the-college-dropout

Kanye West, known as Ye, has been in the press for several wrong reasons over the past few years. However, there’s no denying his status as one of the greatest artists of all time. The Chicago-born creative icon released his debut project, The College Dropout, in 2004. Since then, he’s created classic after classic. Largely regarded as arguably the greatest musician of the past century, his sound gravitates from soul-induced raps to heavy drill bangers.

In fact, Kanye West isn’t shy to boast about his GOAT status. As far back as eight years ago, he went on the Sway in the Morning show and compared himself to Shakespeare or Walt Disney. Say what you want about Ye’s rampant ego, but he’s only solidified that point since that statement. Today, we’re taking on the impossible task of ranking Kanye West’s deep discography. Let us know where you agree (and disagree) in the comments below!

13. Jesus Is King (2019)

Amid Ye’s newfound embracement of Christianity, he released Jesus Is King. Using a tunnel vision approach to integrating gospel music, The Sunday Service Choir is all over the record. Watery synth leads and psychedelic vocals fill the record. While several fascinating sonic elements or ideas exist, the grand-scale results are mixed.

Unfortunately, Jesus Is King reads as an interpolation of Christian values or gospel sound rather than a record that feels like Kanye West. If anything, Ye’s lyricism seems to come from a man trying to convince himself of his religious devotion. This is especially apparent in “Closed On Sunday” or “God Is.” His vocals meander and riff without a sense of direction through much of the record, making Jesus Is King arguably his weakest overall vocal performance.

For all its downfalls, Jesus Is King still contains listenable elements. “Selah” does the gospel genre more justice than any other track here, with epic battle drums and a confrontational tone. The Pierre Bourne-produced “On God” comes straight out of a retro video game, with peaking synths and a booming 808. “Use This Gospel” features solid vocal lines and beautiful keyboard notes on the Clipse reunion. While flawed, Jesus Is King has its share of quality Kanye West songs on a record representing his return to his spiritual faith.

12. Cruel Summer (2012)

Cruel Summer was a collaborative project released under the G.O.O.D Music collective. Advertised as a larger-than-life project spearheaded by Kanye and Jay-Z, the project ultimately didn’t live up to fans’ expectations. The record is best remembered for “Mercy” and “Don’t Like,” two legitimate bangers maintaining a timeless sound today.

Sure, you have your chart-topping hits. That was bound to happen when you have a Chief Keef remix and an all-star lineup of MCs. However, the mixtape ultimately failed to deliver a consistently engaging piece of art. From the jaded R. Kelly intro to the awkward interlude “Sin City,” it’s an exhausting direct listen. In addition, the project seems to lack an underlying purpose, reading as aimless grandiosity. For example, Jay-Z oddly appears less on the project than the likes of 2 Chainz. Cruel Summer is often forgotten in Kanye’s discography for good reason.

11. Donda (2021)

Everything about Kanye West’s tenth studio album was exhausting. From multiple wasted nights praying for its release to its chaotic promotion, its eventual release, if anything, warranted a sigh of relief. However, Donda would continue down this trend of chaos. Compiling two hours of music, there’s seemingly no purpose to the order of the tracklist. Ye would continue to toy with the arrangement of Donda months after its initial release.

Named after his late mother, grandeur listening events and cryptic social media posts followed the project’s rollout. An adventurous blend of euphoric highs and confusing lows, Donda features the best and worst of Kanye’s character. “Off the Grid” is the former, a Pop Smoke-tributed drill banger with a career-defining verse from Fivio Foreign. Then, “24” is rooted in gospel, a track that feels like a fully realized version of what he was trying to do on Jesus Is King. “Moon” blends harrowing vocals from Don Toliver and Kids See Ghost-esque guitar strings into a beautiful ballad.

Donda is a mess. However, it’s Kanye West’s mess. Narratively blending religious tropes with tributes to his late devoted mother, the curse-free record reads a genuine portrait of his current mental state. Picking and choosing from various soundscapes, the project’s lack of cohesion leaves it well behind Kanye’s best work. Ultimately, Donda is a record full of great ideas and features that fall short of its potential.

10. Watch The Throne (2011)

Leaving Watch the Throne this far down the list certainly wasn’t an easy decision. Kanye West feels as alive as ever, adding some of his most menacing verses. Two titans are at the top of Mt. Rushmore, Kanye and Jay-Z. However, some believe the project is a Kanye record featuring Jay. “No Church In The Wild” will have listeners envisioning speeding down a highway with menacing synths and harmonious Frank Ocean vocals. “Otis” contains a classic Jay-Z sound, with taunting piano chords and plenty of quotable lines.

While Kanye had detoured from 808-based bangers over the past few years, he just wanted to have fun on Watch the Throne. A record that appeased the “OG hip-hop” portion of his fanbase, the project sounds flat-out expensive. The two rap over pristine Otis Redding samples, trading verses addressing their financial aspirations. While you can argue that the two’s egos have hindered their respective careers in the past, the two discarded their respective mantras for an hour of fan service.

9. Ye (2018)

The 24-minute ye symbolized a pivotal moment in Kanye West’s career trajectory. Creating the album in a matter of days, the project was only one of his numerous creative outputs over the summer of 2018. In addition, he produced projects for Teyana Taylor and Pusha T while putting on the finishing touches of the Kid Cudi-collaborated Kids See Ghosts.

There’s no doubt that ye was rushed. There’s a wild, uncalculated nature to much of the production. Essentially, the project is a brief snapshot of his mental state during this time. There are plenty of cringe-worthy bars on ye, notably on the opener “I Thought About Killing You.” You also have the messy “All Mine.” The minimal beat and silly vocal leads make it a low moment on the record.

For all of the downfalls of ye, its unparalleled darkness and intimate snapshot into his mindset make it one of the most fascinating albums to date. Featuring significant pushback due to his endorsement of Donald Trump and erratic interviews, ye reminds his audience that he’s humanly flawed. “Ghost Town” and “Violent Crimes” feature booming vocals, a family man who secretly just wants to be a kid again. “No Mistakes” is downright gorgeous, featuring reverbed synths and snappy drums. One of his most intimate projects, ye has an odd way of getting better with every listen.

8. Yeezus (2013)

When Kanye West presented Yeezus to Rick Rubin back in 2013, Rubin was faced with an album that was less than half finished. Even more dauntingly, Ye had a week to finish the project somehow. However, Ye has a proven track record of working well under time constraints. With Rubin’s creative vision, he put out what was his most sonically experimental project to date.

No project divided Kanye’s fanbase more than Yeezus. The average dedicated fan was disappointed with the project upon its initial release. That conversation hasn’t morphed all too much. Critics label the album messy and lyrically disappointing, while others hail it as Ye’s best project. When discussing the mixed reviews, he stated, “I’d rather piss a bunch of people off than and make myself happy than make everyone else happy and be pissed off inside.”

Yeezus sees Ye fully dive into electronic soundscapes, bringing in Daft Punk to help bring his vision to life. However, it’s not like Yeezus is a complete departure from anything he did in the past. Jarring and acidic in nature, Kanye blends his family life with his erratic nightlife. “New Slaves” is one of his darkest songs, as he’s subtly self-destructive about his desire to be high. Even for his most experimental project to date, the chart-topping “Black Skinhead” proved that Ye was still capable of creating a hit.

7. 808s & Heartbreak (2008)

There’s a real argument to be had that 808s & Heartbreak is Kanye West’s most important record. Is it his technically best album? Probably not, as his adventure into auto-tuned vocals yields mixed results. Ye is mourning on his fourth studio album. After creating three consecutive chart-topping hip-hop albums, his overarching message on 808s & Heartbreak is, “Was it all worth it?”

Reflecting on the loss of two of the most prevalent women in his life, Kanye is lost. Turning to the only thing that can comfort him, oddball vocal pitching and distorted production artistically express his feelings of estrangement. His hyper-emotional balladry would later translate into the sound of contemporaries such as Drake and Future. Kanye himself would build on the soundscapes of this record by releasing Yeezus five years later.

Ye is at his absolute lowest by the album’s end, as he states, “I see myself on the TV and I see nothing” on “Pinocchio Story.” The sentiment that fame doesn’t equate to happiness is a well-forged trail. However, hearing a man who’s often idealized fame or fortune admit that he’s deeply depressed makes this his most heartbreaking album to date.

6. The Life of Pablo (2016)

The paparazzi based The Life of Pablo saw Kanye detour from some of the more existential sonic directions he took on previous records. Shifting the sound with each of his releases, he reflects on his influence on the project, stating, “See, I invented Kanye, and now I look and look around, and there’s so many Kanyes.” The Life of Pablo reads as a record where Ye is (to an extent) looking to have fun again. Take “Pt. 2,” where he remixes Desiigner’s one-hit wonder, “Panda.” Back to his unapologetic flexing, we also get the likes of “Famous” and “Waves.”

The Life of Pablo contains a sort of freewheeling energy. Discarding the tight-knit conceptual releases over the past few years, the record is a calculated mess. This was especially the case after its initial release in April of 2016, which was blatantly unfinished. However, the finished version would cement the project amongst some of his best work. Kanye has always had a knack for pinpointing the right guests, and The Life of Pablo is no different. Chance the Rapper gets the spotlight on the epic intro “Ultralight Beam,” while Chris Brown delivers a surprisingly heart-warming hook on “Waves.”

The Life of Pablo feels most narratively grounded when Kanye speaks about his jaded relationship with his family. Admittedly not as present as he’d like to be, he references suffering from the same “workaholic” element that kept his father out of his life on “Father Stretch My Hands.”

5. Graduation (2007)

Kanye West’s third studio album, Graduation, saw him replace smooth acoustic strings with alien synth patterns. Once again pushing the boundaries of hip-hop, it’s a record best listened to during a night drive without a pinpoint destination. Many of the electronic undertones of Graduation would influence later generations of artists such as The Weeknd.

A record full of Billboard smash hits, “Stronger” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” symbolized two additions to his growing list of street anthems. “Flashing Lights” sees him glorify his newfound lifestyle as he embraces his wealth by purchasing hoards of “shoes and cars” while being “flashed by the paparazzi.” Ye’s lyricism takes a backseat to melodies on Graduation, as he was more focused on creating a series of crowd-pleasing tracks after touring with stadium-rock act U2. The dialed and sharp nature signified an artist who was nearing his peak.

Graduation solidified Ye as a superstar without reason to look up to Jay-Z. By his third album, they were creative equals. However, this would begin a new era for Ye, as implied by the blissful “Good Morning.”

4. Kids See Ghosts (2018)

The relationship between Kanye West and Kid Cudi has been a tumultuous one throughout their respective careers. Amid Ye’s many controversial statements over the past few years, that relationship is currently non-existent. From a musical perspective, that reality is an absolute shame when considering how fantastic the Kids See Ghosts project was. Releasing a mere week after Ye, it’s the best work to emerge from his Wyoming era.

With the two generation-defining artists in peak form, Kids See Ghosts blends the harmonious vocals of Cudi with psychedelic production chops from Ye. Reflecting on societal pressures and mended past relationships, the two dive into their psyches’ darkest (and brightest) corners. “Reborn” remains a generation-defining track, containing one of the most recognizable choruses of the past ten years.

Kids See Ghosts is the perfect blend of experimentation and reflective lyricism. Eclectic sample choices, from Kurt Cobain to 1930s Christmas carols, fill the record. The tight-knit project doesn’t have a weak point. From the booming drums on “Freee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)” to the acoustic banger that is “Cudi Montage,” the timeless project’s only downfall is that it’s too short (which is a good problem to have).

3. Late Registration (2005)

While many of Kanye’s albums have presented a different stylistic direction, Late Registration wasn’t that. Instead, his sophomore project saw him refine The College Dropout, a project that is once again full of ’90s soul samples and booming horns. With his debut project a smash hit, many still wondered if his sound could transcend streaming charts for years to come. Late Registration proved those doubts wrong, with tracks such as “Gold Digger” and “Touch the Sky” solidifying his status in the industry.

Now over 15 years old, Late Registration still sounds as fresh as it did in 2006. One of his best lyrical feats to date, there are plenty of quotable and hilarious bars throughout the project. Ye brings out the personalities of his feature list, a department of his creative output where noticeably improved since his first effort. Whether it’s Jamie Foxx screaming “She take my money / When I’m in need” on “Gold Digger” or Brandy harmonizing her vocals on “Bring Me Down,” Ye has morphed himself into more of a creative sniper.

While Late Registration is best known for his chart-topping hits, Ye is noticeably more reflective than his debut. Take “Roses” or “Hey Mama,” two deep cuts where he discusses the death of his grandma and his love for his mother, Donda. There’s no denying that it’s one of his best projects to date.

2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

Living out of a Hawaiian recording studio, Kanye put thousands of hours into his fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It had been a rough few years for Ye, who was still in the spotlight for his embarrassing and hilarious T-Swift Gate incident at the 2009 MTV Music Awards. Topping that with a tumultuous breakup and the death of his beloved mother, Ye secluded himself back to what he did best when he created MBDTF.

That isolation and pain would generate one of the most powerful records of the 2000s. Surrounded by contemporaries such as Jay-Z and Rick Ross, MBDTF saw Ye pour his soul into creating Picasso-level of art. Drawing the line between rawness and refinement, he humanizes his many flaws by utilizing a variety of sonic pallets. From the wonky sampled pitching on “Devil In A New Dress” to the absolute anthem “POWER,” MBDTF was an ambitious attempt from Kanye to create one of the greatest albums ever.

Kanye hit the reset button when he created this project. Making a grand return to hip-hop, the album was a long-awaited meditation on fame that fans were waiting to hear. Glossing over his flaws on some of his recent mixtapes, hearing him as honest as ever was refreshing.

1. The College Dropout (2004)

Ye’s debut studio album, The College Dropout, instantly succeeded. Without a close look at his upbringing, fans could be fooled into believing that his instant fame came relatively simply. However, many doubted his talents before the record was officially released. Waltzing around Roc-A-Fella records in New York, the 27-year-old received more eye rolls than compliments as he blasted future hit “All Falls Down.”

However, their reaction isn’t overtly ridiculous when you consider the context of hip-hop at the time. Specifically in New York, the bling era was in full force. The soul undertone of tracks such as “All Falls Down” or “Slow Jamz” wasn’t exactly accustomed to the sound of the times. One of the best artistic statements of all time, The College Dropout, shifted the music paradigm. As implied by the title, he’s critical of the educational system.

The College Dropout saw Mr. West cement himself as a force, changing hip-hop’s soundscape for years to come. An overnight success, Ye spent thousands of hours curating his production and lyrical delivery before his first record even came out. As he states in “Family Business,” The College Dropout was “a creative way to rhyme without using nines and guns.”