Kanye West – The College Dropout [2xLP Vinyl]

Kanye West – The College Dropout (2022 White Sleeve Edition) [2× Vinyl LP]

Details

• Format: 2× Vinyl LP, Album, Reissue, Gatefold, Stereo, Explicit
• Catalogue Number: B 203001W&BS
• Barcode: 602498617410
• Genre: Hip-Hop / Soul / Gospel Rap
• Label: Roc-A-Fella Records / Def Jam / Universal Music
• Originally Released: 10 February 2004
• Reissue Released: 2022
• Condition: New & Sealed

Description

The College Dropout is the debut studio album by Kanye West — one of the most celebrated and consequential first albums in hip-hop history, and a record that redefined what a rap debut could sound like in 2004. Released on 10 February 2004 via Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam, it arrived against a backdrop of industry scepticism: West had spent years as one of the most in-demand producers in hip-hop — crafting beats for Jay-Z's The Blueprint, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Twista — but had consistently been told by label executives that he didn't have the voice, image or presence to be a rapper himself. The album's title is a direct response to that dismissal. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell over three million copies in the United States alone, winning Best Rap Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards alongside four other Grammy wins including Best Rap Song for "Jesus Walks". Rolling Stone named it the second greatest album of the 2000s, and it remains one of the 50 bestselling albums of the 21st century.

The album's most extraordinary quality is its emotional range. West's production across the 15 vinyl tracks draws on sped-up soul samples (the signature technique he pioneered on The Blueprint), live strings arranged by Miri Ben-Ari, gospel choirs, and drum programming of uncommon sophistication — but the arrangements are never deployed for their own sake. "Through the Wire" — recorded while West's jaw was literally wired shut following a near-fatal car accident in October 2002, built around a pitched-up sample of Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" — is simultaneously one of the most audacious and most moving rap singles ever recorded. "Jesus Walks" — refused by radio stations for its explicit religious content, yet nominated for a Grammy — reached number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the decade's defining singles. "All Falls Down" (sampling Lauryn Hill), "Slow Jamz" (featuring Twista and Jamie Foxx, which spent one week at number one on the Hot 100), and "Family Business" complete a tracklist of extraordinary consistency.

The guest list is a document of early 2000s hip-hop at its most concentrated: Jay-Z features on "Never Let Me Down" (alongside J. Ivy); Common and Talib Kweli on "Get Em High"; Ludacris on "Breathe In Breathe Out"; Twista on "Slow Jamz"; Freeway and Mos Def on "Two Words"; and Consequence and GLC on "Spaceship". West is executive produced alongside Damon Dash (Roc-A-Fella co-founder), with mixing by Veit Renn, Manny Marroquin and Mike Dean, and mastering by Eddy Schreyer. The vinyl edition omits several skits and interludes present on the CD release, presenting the album in a tighter, more direct sequence across four sides.

This 2022 reissue presents the album on 2× black vinyl with white poly-lined inner sleeves, in a sleeve faithful to the original bear/mascot artwork. Manufactured in Poland by GZ Media — one of the world's largest and most technically accomplished pressing plants. An essential pressing of a landmark debut.

Tracklist

Side A

1. We Don't Care
2. Graduation Day
3. All Falls Down (ft. Syleena Johnson)
4. Spaceship (ft. Consequence & GLC)
5. Jesus Walks

Side B

1. Never Let Me Down (ft. Jay-Z & J. Ivy)
2. Get Em High (ft. Common & Talib Kweli)
3. The New Workout Plan
4. Through the Wire

Side C

1. Slow Jamz (ft. Twista & Jamie Foxx)
2. Breathe In Breathe Out (ft. Ludacris)
3. School Spirit
4. Two Words (ft. Freeway & Mos Def)

Side D

1. Family Business
2. Last Call

Credits

• Kanye West – Vocals, Producer, Executive Producer
• Miri Ben-Ari – String Arrangements, Violin
• Damon Dash – Executive Producer
• Eddy Schreyer – Mastering
• Manny Marroquin – Mixing
• Mike Dean – Mixing
• Jay-Z, Common, Talib Kweli, Twista, Ludacris, Mos Def, Freeway, Consequence, GLC, Jamie Foxx, J. Ivy, Syleena Johnson – Featured Artists
• Label – Roc-A-Fella Records / Def Jam / Universal Music