production. Produced entirely by West, The College Dropout also features contributions from musicians such as Jay-Z, John... more

The College Dropout is the debut album of American hip hop artist Kanye West, released February 10, 2004 on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999. Prior to the album's release, West had worked on Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001), which showcased his style of melodic and soulful hip hop production. Produced entirely by West, The College Dropout also features contributions from musicians such as Jay-Z, John Legend, Ervin "EP" Pope, Miri Ben-Ari, Syleena Johnson, and Ken Lewis. West's lyrics on the album concern topics that include family, religion, and materialism, while discarding the then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop. Upon its release, The College Dropout became a massive commercial success, producing three top-ten singles and selling over 441,000 copies in its first week alone. The album has been widely considered a musical masterpiece, garnering "universal acclaim" by music critics, based on an aggregate score of 88/100 from... less