Kanye West released his debut album, The College Dropout, in February of 2004. The album, a massive commercial success, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The singles that were released prior to the album did excellent numbers as well. “Through The Wire,” Kanye West’s beloved debut single, reached the top 15 in Billboard’s Hot 100. These stats are critical when analyzing the 44 year old cultural phenomenon’s longevity and stature in the music industry.
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In the time since The College Dropout, Kanye has released what is regarded as possibly the most decorated discography in hip hop history. Ye has released 10 solo albums. To list some of these major contributions to music, he has The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, 808s & Heartbreaks, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, The Life Of Pablo, and the most recently delivered Donda in his catalog. These albums, and the singles auxillary to them, span decades (from 2003 to 2021).
Each of these albums had at least one song chart on the Billboard Hot 100, with “one” being an understatement, as he’s had many songs from each project hit the charts. In addition to his solo albums, Ye is a celebrated feature artist. His most recent feature, a track with The Game entitled “Eazy,” resulted in The Game’s highest charting song in over a decade. “Eazy” reached number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100, in part to the topics Yeezy spoke on in his verse.
The previously mentioned “Eazy,” which released in 2022, makes 19 years of Kanye tracks on the charts. No other rapper has accomplished such a feat. Kanye’s career will undoubtedly be heralded in hip hop’s pantheon for years to come.
What is your favorite Kanye West song of all time? Drop your picks in the comment section.