Can a producer make the crossover to become a respectable MC? The eternal question presents itself again on Kanye West's debut album College Dropout.
West has designed beats for Jay-Z on his Grammy-nominated The Blueprint and his career coup de gras The Black Album, as well as Talib Kweli's instant classic Quality. For his own rookie effort, Kanye calls in a few favors and ends up with more guests than an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Mos Def, backed by the Harlem Boys Choir, eloquently aids on "Two Words" with a little help from Philly sensation Freeway. Ludacris also contributes by giving "Breathe In Breathe Out" a bit of southern flava and making it one of the album's most upbeat selections. Other notable collaborators include Twista, Common and Hova himself.
The album's first track, "We Don't Care," could be characterized as a twisted version of Nas' recent uplifting hit "I Can," complete with children belting out the chorus. West criticizes schools and speaks of the insidious effect of narcotics in his neighborhood, but remains optimistic. In a poignant refrain, we hear, "We wasn't supposed to make it past 25/ The joke's on you, we still alive." Later on the same track, he bemoans funding cuts from "the programs for after-school" resulting in dyslexic kids whose favorite 50 Cent song is "12 Questions."
His complicated and constructive lyrics continue on the a capella-backed spiritual "Jesus Walks" and on the album's most personal contribution and phenomenal first single, "Through the Wire," where West recounts his brush with death in an Oct. 2002 car crash. His accelerated sample from Chaka Kahn's "Through the Fire" only adds to the sentimentality of this cut he recorded with his jaw wired shut.
Radio darling "Slow Jamz" and bass-laced "Get Em High" are the album's lighter notes. The former is a more-than-appropriate seduction soundtrack, and the latter is best for showing off the pair of 12-inch subs in your trunk. West doesn't totally deliver on MTV's suggestion that College Dropout is the most anticipated hip-hop debut since 50 Cent, but this is still one of the best showings in some time. West can spend as much time as he wants in front of the mic as long as he doesn't quit his day job.
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