The College Dropout

Kanye West began his early production career in the mid-1990s, making beats primarily for burgeoning local artists, eventually developing a style that involved speeding up vocal samples from classic soul records. For a time, he acted as a ghost producer for Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie. Due to his association with D-Dot, West was unable to release a solo album, so he formed and became a member and producer of the Go-Getters, a late-1990s Chicago rap group composed of him, GLC, Timmy G, Really Doe, and Arrowstar.{{cite web|author=Barber, Andrew|title=93. Go-Getters "Let Em In" (2000)|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/the-100-best-kanye-west-songs/let-em-in|work=Complex|date=July 23, 2012|access-date=August 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727014600/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/the-100-best-kanye-west-songs/let-em-in|archive-date=July 27, 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite web |author=Reid, Shaheem |title=Music Geek Kanye's Kast of Thousands |url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/music_geek/kanyewest_100305/ |publisher=MTV |date=September 30, 2005 |access-date=April 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060415173601/http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/music_geek/kanyewest_100305/ |archive-date=April 15, 2006 |url-status=dead }} The group released their first and only studio album World Record Holders in 1999. West came to achieve recognition with his contributions to Jay-Z's influential 2001 album The Blueprint. The Blueprint has been named by Rolling Stone as the 50th greatest album of all time, and the critical and financial success of the album generated substantial interest in West as a producer.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/jay-z-the-blueprint-3-1063183/ |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #50 (The Blueprint)|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 31, 2023|access-date=September 20, 2024}} Serving as an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, West produced records for other artists from the label, including Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and Cam'ron. He also crafted hit songs for Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson.Serpick, Evan. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kanye-west/biography Kanye West] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216151530/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kanye-west/biography |date=December 16, 2011 }}. Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 26, 2009.

Although he had attained success as a producer, Kanye West aspired to be a rapper, but had struggled to attain a record deal. Record companies ignored him because he did not portray the gangsta image prominent in mainstream hip-hop at the time.Hess, p. 556 After a series of meetings with Capitol Records, West was ultimately denied an artist deal.{{cite web | author=Calloway, Sway | author2=Reid, Shaheem | title=Kanye West: Kanplicated | url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/w/west_kanye/news_feature_022404/index2.jhtml | date=February 20, 2004 | publisher=MTV | access-date=April 21, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406021640/http://www.mtv.com/bands/w/west_kanye/news_feature_022404/index2.jhtml | archive-date=April 6, 2009 | df=mdy-all }} According to Capitol Records's A&R, Joe Weinberger, he was approached by West and almost signed a deal with him, but another person in the company convinced Capitol's president not to. Desperate to keep West from defecting to another label, then-label head Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella Records. Jay-Z, West's colleague and one of his mentors, later admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that many saw him as a producer first and foremost, and that his background contrasted with that of his labelmates.{{cite web|author=Williams, Jean A|access-date=April 27, 2008|url=http://www.blackcollegian.com/kanye-west-the-man-the-music-and-the-message/|title=Kanye West: The Man, the Music, and the Message.(Biography)|publisher=The Black Collegian|date=October 1, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150125003250/http://www.blackcollegian.com/kanye-west-the-man-the-music-and-the-message/|archive-date=January 25, 2015|df=mdy-all}}

West's breakthrough came a year later on October 23, 2002, when, while driving home from a California recording studio after working late, he fell asleep at the wheel and was involved in a near-fatal car crash. The crash left him with a shattered jaw, which had to be wired shut in reconstructive surgery. The accident inspired West; two weeks after being admitted to a hospital, he recorded a song at the Record Plant with his jaw still wired shut. The composition, "Through the Wire", expressed West's experience after the accident, and helped lay the foundation for his debut album, as according to West "all the better artists have expressed what they were going through".{{cite web|year=2007|access-date=April 24, 2008|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p353484|pure_url=yes}}|title=Kanye West – Biography|last=Birchmeier|first=Jason|publisher=AllMusic}} West added that "the album was my medicine", as working on the record distracted him from the pain.Davis, Kimberly. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EFWfRrCKBCIC&pg=PA160 "Kanye West: Hip Hop's New Big Shot"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106210658/https://books.google.com/books?id=EFWfRrCKBCIC&pg=PA160 |date=January 6, 2016 }} (April 2005) Ebony. "Through the Wire" was first available on West's Get Well Soon... mixtape, released December 2002.{{cite web|author=Kamer, Foster|access-date=April 9, 2013|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2013/03/the-50-best-rapper-mixtapes/kanye-west-get-well-soon|title=9. Kanye West, Get Well Soon... (2003) – The 50 Best Rapper Mixtapes|work=Complex|date=March 11, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313223732/http://www.complex.com/music/2013/03/the-50-best-rapper-mixtapes/kanye-west-get-well-soon|archive-date=March 13, 2013}} At the same time, West announced that he was working on an album called The College Dropout, whose overall theme was to "make your own decisions. Don't let society tell you, 'This is what you have to do.'"Reid, Shaheem (December 10, 2002). "[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459071/kanye-west-raps-through-broken-jaw.jhtml Kanye West Raps Through His Broken Jaw, Lays Beats For Scarface, Ludacris] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228152622/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459071/kanye-west-raps-through-broken-jaw.jhtml |date=December 28, 2013 }}". MTV. Retrieved October 23, 2007.

West began recording The College Dropout in 1999, taking four years to complete.{{cite web|author=Sarad|date=February 10, 2015|url=http://thesource.com/2015/02/10/today-in-hip-hop-history-kanye-west-drops-his-college-dropout-lp-11-years-ago/|title=Today in Hip Hop History: Kanye West Drops His 'College Dropout' LP 11 Years Ago|website=The Source|access-date=January 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121118/http://thesource.com/2015/02/10/today-in-hip-hop-history-kanye-west-drops-his-college-dropout-lp-11-years-ago/|archive-date=January 19, 2019|url-status=live}} Recording sessions took place at Record Plant in Los Angeles, California, but the production featured on the record took place elsewhere over the course of several years. According to John Monopoly, West's friend, manager and business partner, the album "...[didn't have] a particular start date. He's been gathering beats for years. He was always producing with the intention of being a rapper. There's beats on the album he's been literally saving for himself for years". At one point, West hovered between making a portion of the production in the studio and the majority within his own apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey. Because it was a two-bedroom apartment, West was able to set up a home studio in one of the rooms and his bedroom in the other.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kanye-west-head-of-the-class-77187/|title=Kanye West: Head of the Class|magazine=Rolling Stone|author=Touré|date=April 29, 2004|access-date=February 22, 2022}}

File:Miri Ben-Ari.jpg contributed to seven tracks.]]

West brought a Louis Vuitton backpack filled with old disks and demos to the studio, producing tracks in less than fifteen minutes at a time. He recorded the remainder of the album in Los Angeles while recovering from the car accident. Once he had completed the album, it was leaked months before its release date. However, West decided to use the opportunity to review the album, and The College Dropout was significantly remixed, remastered, and revised before being released. As a result, certain tracks originally destined for the album were subsequently retracted, among them "Keep the Receipt" with Ol' Dirty Bastard and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" with Consequence.{{cite web | last=Patel | first=Joseph | title=Producer Kanye West's Debut LP Features Jay-Z, ODB, Mos Def | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1472302/kanye-west-readying-debut-lp.jhtml | date=June 5, 2003 | publisher=MTV | access-date=April 21, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026080735/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1472302/kanye-west-readying-debut-lp.jhtml | archive-date=October 26, 2012 | df=mdy-all }} West meticulously refined the production, adding string arrangements, gospel choirs, improved drum programming and new verses.{{Cite news |last=Reid |first=Shaheem |title=Road to the Grammys: The Making Of Kanye West's College Dropout |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496766/road-grammys-kanye-west.jhtml |publisher=MTV |date=February 9, 2005 |access-date=January 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718104107/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496766/road-grammys-kanye-west.jhtml |archive-date=July 18, 2011 }} On his personal blog in 2009, West stated he was most inspired by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and listened to the album every day while working on The College Dropout.{{cite web |url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dy1kJrpWkAAG3K_.jpg |title=The College Dropout is EW's Top Album of the Decade |publisher=KanyeUniverseCity |date=December 7, 2009 |access-date=February 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208094103/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dy1kJrpWkAAG3K_.jpg |archive-date=February 8, 2019}}

The song "School Spirit" was censored for the album because Aretha Franklin would not allow the rapper to sample her music without censorship being promised.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2013/02/when-rap-lyrics-get-censored-even-on-the-explicit-version/|title=When Rap Lyrics Get Censored, Even on the Explicit Version|work=Complex|access-date=September 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913150458/https://www.complex.com/music/2013/02/when-rap-lyrics-get-censored-even-on-the-explicit-version/|archive-date=September 13, 2018|url-status=live}} It was revealed by Plain Pat that there were around three other versions of the song, but West disliked them. Pat said in reference to the Franklin sample: "That song would have been so weak if we didn't get that sample cleared".{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2014/02/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of/|title=The Making of Kanye West's "The College Dropout"|work=Complex|access-date=September 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913150518/https://www.complex.com/music/2014/02/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of/|archive-date=September 13, 2018|url-status=live}} In 2011, an uncensored version of the track was distributed online.{{cite web|url=https://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2011/05/kanye-west-school-spirit-uncensored-version.html/|title=Kanye West – School Spirit (Uncensored Version)|work=Fake Shore Drive®|access-date=July 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730025242/https://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2011/05/kanye-west-school-spirit-uncensored-version.html/|archive-date=July 30, 2018|url-status=live}}

West finished recording around December 2003, according to his older cousin and singer Tony Williams, who was recruited by the rapper two weeks before the album's deadline to contribute vocals. Williams had impressed West by singing improvisations to "Spaceship" during one of their drives together. The singer later recounted recording with West for The College Dropout at the Record Plant: "I get in, go in the booth, start vibing out on 'Spaceship' and finished it up. At that point he was like, 'Ok, Well let me see what you do on this song.' I think that's when we did 'Last Call.' One song lead to another, and by the end of the weekend, I was on like five songs. Then we did the 'I'll Fly Away' joint".{{cite web|last=Martins|first=Jordan|date=April 19, 2010|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2010/04/tony-williams-of-g-o-o-d-music-talks-most-memorable-studio-sessions-with-kanye|title=Tony Williams of G.O.O.D. Music Talks Most Memorable Studio Sessions With Kanye|website=Complex|access-date=January 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728002927/https://www.complex.com/music/2010/04/tony-williams-of-g-o-o-d-music-talks-most-memorable-studio-sessions-with-kanye|archive-date=July 28, 2018|url-status=live}} In a January 2020 interview with GQ, West revealed that around 30 to 40 percent of the album was recorded on a Roland VS-1680.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/inside-kanye-west-vision-for-the-future-cover-may-2020|title=Kanye West on His Next Album, Designing Yeezy, and Kobe Bryant|author=Welch, Will|date=April 15, 2020|access-date=April 19, 2020|website=GQ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415223343/https://www.gq.com/story/inside-kanye-west-vision-for-the-future-cover-may-2020|archive-date=April 15, 2020}}

The College Dropout diverged from the then-dominant gangster persona in hip-hop in favor of more diverse, topical subjects for the lyrics.Davis, Kimberly. [https://books.google.com/books?id=J9kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA93 "The Many Faces of Kanye West"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106210658/https://books.google.com/books?id=J9kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA93 |date=January 6, 2016 }} (June 2004) Ebony. Throughout the album, West touches on a number of different issues drawn from his own experiences and observations, including organized religion, family, sexuality, excessive materialism, self-consciousness, minimum wage labor, institutional prejudice, and personal struggles.Love, Josh. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/the-college-dropout.htm Review: The College Dropout] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060915033648/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/the-college-dropout.htm |date=September 15, 2006 }}. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved July 23, 2009.{{cite news |url=http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2009912270315 |title=Music of the decade |date=December 27, 2009 |last=James |first=Jim |newspaper=The Courier-Journal |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722204901/http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2009912270315 |archive-date=July 22, 2012 |access-date=June 17, 2011 }} [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1928558221.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+27%2C+2009&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=I.3&desc=Music+of+the+decade Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107123558/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1928558221.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+27,+2009&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=I.3&desc=Music+of+the+decade |date=November 7, 2012 }} Music journalist Kelefa Sanneh wrote, "Throughout the album, Mr. West taunts everyone who didn't believe in him: teachers, record executives, police officers, even his former boss at the Gap". West explained, "My persona is that I'm the regular person. Just think about whatever you've been through in the past week, and I have a song about that on my album".{{cite web| title=Kanye West Biography| url=http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/bio/0,,721308,00.html| work=Artistdirect| access-date=August 7, 2012| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418070657/http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/bio/0%2C%2C721308%2C00.html| archive-date=April 18, 2012| df=mdy-all}} The album was musically notable for West's unique development of his "chipmunk soul" production style,{{Cite web|url=http://www.unrecorded.mu/features/flashbacks/flashback-kanye-west-the-college-dropout/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201094744/http://www.unrecorded.mu/features/flashbacks/flashback-kanye-west-the-college-dropout/|url-status= dead|title=Unrecorded|archive-date=February 1, 2014}} in which R&B and soul music samples were sped up and pitch shifted.{{Cite web|url=http://sabotagetimes.com/music/history-in-the-making-man-how-the-college-dropout-changed-hip-hop-forever|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224135022/http://sabotagetimes.com/music/history-in-the-making-man-how-the-college-dropout-changed-hip-hop-forever|url-status= dead|title=Sabotage Times|archive-date=February 24, 2016}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/kanye-west-king-of-rap-403127.html|title=Kanye West: King of rap|work=The Independent|location=UK|date=September 22, 2007|access-date=April 26, 2008|author=Burrell, Ian|archive-date=September 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930070532/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/kanye-west-king-of-rap-403127.html|url-status=live}}

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The album begins with a skit featuring a college professor asking West to deliver a graduation speech. The skit is followed by "We Don't Care" featuring West comically celebrating drug life with lines like "We wasn't supposed to make it past 25, joke's on you, we still alive" and then criticizing its influence amongst children. The next track, "Graduation Day", features Miri Ben-Ari on violin[http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/61742/hip-hop-violinist-preps-solo-debut 'Hip-Hop Violinist' Preps Solo Debut] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602165343/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/61742/hip-hop-violinist-preps-solo-debut |date=June 2, 2013 }}, Billboard. and vocals by John Legend.

On "All Falls Down", West wages an attack on consumerism.Heaton, Dave (March 5, 2004). [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/westkanye-college Kanye West: The College Dropout] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811153127/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/westkanye-college/ |date=August 11, 2011 }}. PopMatters. Retrieved August 25, 2011 The song features singer Syleena Johnson and contains an interpolation of Lauryn Hill's "Mystery of Iniquity". West called upon Johnson to re-sing a vocal portion of "Mystery of Iniquity", which ended up in the final mix.{{Cite news |last=Hall |first=Rashaun |title=Kanye West Collaborating With Lauryn Hill on New LP |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496152/kanye-collaborating-with-lauryn-hill.jhtml |publisher=MTV |date=January 21, 2005 |access-date=January 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107050940/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496152/kanye-collaborating-with-lauryn-hill.jhtml |archive-date=January 7, 2011 }} Gospel hymn with doo-wop elements "I'll Fly Away" precedes "Spaceship", a track with a relaxed beat containing a soulful Marvin Gaye sample. The lyrics are mostly critical of the working world, where West muses about flying away in a spaceship to leave his boring job, and guest rappers GLC and Consequence compare the modern-day retail environment to slavery.

On "Jesus Walks", West professes his belief in Jesus, while also discussing how religion is used by various people and how the media seems to avoid songs that address matters of faith while embracing compositions on violence, sex, and drugs.{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Steve |title=Kanye West runs away with 'Jesus Walks' |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2005-02-10-kanye-west-main_x.htm |newspaper=USA Today |date=February 10, 2005 |access-date=January 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025231046/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2005-02-10-kanye-west-main_x.htm |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |url-status=live }} "Jesus Walks" is built around a sample of "Walk With Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. Garry Mulholland of The Observer described it as a "towering inferno of martial beats, fathoms-deep chain gang backing chants, a defiant children's choir, gospel wails, and sizzling orchestral breaks".{{cite news |last=Mulholland |first=Garry |title='Jesus Walks' by Kanye West |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/reviews/story/0,,1280189,00.html#article_continue |newspaper=The Observer |date=August 15, 2004 |access-date=January 7, 2009 |location=London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819121545/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/reviews/story/0%2C%2C1280189%2C00.html#article_continue |archive-date=August 19, 2007 }} The first verse of the song is told through the eyes of a drug dealer seeking help from God, and it reportedly took over six months for West to draw inspiration for the second verse.{{cite web | author=Calloway, Sway | author2=Reid, Shaheem | title=Kanye West: Kanplicated | url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/w/west_kanye/news_feature_022404/index3.jhtml | date=February 20, 2004 | publisher=MTV | access-date=April 21, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406032044/http://www.mtv.com/bands/w/west_kanye/news_feature_022404/index3.jhtml | archive-date=April 6, 2009 | df=mdy-all }}

"Never Let Me Down" is influenced by West's near-death car crash. The song features Jay-Z, who rhymes about maintaining status and power given his chart success, while West comments on racism and poverty.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/468192/watch-the-throne-jay-z-and-kanye-wests-10-best-collaborations?page=0%2C1|title='Watch The Throne': Jay-Z and Kanye West's 10 Best Collaborations|date=August 6, 2011|access-date=April 3, 2013|magazine=Billboard|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602184310/http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/468192/watch-the-throne-jay-z-and-kanye-wests-10-best-collaborations?page=0%2C1|archive-date=June 2, 2013}} The song features verses by spoken word performer J. Ivy who offers comments of upliftment. "Never Let Me Down" reuses a Jay-Z verse first heard in the remix of his song "Hovi Baby".Batey, Angus (February 20, 2004). [https://web.archive.org/web/20070319042251/http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/040220/33/1wazr.html Kanye West – The College Dropout]. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved August 25, 2011 "Get Em High" is a collaboration by West with two socially conscious rappers, Talib Kweli and Common. "The New Workout Plan" is a call to fitness to improve one's love life. "Slow Jamz" features Twista and Jamie Foxx and serves as a tribute to classic smooth soul artists and slow jam songs. The song also appeared on Twista's album Kamikaze. On the song "School Spirit", West relates the experience of dropping out of school and contains references to well-known fraternities, sororities, singer Norah Jones, and record label Roc-A-Fella Records. "Two Words" features commentary on social issues and features Mos Def, Freeway, and the Harlem Boys Choir.Ryan, Chris. [http://www.spin.com/reviews/kanye-west-college-dropout-roc-fella Review: The College Dropout] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115171907/http://spin.com/reviews/kanye-west-college-dropout-roc-fella |date=January 15, 2010 }}. Spin. Retrieved December 26, 2009.

"Through the Wire" features a high-pitched vocal sample of Chaka Khan and relates West's real life experience with being in a car accident. The song provides a mostly comedic account of his difficult recovery, and features West rapping with his jaw still wired shut from the accident.Kearney, Kevin (September 30, 2005). [http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2005/09/kany-s30.html Rapper Kanye West on the cover of Time: Will rap music shed its "gangster" disguise?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224175108/https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2005/09/kany-s30.html |date=February 24, 2016 }}. World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved September 23, 2007. The chorus and instrumentals sample a pitched up version of Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire". "Family Business" is a soulful tribute to the godbrother of Tarrey Torae, one of the many collaborators in the album.{{cite web|last1=Ahmed|first1=Isanul|title=15 Things You Didn't Know About Kanye West's "The College Dropout"|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2014/02/kanye-west-college-dropout-things-you-didnt-know/|date=February 11, 2014|website=Complex|access-date=February 8, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208231025/http://www.complex.com/music/2014/02/kanye-west-college-dropout-things-you-didnt-know/|archive-date=February 8, 2015}} The song "Last Call" is about West's transition from being a producer to a rapper, and the album ends with a nearly nine-minute autobiographical monologue that follows the song "Last Call". However, this is not a separate track.{{cite web|last=Barber|first=Andrew|title=The 100 Best Kanye West Songs: 24. Kanye West "Last Call" (2004)|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/the-100-best-kanye-west-songs/last-call|work=Complex|access-date=January 25, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630005419/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/the-100-best-kanye-west-songs/last-call|archive-date=June 30, 2014}}

The album's title is in part a reference to West's decision to drop out of college to pursue his dream of becoming a musician.West, Donda, p. 106 This action greatly displeased his mother, who was a professor at the university from which he withdrew. She later said, "It was drummed into my head that college is the ticket to a good life... but some career goals don't require college. For Kanye to make an album called [The] College Dropout it was more about having the guts to embrace who you are, rather than following the path society has carved out for you".Hess, p. 558

The artwork for the album was developed by Eric Duvauchelle, who was then part of Roc-A-Fella's in-house brand design team. West had already taken pictures dressed as the Dropout Bear – which would reappear in his later work – and Duvauchelle picked the image of him sitting on a set of bleachers, as he was attracted to the loneliness of what was supposed to be "the most popular representation of a school". The image is framed inside gold ornaments, which Duvauchelle found in a book of illustrations from the 16th-century and West wanted to use to "bring a sense of elegance and style to what was typically a gangster-led image of rap artists". The inside cover follows a college yearbook, with photos of the featured artists from their youth.{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/06/the-design-evolution-of-kanye-wests-album-artwork/the-college-dropout|title=The Design Evolution of Kanye West's Album Artwork: The College Dropout|author1=Pasori, Cedar|author2=McDonald, Leighton|date=June 17, 2013|work=Complex|access-date=August 7, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621203335/http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/06/the-design-evolution-of-kanye-wests-album-artwork/the-college-dropout|archive-date=June 21, 2013}}

While the original release of the album features a brown background on the cover artwork, later remasters of the album feature a white background.

The College Dropout was originally scheduled for release in August 2003, but West's perfectionist habits producing the album led to it being postponed three times. It was first delayed to October 2003, then to January 2004, before finally being released to stores on February 10, 2004.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/westkanye-getwellsoon/|title=Kanye West: Get Well Soon / I'm Good|first=Hartley|last=Goldstein|date=December 5, 2003|magazine=PopMatters|access-date=March 21, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227103009/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/westkanye-getwellsoon/|archive-date=February 27, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://cdn.best.complex.com/music/2011/09/clinton-sparks-30-favorite-mixtapes/get-well-soon |title=Kanye West × The Heavy Hitters, Get Well Soon (2003) – Clinton Sparks' 30 Favorite Mixtapes |work=Complex |date=September 21, 2011 |access-date=December 9, 2012 |author=Ahmed, Insanul |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119184429/http://cdn.best.complex.com/music/2011/09/clinton-sparks-30-favorite-mixtapes/get-well-soon |archive-date=January 19, 2013 }}

In its first week of release, the album sold 441,000 copies and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, being held off the top spot by Norah Jones' second studio album Feels Like Home.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1444628/jones-tops-chart-with-huge-opening-week|title=More Than A Million Take Norah 'Home'|last=Martens|first=Todd|date=February 18, 2004|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 17, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522174953/http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1444628/jones-tops-chart-with-huge-opening-week|archive-date=May 22, 2013}} The College Dropout remained at the second spot behind Feels Like Home for two consecutive weeks, with 196,000 units sold in the second week and 132,000 in the third week, respectively.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1443945/norah-still-tops-on-billboard-200|title=Jones Remains At 'Home' At No. 1|last=Martens|first=Todd|date=February 25, 2004|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 17, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604120312/http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1443945/norah-still-tops-on-billboard-200|archive-date=June 4, 2013}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1443277/jones-maintains-chart-grip|title=Norah Makes Comfy 'Home' At No. 1|last=Martens|first=Todd|date=March 3, 2004|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 17, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602185849/http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1443277/jones-maintains-chart-grip|archive-date=June 2, 2013}} In 2004, The College Dropout ranked as the twelfth most popular of the year on the Billboard 200. The album had sold 2.3 million units in the United States by November 2004.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/66011/kanye-inks-deal-for-sony-label|title=Kanye Inks Deal For Sony Label|magazine=Billboard|date=October 20, 2004|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003134053/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/66011/kanye-inks-deal-for-sony-label|archive-date=October 3, 2014|url-status=live}} By June 2014, the album had become West's best-selling album in the US at the time, with domestic sales of 3,358,000 copies.{{cite web | url=https://ca.music.yahoo.com/photos/top-new-acts-since-2000-1403561474-slideshow/bonnaroo-2014-photo-1402957045872.html | title=USA: Top 20 New Acts Since 2000 | publisher=Yahoo! Music | date=June 24, 2014 | last=Grein | first=Paul | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714145809/https://ca.music.yahoo.com/photos/top-new-acts-since-2000-1403561474-slideshow/bonnaroo-2014-photo-1402957045872.html | archive-date=July 14, 2014 | df=mdy-all }}{{cite magazine|author=Cibola, Marco|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/1566931/kanye-west-how-the-rapper-grew-from-dropout-to-yeezus|title=Kanye West: How the Rapper Grew From 'Dropout' to 'Yeezus'|magazine=Billboard|date=June 14, 2013|access-date=June 14, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617214400/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/1566931/kanye-west-how-the-rapper-grew-from-dropout-to-yeezus|archive-date=June 17, 2013}} On November 23, 2020, The College Dropout was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On the UK Albums Chart, the album peaked at number 12, and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) had certified it double platinum by November 25, 2004; this indicated shipments of 600,000 copies.{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/26133670/kanye-west-is-humbled-by-fans-as-his-debut-turns-ten|title=Kanye West is 'humbled' by fans as his debut turns ten|publisher=BBC|date=February 11, 2014|access-date=September 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607233047/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/26133670/kanye-west-is-humbled-by-fans-as-his-debut-turns-ten|archive-date=June 7, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/kanye-west-brixton-academy-london-534451.html|title=Kanye West, Brixton Academy, London|work=The Independent|date=November 25, 2004|access-date=September 23, 2019|author=Verma, Rahul|archive-date=April 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404200754/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/kanye-west-brixton-academy-london-534451.html|url-status=live}} As of 2018, The College Dropout is the fourteenth highest selling rap album in the UK in the 21st-century.{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-official-top-40-biggest-rap-albums-of-the-millennium-revealed__22808/ |title=The UK's Official Top 40 biggest rap albums of the Millennium revealed |publisher=Official Charts Company |date=May 4, 2018 |access-date=July 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906012015/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-official-top-40-biggest-rap-albums-of-the-millennium-revealed__22808/ |archive-date=September 6, 2018}} The album has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.Columnist. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/mr-confidence-puts-it-all-on-the-line/2005/07/31/1122748516555.html Mr Confidence puts it all on the line] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022023807/http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/mr-confidence-puts-it-all-on-the-line/2005/07/31/1122748516555.html |date=October 22, 2013 }}. The Sun-Herald (August 1, 2005). Retrieved August 27, 2007.

Four of the singles released in promotion of the album became top-20 chart hits: "Through the Wire", "Slow Jamz", "All Falls Down" and "Jesus Walks".{{cite web|url=http://theboombox.com/kanye-west-the-college-dropout-test-of-time/|title=Does Kanye West's 'The College Dropout' Stand the Test of Time?|website=The Boombox|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027232030/http://theboombox.com/kanye-west-the-college-dropout-test-of-time/|archive-date=October 27, 2018|url-status=live}} "The New Workout Plan" was the fifth and last single.{{cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/7504416/kanye-west-college-dropout-anniversary-new-workout-plan?firefox=1|title=Kanye West's "The New Workout Plan": Revisit His Hilariously Brilliant 'College Dropout' Single|website=Idolator|date=February 10, 2014|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-date=October 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028033712/http://www.idolator.com/7504416/kanye-west-college-dropout-anniversary-new-workout-plan?firefox=1|url-status=dead}} "Spaceship" was planned to be the sixth single, but Def Jam decided to move on from The College Dropout{{'}}s promotional campaign to begin marketing West's next album, Late Registration (2005).[http://www.rapbasement.com/kanye-west/050609-kanye-wests-lost-spaceship-video-still-shots-from-rapper-glc-view-them-all-here.html Kanye West's Lost "Spaceship" Video | Kanye West] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611041325/http://www.rapbasement.com/Kanye-West/050609-kanye-wests-lost-spaceship-video-still-shots-from-rapper-glc-view-them-all-here.html |date=June 11, 2009 }} Rap Basement Retrieved July 1, 2012 At one point, "Two Words" was also intended to be released as a single, and a video for the song was filmed, and later uploaded by West online in 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484512/kanye-west-plays-dropout-vips.jhtml |title=Common, John Mayer Drop in to Preview Kanye West's Dropout |date=January 21, 2004 |last=Reid |first=Shaheem |publisher=MTV |access-date=June 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605062342/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484512/kanye-west-plays-dropout-vips.jhtml |archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}

{{Music ratings

| title = The College Dropout ratings

| MC = 87/100

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|last=Kellman|first=Andy|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-college-dropout-mw0000326741|title=The College Dropout – Kanye West|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=January 21, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603082238/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-college-dropout-mw0000326741|archive-date=June 3, 2012}}

| rev2 = Blender

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1942|title=Kanye West: The College Dropout|journal=Blender|location=New York|issue=25|date=April 2004|access-date=July 4, 2016|page=124|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050409000845/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1942|archive-date=April 9, 2005}}

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3Score = A−{{cite magazine|last=Endelman|first=Michael|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2004/02/13/college-dropout|title=The College Dropout|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|location=New York|date=February 13, 2004|access-date=July 23, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730013949/https://ew.com/article/2004/02/13/college-dropout/|archive-date=July 30, 2019}}

| rev4 = Los Angeles Times

| rev4Score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite news|last=Baker|first=Soren|author-link=Soren Baker|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-feb-12-wk-popside12-story.html|title=You'll know his name|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 12, 2004|access-date=July 23, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913171817/http://articles.latimes.com/2004/feb/12/news/wk-popside12|archive-date=September 13, 2010}}

| rev5 = Mojo

| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Kanye West: The College Dropout|journal=Mojo|location=London|issue=126|date=May 2004|page=102}}

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6Score = 8.2/10{{cite web|last=Mitchum|first=Rob|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8767-the-college-dropout/|title=Kanye West: The College Dropout|work=Pitchfork|date=February 20, 2004|access-date=July 23, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731093001/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8767-the-college-dropout/|archive-date=July 31, 2009}}

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

| rev7Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Caramanica|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/college-dropout-20040314|title=The College Dropout|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|date=March 14, 2004|access-date=December 26, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220052935/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/college-dropout-20040314|archive-date=December 20, 2010}}

| rev8 = Spin

| rev8Score = B+{{cite journal|last=Ryan|first=Chris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JZ4ej5RmWFUC&pg=PA111|title=Kanye West: The College Dropout|journal=Spin|location=New York|volume=19|issue=11|date=November 2003|access-date=August 29, 2016|pages=111–12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908013431/https://books.google.com/books?id=JZ4ej5RmWFUC&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111|archive-date=September 8, 2017}}

| rev9 = USA Today

| rev9Score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Steve|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2004-02-09-listen-up_x.htm|title='Dropout': Well schooled|work=USA Today|location=McLean|date=February 9, 2004|access-date=January 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221014439/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2004-02-09-listen-up_x.htm|archive-date=December 21, 2016|url-status=live}}

| rev10 = The Village Voice

| rev10Score = A{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-03-09/music/edges-of-the-groove/|title=Edges of the Groove|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|date=March 9, 2004|access-date=August 5, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022202410/http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-03-09/music/edges-of-the-groove/|archive-date=October 22, 2012}}

}}

The College Dropout was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/college-dropout/kanye-west|title=Reviews for College Dropout by Kanye West|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=December 26, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729050236/http://www.metacritic.com/music/college-dropout/kanye-west|archive-date=July 29, 2012}}

The record was hailed by Kelefa Sanneh from The New York Times as "2004's first great hip-hop album".{{cite news|last=Sanneh|first=Kelefa|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/09/arts/music/09CHOI.html|title=No Reading And Writing, But Rapping Instead|work=The New York Times|date=February 9, 2004|access-date=August 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114130405/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/09/arts/music/09CHOI.html|archive-date=November 14, 2013 |url-status=live}} Reviewing it for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin observed in the music "substance, social commentary, righteous anger, ornery humanism, dark humor, and even Christianity", calling it "one of those wonderful crossover albums that appeal to a huge audience without sacrificing a shred of integrity".{{cite web|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|author-link=Nathan Rabin|url=https://www.avclub.com/kanye-west-the-college-dropout-1798199321|title=Kanye West: The College Dropout|work=The A.V. Club|date=February 17, 2004|access-date=December 26, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126062327/http://www.avclub.com/articles/kanye-west-the-college-dropout%2C11574/|archive-date=January 26, 2010}} The staff of Mojo said its exceptional hip-hop production was miraculous during a time when hip-hop's practice of sampling was becoming "increasingly litigious", and those of Urb deemed it "both visceral and emotive, sprinkling the dancefloors with tears and sweat".{{cite journal|title=Kanye West, 'The College Dropout' (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)|journal=Urb|location=Los Angeles|issue=114|date=March 12, 2004|page=111}} Dave Heaton from PopMatters found it "musically engaging" and "a genuine extension of Kanye's personality and experiences", while Hua Hsu of The Village Voice felt that his sped-up samples "carry a humble, human air", allowing listeners to "hear tiny traces of actual people inside".{{cite news|last=Hsu|first=Hua|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-02-10/music/the-benz-or-the-backpack/1|title=The Benz or the Backpack?|work=The Village Voice|location=New York|date=February 10, 2004|access-date=July 23, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707220649/http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-02-10/music/the-benz-or-the-backpack/1|archive-date=July 7, 2009}} Fellow Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote that "not only does [West] create a unique role model, that role model is dangerous—his arguments against education are as market-targeted as other rappers' arguments for thug life". In the opinion of Stylus Magazine{{'}}s Josh Love, West "subverts cliches from both sides of the hip-hop divide" while "trying to reflect the entire spectrum of hip-hop and black experience, looking for solace and salvation in the traditional safehouses of church and family". Entertainment Weekly{{'}}s Michael Endelman elaborated on West's avoidance of the then-dominant "gangsta" persona of hip-hop:

{{cquote|West delivers the goods with a disarming mix of confessional honesty and sarcastic humor, earnest idealism and big-pimping materialism. In a scene still dominated by authenticity battles and gangsta posturing, he's a middle-class, politically conscious, post-thug, bourgeois rapper – and that's nothing to be ashamed of.}}

Some reviewers were more qualified in their praise. Rolling Stone{{'}}s Jon Caramanica felt that "West isn't quite MC enough to hold down the entire disc", though claimed that West's "ace in the hole is his signature cozy sound", while Slant Magazine{{'}}s Sal Cinquemani observed "too many guest artists, too many interludes, and just too many songs period" on what he considered a "chest-beatingly self-congratulatory" yet humorous, deeply sincere, and affecting record.{{cite web|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/kanye-west-the-college-dropout|title=Kanye West: The College Dropout|work=Slant Magazine|date=March 14, 2004|access-date=December 26, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311215821/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/kanye-west-the-college-dropout|archive-date=March 11, 2015}} It was regarded by Pitchfork critic Rob Mitchum as a "flawed, overlong, hypocritical, egotistical, and altogether terrific album". The staff of Rolling Stone were more receptive in a retrospective review than Caramanica was previously for the publication, calling the album "a demonstration that hip-hop—real, banging, commercial hip-hop—could be a vehicle for nuanced self-examination and musical subtlety".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kanye-west/albumguide|title=Kanye West: Album Guide|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|access-date=August 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205044352/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/kanye-west/albumguide|archive-date=December 5, 2011}}

The College Dropout was voted as the best album of the year by The Village Voice{{'}}s Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics.{{cite news|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-10-18/specials/2004/|title=Pazz & Jop 2004|newspaper=The Village Voice|date=October 18, 2005|access-date=July 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731212126/http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-10-18/specials/2004/|archive-date=July 31, 2011|url-status=dead}} The album elsewhere topped year-end lists by Rolling Stone,{{cite web|last=White|first=Julian|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rolling.htm#2004|title=Rolling Stone 2004 Critics|publisher=RocklistMusic.co.uk|access-date=July 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814082734/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rolling.htm|url-status=live|archive-date=August 14, 2011}} Spin,{{cite web|author=Staff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fyLttHWpa9EC&pg=PA68|title=40 Best Albums of the Year: 1) The College Dropout|work=Spin|date = January 2005|page=68|access-date=January 21, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415013147/http://books.google.com/books?id=fyLttHWpa9EC&pg=PA68|archive-date=April 15, 2015}} Vibe,{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50|title=Vibe Magazine – January 2005|website=Vibe|volume=13|issue=1|date=January 2005|access-date=March 27, 2020|page=50}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and PopMatters.{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/music/best2004/index-5-1.shtml|title=Top 100 Albums of 2004|website=PopMatters|access-date=August 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050112132155/http://www.popmatters.com/music/best2004/index-5-1.shtml|archive-date=January 12, 2005}} Dutch magazine OOR named it the seventh best album of 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/2004.htm|title=Jaarlijst Oor 2004|publisher=Muzieklijstjes|access-date=August 11, 2019|language=nl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603134514/http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/2004.htm|archive-date=June 3, 2017}} Billboard named The College Dropout the second best album of 2004.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/bb/yearend/2004/top10.jsp|title=Billboard 2004 – The Year in Music|magazine=Billboard|access-date=August 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050203204041/https://www.billboard.com/bb/yearend/2004/top10.jsp|archive-date=February 3, 2005}} Rhapsody named it the seventh best album of the decade and the fourth best hip-hop album of the decade.{{cite web|author=Rhapsody Editorial|url=http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/12/100-best-pop-albums-of-the-decade-10-1.html|title=Rhapsody's 100 Best Albums of the Decade|publisher=Rhapsody|date=December 4, 2009|access-date=January 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731094924/http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/12/100-best-pop-albums-of-the-decade-10-1.html|url-status=live|archive-date=July 31, 2011}}{{cite web|last=Chennault|first=Sam|url=http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/10/hiphopdecade.html|title=Hip-Hop's Best Albums of the Decade|publisher=Rhapsody|date=October 31, 2009|access-date=June 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727014325/http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/10/hiphopdecade.html|url-status=live|archive-date=July 27, 2011}}

In 2005, Pitchfork named it No. 50 in their best albums of 2000–2004.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5956-the-top-100-albums-of-2000-04-part-one/6/|title=The Top 100 Albums of 2000–04|work=Pitchfork|date=February 7, 2005|access-date=July 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409001047/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5956-the-top-100-albums-of-2000-04-part-one/6/|archive-date=April 9, 2010}} In 2006, the album was named by Time as one of the 100 best albums of all time.{{cite magazine|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2006/11/02/the-all-time-100-albums/slide/the-college-dropout/|title=Time 100 Best Albums of All Time|magazine=Time|date=November 2, 2006|access-date=May 25, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021211602/http://entertainment.time.com/2006/11/02/the-all-time-100-albums/slide/the-college-dropout/|archive-date=October 21, 2011}} In its retrospective 2007 issue, XXL named it one of the magazine's "XXL"-rated releases; this perfect rating had previously been given by the magazine to only sixteen other albums.{{cite journal|author=XXL|author-link=XXL (magazine)|journal=XXL|title=Retrospective: XXL Albums|date=December 2007}} In 2012, Complex named the album one of the classic albums of the last decade,{{cite web|last=Drake|first=David|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/12/25-rap-albums-from-the-past-decade-that-deserve-classic-status/kanye-west-college-dropout|title=25 Rap Albums From the Past Decade That Deserve Classic Status: Kanye West, The College Dropout (2004)|work=Complex|access-date=December 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209013557/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/12/25-rap-albums-from-the-past-decade-that-deserve-classic-status/kanye-west-college-dropout|archive-date=December 9, 2012}} and the 20th best hip-hop debut album ever.{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/11/the-50-greatest-debut-albums-in-hip-hop-history/kanye-west-the-college-dropout|title=The 50 Greatest Debut Albums in Hip-Hop History: 20. Kanye West, The College Dropout|work=Complex|access-date=November 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102073636/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/11/the-50-greatest-debut-albums-in-hip-hop-history/kanye-west-the-college-dropout|archive-date=January 2, 2013}} Dagsavisen listed the album eleventh in its list of the top forty albums of the 2000s decade.{{cite web|url=http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/article452521.ece|title=Top 40 Albums of the 2000s|website=Dagsavisen|date=November 24, 2009|access-date=August 5, 2019|language=da|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305042740/http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/article452521.ece|archive-date=March 5, 2010}} The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.{{cite book|last1=Dimery|first1=Robert|last2=Lydon|first2=Michael|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|publisher=Universe|isbn=0-7893-1371-5|date=February 7, 2006}} NME placed the album at 273 on its 2013 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time",{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nme_500_greatest_albums_2013.htm|title=NME: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time : October 2013|publisher=Rocklist|access-date=August 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301111303/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nme_500_greatest_albums_2013.htm|archive-date=March 1, 2017}} while Rolling Stone ranked it at 74 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/kanye-west-the-college-dropout-3-1063159/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|date=September 22, 2020|access-date=September 22, 2020|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200922182006/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/chuck-berry-the-great-twenty-eight-2-1063182/|archive-date=September 22, 2020|url-status=live}}

{{quote box|quoted = 1|quote=As a young black kid, especially one who got to walk the line between some dangerous environments and some much better ones, Kanye was this beautiful means to be true to both sides of me. I remember listening to The College Dropout on the bus from a Leadership Broward event where I was selected as one of the leaders of tomorrow or whatever. I remember listening to it as I walked by two black mothers in bed slippers fighting in the street. I remember listening to it on my way to catch the bus to go to a school out of my zone, so that I could get a better education. ... 'Spaceship', 'All Falls Down', 'Never Let Me Down', 'Jesus Walks', 'Family Business'. Those were anthems of mine that I kept in the back pocket of my heart as I walked the line between black people finding me too white or proper and white people clamoring for me to be their 'black friend'.|source=—Aundre Larrow, Chicago Reader (2014)|width=30em|align=right|style=padding:8px;|border=1px}}

The College Dropout sparked a resurgence of socially conscious rap in the mid-2000s,{{cite news|last=Edlund|first=Martin|date=June 21, 2005|url=https://www.nysun.com/arts/return-of-socially-conscious-rap/15776/|title=The Return of Socially Conscious Rap|newspaper=The New York Sun|access-date=November 25, 2019|archive-date=September 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930070530/https://www.nysun.com/arts/return-of-socially-conscious-rap/15776/|url-status=live}} arriving at a time when pop rap was saturated with songs featuring product placement and intensely violent lyrics, epitomized by rappers like 50 Cent, Nelly, Ja Rule, Ludacris, and P. Diddy.{{cite news|last=Larrow|first=Aundre|date=February 12, 2014|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/02/12/thoughts-on-the-tenth-birthday-of-kanye-wests-the-college-dropout|title=Thoughts on the tenth birthday of Kanye West's The College Dropout|newspaper=Chicago Reader|access-date=November 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105134508/https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/02/12/thoughts-on-the-tenth-birthday-of-kanye-wests-the-college-dropout|archive-date=November 5, 2018|url-status=live}} West instead created a space in the mainstream for rappers to express themselves and black identity without resorting to hip-hop's prevalent theme of gang culture. Raul Verma of The Independent said "West is charged with proving mainstream hip hop has a conscience with his nourishing messages of substance flying in the face of the amoral majority perpetuating clichés of guns, girls and bling",{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/kanye-west-brixton-academy-london-534451.html|title=Kanye West, Brixton Academy, London|website=The Independent|last=Verma|first=Rahul|date=November 25, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404200754/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/kanye-west-brixton-academy-london-534451.html|archive-date=April 4, 2020|url-status=live}} while Vibe senior editor Noah Callahan-Bever argued that West's infusion of "pop sensibility" into his otherwise progressive hip-hop had "bridged the gap" and encouraged rappers to gravitate more towards the center between mainstream and alternative forms.{{cite news|last=Darling|first=Cary|date=July 24, 2005|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2005/jul/24/stylish-hip-hop-thrives/|title=Stylish hip-hop thrives|newspaper=Fort Worth Star-Telegram|access-date=July 15, 2021}} Today commented that The College Dropout "stood out in the rap landscape because of its atypical prose. It avoided the usual plotlines about sex, money and violence and touched on everything from his faith to his fears of failure and other crises from his life."{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/kanye-west-nets-10-grammy-nominations-wbna6667340|title=Kanye West nets 10 Grammy nominations|website=Today|date=December 7, 2004|access-date=January 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623122030/https://www.today.com/popculture/kanye-west-nets-10-grammy-nominations-wbna6667340|archive-date=June 23, 2018|url-status=live}}

According to DJBooth journalist Brad Callas, the album also "helped solidify chipmunk soul as not only the defining sound of the Roc-A-Fella era but also the most popular sub-genre in hip-hop".{{cite magazine|last=Callas|first=Brad|date=February 4, 2019|url=https://djbooth.net/features/2019-01-22-25-greatest-chipmunk-soul-beats-roc-a-fella|title=25 Greatest Chipmunk Soul Beats from the Roc-A-Fella Dynasty|magazine=DJBooth|access-date=November 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714072000/https://djbooth.net/features/2019-01-22-25-greatest-chipmunk-soul-beats-roc-a-fella|archive-date=July 14, 2019|url-status=live}} "It feels like that album birthed an entire sub-genre", Max Weinstein wrote in retrospect for Vibe, going on to say, "The palette of emotions was so broad, the depth of topics so searingly relevant, that it was bound to make an impression on any artist that heard it. RZA might have birthed chipmunk soul, and Black Star perfected smart lyricism for the JanSport bunch, but 'Ye brought all that to the masses in one single, digestible product, breaking down the divisions between mainstream rap and Rawkus-grade consciousness." Weinstein also credited The College Dropout with directly influencing 10 albums: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006) by Lupe Fiasco, School Was My Hustle (2006) by Kidz in the Hall, Don't Quit Your Day Job! (2007) by Consequence, A Kid Named Cudi (2008) by Kid Cudi, Asleep in the Bread Aisle (2009) by Asher Roth, Kendrick Lamar's self-titled first EP (2009), Camp (2011) by Childish Gambino, Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011) by J. Cole, When Fish Ride Bicycles (2011) by The Cool Kids, and Acid Rap (2013) by Chance the Rapper.{{cite magazine|last=Weinstein|first=Max|date=February 10, 2014|url=https://www.vibe.com/photos/kanyes-blueprint-10-albums-directly-influenced-college-dropout|title=Kanye's Blueprint: 10 Albums Directly Influenced By 'College Dropout'|magazine=Vibe|access-date=November 25, 2019|archive-date=September 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930070531/https://www.vibe.com/photos/kanyes-blueprint-10-albums-directly-influenced-college-dropout|url-status=live}}

With the album, West began to develop a following of listeners who could not relate to lyrics glorifying gangster lifestyle but still enjoyed rap music and connected more with his musings on family and love.{{cite web|last=Okwerekwu|first=Ike|date=May 13, 2019|url=https://medium.com/music-for-inspiration/wheres-the-old-kanye-fc51a6905c33|title=Where's the Old Kanye|website=Medium|access-date=November 25, 2019}} In 2005, comedian Chris Rock attested to listening to The College Dropout while writing his stand-up material.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1096499-3,00.html|title=Why You Can't Ignore Kanye|magazine=Time|date=August 21, 2005|access-date=May 25, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811154217/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1096499-3%2C00.html|archive-date=August 11, 2010}} Music journalists such as Meaghan Garvey, Andrew Barber, and Erika Ramirez also connected to the album during their formative years, with Barber saying in a roundtable discussion for Noisey, "I could identify with this project the most because I was in college at the time, and I felt like an underdog in my own life. I was uncertain of my future. [West's] words on 'Last Call' inspired me to follow my dreams, and motivated me to graduate despite the album title." In the same discussion, music journalist Eric Sundermann cited The College Dropout as the first in West's pop rap album trilogy that would be followed by Late Registration in 2005 and Graduation in 2007, while Craig Jenkins called it "a watershed moment in 2000s rap history where the nerds stormed the school to seize control from the jocks, a shift memorialized two albums later when Graduation trounced 50 Cent's Curtis album in their 2007 sales showdown."{{cite magazine|date=December 4, 2015|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/65zj33/kanye-album-rankings|title=The Definitive Kanye West Album Rankings: A Roundtable|magazine=Noisey|access-date=November 25, 2019|archive-date=September 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930070554/https://www.vice.com/en/article/65zj33/kanye-album-rankings|url-status=live}}

All tracks are produced by Kanye West, except "Last Call" (co-produced with Evidence; additional production by Porse) and "Breathe In Breathe Out" (co-produced with Brian Miller).

{{Track listing

| headline = The College Dropout standard edition

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 76:13

| title1 = Intro (Skit)

| note1 =

| writer1 = Kanye West

| length1 = 0:19

| title2 = We Don't Care

| note2 =

| writer2 = {{hlist|West|Miri Ben-Ari|Ross Vannelli}}

| length2 = 3:59

| title3 = Graduation Day

| note3 =

| writer3 = {{hlist|West|John Stephens|Ben-Ari}}

| length3 = 1:22

| title4 = All Falls Down

| note4 = featuring Syleena Johnson

| writer4 = {{hlist|West|Lauryn Hill}}

| length4 = 3:43

| title5 = I'll Fly Away

| writer5 = Albert E. Brumley

| length5 = 1:09

| title6 = Spaceship

| note6 = featuring GLC and Consequence

| writer6 = {{hlist|West|Leonard Harris|Dexter Mills|Marvin Gaye|Gwen Gordy Fuqua|Sandra Greene}}

| length6 = 5:24

| title7 = Jesus Walks

| writer7 = {{hlist|West|Che Smith|Ben-Ari|Curtis Lundy}}

| length7 = 3:13

| title8 = Never Let Me Down

| note8 = featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy

| writer8 = {{hlist|West|Shawn Carter|James Richardson|Michael Bolton|Bruce Kulick}}

| length8 = 5:24

| title9 = Get Em High

| note9 = featuring Talib Kweli and Common

| writer9 = {{hlist|West|Talib Kweli Greene|Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr.}}

| length9 = 4:49

| title10 = Workout Plan (Skit)

| note10 =

| writer10 = West

| length10 = 0:46

| title11 = The New Workout Plan

| writer11 = {{hlist|West|Stephens|Bosco Kante|Sumeke Rainey|Ben-Ari}}

| length11 = 5:22

| title12 = Slow Jamz

| note12 = Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

| writer12 = {{hlist|West|Carl Mitchell|Burt Bacharach|Hal David}}

| length12 = 5:16

| title13 = Breathe In Breathe Out

| note13 = featuring Ludacris

| writer13 = {{hlist|West|Brian Miller}}

| length13 = 4:06

| title14 = School Spirit (Skit 1)

| note14 =

| writer14 = West

| length14 = 1:18

| title15 = School Spirit

| writer15 = {{hlist|West|Aretha Franklin}}

| length15 = 3:02

| title16 = School Spirit (Skit 2)

| note16 =

| writer16 = West

| length16 = 0:43

| title17 = Lil Jimmy (Skit)

| note17 =

| writer17 = West

| length17 = 0:53

| title18 = Two Words

| note18 = featuring Mos Def, Freeway and The Boys Choir of Harlem

| writer18 = {{hlist|West|Dante Smith|Leslie Pridgen|Lou Wilson|Ric Wilson|Carlos Wilson}}

| length18 = 4:26

| title19 = Through the Wire

| writer19 = {{hlist|West|David Foster|Tom Keane|Cynthia Weil}}

| length19 = 3:41

| title20 = Family Business

| writer20 = West

| length20 = 4:38

| title21 = Last Call

| writer21 = {{hlist|West|Michael Perretta|Tony Williams|Ken Lewis}}

| length21 = 12:40

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bonus track

| total_length = 80:08

| title22 = Heavy Hitters

| note22 = featuring GLC

| writer22 = {{hlist|West|Harris}}

| length22 = 3:55

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bonus CD

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 25:07

| title1 = We Don't Care (Reprise)

| note1 = featuring Keyshia Cole

| length1 = 2:57

| writer1 =

| title2 = Jesus Walks (Remix)

| note2 = featuring Mase and Common

| length2 = 4:58

| writer2 =

| title3 = It's Alright

| note3 = featuring Mase and John Legend

| length3 = 3:51

| writer3 =

| title4 = The New Workout Plan (Remix)

| note4 = featuring Fonzworth Bentley, Luke and Twista; produced by Lil Jon

| length4 = 4:02

| writer4 =

| title5 = Two Words (Cinematic)

| note5 = featuring The Harlem Boys Choir

| length5 = 4:06

| title6 = Never Let Me Down (Cinematic)

| length6 = 5:16

}}

• "We Don't Care" contains samples of "I Just Wanna Stop", written by Ross Vannelli and performed by The Jimmy Castor Bunch.
• "All Falls Down" contains interpolations of "Mystery of Iniquity", written and performed by Lauryn Hill.
• "Spaceship" contains samples of "Distant Lover", written by Marvin Gaye, Gwen Gordy Fuqua and Sandra Greene, and performed by Marvin Gaye.
• "Jesus Walks" contains samples of "Walk with Me", performed by The ARC Choir and "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go", written and performed by Curtis Mayfield.
• "Never Let Me Down" contains samples of "Maybe It's the Power of Love", written by Michael Bolton and Bruce Kulick, and performed by Blackjack.
• "Slow Jamz" contains samples of "A House Is Not a Home", written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and performed by Luther Vandross.
• "School Spirit" contains samples of "Spirit in the Dark", written and performed by Aretha Franklin.
• "Two Words" contains samples of "Peace & Love (Amani Na Mapenzi) – Movement IV (Encounter)", written by Lou Wilson, Ric Wilson and Carlos Wilson, and performed by Mandrill.
• "Through the Wire" contains samples of "Through the Fire", written by David Foster, Tom Keane and Cynthia Weil, and performed by Chaka Khan.
• "Family Business" contains samples of "Fonky Thang", written by Terry Callier and Charles Stepney, and performed by The Dells.
• "Last Call" contains samples of "Mr. Rockefeller", written by Jerry Blatt and Bette Midler, and performed by Bette Midler.

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.{{cite AV media notes|others=Kanye West |title=The College Dropout |year=2004 |publisher=Roc-A-Fella Records }}{{cite journal|date=April 2, 2004|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-college-dropout-mw0000326741/credits|title=Credits: The College Dropout|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=July 11, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307000051/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-college-dropout-mw0000326741/credits|archive-date=March 7, 2014}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• John Legend – vocals (track 3), additional vocals (tracks 2, 6, 7, 11, 21), background vocals (track 8), piano (track 3)
• DeRay – additional vocals (tracks 1, 5, 14, 16, 17)
• Tony Williams – additional vocals (track 5, 6, 15, 17, 21)
• Sumeke Rainey – additional vocals (tracks 9, 11)
• Tracie Spencer – additional vocals (track 12), background vocals (track 8)
• Riccarda Watkins – additional vocals (track 2)
• Candis Brown – additional vocals (track 10)
• Brandi Kuykenvall – additional vocals (track 10)
• Tiera Singleton – additional vocals (track 10)
• Aisha Tyler – additional vocals (track 12)
• Thomasina Atkins – additional vocals (track 20)
• Linda Petty – additional vocals (track 20)
• Beverly McCargo – additional vocals (track 20)
• Lavel Mena – additional vocals (track 20)
• Thai Jones – additional vocals (track 20)
• Kevin Shannon – additional vocals (track 20)
• Tarey Torae – additional vocals (track 20)
• Rude Jude – additional vocals (track 22)
• Terrence Hardy – "kids" vocals (track 2)
• Diamond Alabi-Isama – "kids" vocals (track 2)
• James "JT" Knight – "kids" vocals (track 2)
• Keyshia Cole – background vocals (track 2)
• Ervin "EP" Pope – keyboards (tracks 8, 12), piano (tracks 5, 11, 17, 21)
• Glenn Jefferey – guitars (tracks 8, 12, 21)
• Keenan "Kee-note" Holloway – bass (tracks 8, 12), additional bass (track 21)
• Frank Walker – percussion (tracks 3, 8, 12)
• Ken Lewis – acoustic guitar (track 4), sample recreation and performance (track 8), additional instrumentation (track 20), guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion, vocal (track 21)
• Eric "E-Bass" Johnson – guitars (tracks 4, 11)
• Bosko – talkbox (track 11)
• Keith Slattery – keyboards (track 18)
• Scott Ward – bass guitar (track 19)
• Josh Zandman – piano (track 20)
• Miri Ben-Ari – violins production, writing, arrangement and performance (tracks 2, 3, 7, 11, 13, 18, 22)

{{col-2}}

• Rabeka Tunei – recording (tracks 1, 4–6, 8, 10, 14–17, 20, 21)
• Eugene A. Toale – recording (tracks 2, 3, 7, 11, 13, 22)
• Andrew Dawson – recording (tracks 6, 7, 11, 15)
• Anthony Kilhoffer – recording (tracks 3, 8, 9)
• Tatsuya Sato – recording (tracks 4, 6, 7)
• Rich Balmer – recording (tracks 2, 22)
• Brent Kolatalo – recording (tracks 8, 21), assistant engineering (track 22)
• Keith Slattery – recording (tracks 11, 18)
• Jacob Andrew – recording (tracks 13, 20)
• Gimel "Guru" Keaton – recording (track 8)
• Jacelyn Parry – recording (track 8)
• Michael Eleopoulos – recording (track 9)
• Dave Dar – recording (track 9)
• Jason Rauhoff – recording (track 13)
• Marc Fuller – recording (track 18)
• Carlisle Young – recording (track 18)
• Francis Graham – recording (track 19)
• Manny Marroquin – mixing (tracks 1–10, 12–17, 19–21)
• Jared Lopez – mixing (track 11)
• Mike Dean – mixing (track 18)
• Ken Lewis – mixing (track 22)
• Eddy Schreyer – mastering

• Danny Clinch – photography
• Eric Duvauchelle – art direction and design
• Mike Godshall – art direction and design
• Jim Morris – art direction and design
• Stephanie Reynolds – art direction and design
• Lauri Rowe – art direction and design
• Bobby Naugle – Dropout Bear logo design
• Sam Hansen – Dropout Bear logo design

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for The College Dropout}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|title=The College Dropout|artist=Kanye West|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2004|access-date=September 22, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=album|title=College Drop Out|artist=Kanye West|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=13833|access-date=May 7, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=album|title=The College Dropout|artist=Kanye West|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|source=radioscope|refname="RMNZ"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=The College Dropout|artist=Kanye West|award=Platinum|number=3|relyear=2004|id=6850-2991-2|certyear=2022|access-date=April 26, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=The College Dropout|artist=Kanye West|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=2004|certyear=2020|refname="RIAA"|access-date=November 25, 2020}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true | streaming=true}}

• 2004 in hip-hop
• Kanye West albums discography
• Kanye West production discography
• The College Dropout Video Anthology
• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2004
• College Dropout (restaurant)

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book |title=Kanye West in the Studio: Beats Down! Money Up! (2000–2006) |last=Brown |first=Jake |year=2006 |publisher=Colossus Books |isbn=0-9767735-6-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/kanyewestinstudi00brow }}
• {{cite book |title=Icons of Hip Hop: an Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture |last=Hess |first=Mickey |year=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-33904-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/iconsofhiphopenc0000unse |url-access=registration }}
• {{cite book|title=Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar|author=West, Donda|author2=Hunter, Karen|year=2007|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1-4165-4470-8|url=https://archive.org/details/raisingkanyelive00west}}

• [http://www.discogs.com/Kanye-West-The-College-Dropout/master/6983 The College Dropout] at Discogs

{{Kanye West}}

{{Grammy Award for Best Rap Album}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:College Dropout, The}}

Category:2004 debut albums

Category:Kanye West albums

Category:Albums produced by Kanye West

Category:Albums produced by Evidence (musician)

Category:Albums recorded at Record Plant (Los Angeles)

Category:Def Jam Recordings albums

Category:Roc-A-Fella Records albums

Category:Grammy Award for Best Rap Album

Category:Pop-rap albums

Category:Progressive rap albums