#also the very first thought i had when i saw em was 'why is kanye wearing shoes in the hottub' 'those are his hooves you idiot' /ref

[harryknowsme]

Variety

Producer Jeff Bhasker faced a daunting task several months ago. After having worked with Kanye West and winning Grammy Awards for producing Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk,” and Fun.’s 2012 album “Some Nights,” he had to decide whether to take on a new project: the debut solo album of One Direction member Harry Styles.

“I’d just had a baby, and I was kind of like, ‘Eh, I don’t know if I’ll jump into this,'” Bhasker tells Variety. He agreed to have Styles come over to “just talk,” and proceeded to put him through the Bhasker home sniff test. “My dog tends to bite people, and he was kind of scoping Harry out,” Bhasker explains. Styles “did this move — like a little shoot the gun with his finger, and my dog walked over and started licking his finger. That’s when I was, like, ‘This guy has something special.'”

Once music came into the mix, Bhasker was sold. “He started playing references of what he wanted to do, which sounded like a cool rock band. I got it, and could see where if we pulled this off, it would be one of the coolest things ever. But he needed a buddy who plays guitar like he’s Keith Richards.” The insinuation being: Styles is the Mick Jagger in this scenario.

Adds Bhasker: “I’m so proud of the album itself, and also of Harry for being so brave, and committing 100%, and writing the kind of vulnerable lyrics that he wrote, and not pandering to what people thought he would do. People have no idea that this is what Harry Styles is like. Just like I didn’t know. He’s obviously very famous and beloved, but people don’t know the depths of what an amazing personality and artist he is.”

Variety spoke with Bhasker about the recording of “Harry Styles” ahead of the album’s May 12 release:

You went old school for the recording of the album, sequestering Harry and the band in Jamaica for a stretch. What was Harry’s main role in the sessions? Harry got to lead the room. It’s very much Harry’s album and the music he wanted to make. And he was very specific what kind of ideas turn him on. He’s pretty clear, in the coolest way, about what he likes and doesn’t like, so it really got the album off on the right foot and finished on the right foot. In the first week, they did, like, 10 songs, half of which ended up on the album.

How was the writing process? Everyone was involved in the writing. It was a really small team — Me, Tyler Johnson, Mitch Rowland, Alex Salibian, and Ryan Nasci, the engineer — and we stuck with that team all the way through the album.

Was there a lyric you were particularly impressed with? I was pleasantly surprised at how witty, clever, and well-read Harry was. He actually turned me on to some poetry and literature that I hadn’t been aware of. We dove into [Charles] Bukowski, which is some pretty gritty dark s—, so we’d say, “Let’s make sure we go that direction and stay the course; let’s not bail out and go with something safe.” I think I did push him in a lot of ways, but then I wanted him to have complete ownership of it and to sing what is really in his heart.

There have been lots of comparisons of Harry to Jagger…

I think the charisma and the energy he has is on level with that, but he’s 100% Harry. It’s easy to make a comparison early on, but as people absorb what this is and who he is, they’ll see that he’s his own thing. Obviously we’re trying to push the envelope of being a boy band, so early on, I was, like, “It has to be super edgy,” but then it was about knowing when to pull back up against the edge and be real. Which is ultimately what I think we landed on.

How is Harry as an instrumentalist? I’ll tell you this much, the first time I saw him pull out the guitar, I was, like, ‘Oh damn, he can play!’ He has a nice stroke. He has a feel and a sound and an emotion. He’s a real musician.

Clearly there are nods to Bowie and Queen on the album. Have you found his musical taste to be distinctly British? You know, we did not once go listen to Bowie or the Rolling Stones or Queen. We didn’t even mention them one time. But one thing that did come up was a song that felt a little like Led Zeppelin, and he was, like, “I never really checked them out.” So we watched [Zeppelin documentary] “The Song Remains the Same,” and he was, like, “Yeah, they’re kind of weird.” I was actually happy that we were not creating some pastiche of all these influences that he knew backwards and forwards, it was more of his gut.

Releasing “Sign of the Times,” a six-minute-long song as a single, was surprising as it breaks from pop radio norms. Who played a part in that decision? That was kind of out there. And by the way, the song was made in four hours, from writing it to tracking it. That’s part of the reason why it’s so long because Harry just freestyled it towards the end. We tracked it like that and it was kind of awesome. Once we had it, we knew it was a winner. It starts out with Harry’s voice sounding so great and then you hit them with [the next verse] and you’ve got ’em. It is a hit in that sense, but it was so long that we weren’t sure if it could be the single. Thank God, [Sony Music CEO] Rob Stringer said, “I think you go with ‘Sign of the Times.'” Then, we tried to do major surgery on it to try and make a radio edit and presented it to him and, he was, like, ‘That’s cool, but I think we should push the full-length.’ We were looking at each other, like, what planet are we on that the head of the label says, ‘Yeah, let’s release a six-minute single.'”

Do you have another track you’re especially proud of? “Meet Me in the Hallway” draws from this rich tradition of the past and of rock music but it’s totally new sounding. Nothing out right now sounds like this song, I always love when I’m a part of something like that. It’s minimal and it’s magical. It takes you to another world. When they played it for me, I was reminded of when I was a kid and first dropped the needle on a Pink Floyd album I had never heard before. I’m not a big [pop] music listener. I listen to KLOS and KCRW and maybe the hip hop station. I’m kind of a classic rock dude. And Harry made a classic rock album. But that’s hands down my favorite on the album.

One producer, one band, all cut in one studio. How did you know that going to Jamaica was the right situation for Harry? I didn’t, necessarily. He’s the one that wanted to do that. Of course, having had the experience of working with Kanye in Hawaii and experiencing the isolation, I thought it would be a good thing for us. It’s never bad thing to focus, isolate, and go a little island crazy. It wasn’t a hard call.

What was the daily routine like? It was a 24/7 music fest: wake up, do some exercise, go to the studio all day, come home, eat dinner, write songs back at the house, go try out some ideas, maybe get excited and go back to the studio at 2 a.m. It was just a nonstop flow of creative ideas, which was great.

Of the artists you’ve previously produced — be it Kanye West or the Rolling Stones — who does Harry remind you of? It’s so f—ed up, because I want to squash all these comparisons between Mick Jagger and Harry, but he really does have that energy where he’s, like, the coolest guy in the room. After working with Mick, there’s a similarity there. There’s only one Mick Jagger and there’s only one Harry Styles, but they both have that kind of charisma. It’s like what life should be — be cool, man. Love one another.”

This album is certain to appeal to the over 35 crowd. You’re a first time father, was there an intent to try and bridge the musical gap between parent and kid by going with this sound? I mean, a little bit. Of course it’s in the back of your head. Maybe daughters will be, like, “Damn dad, your music is actually kind of dope,” and fathers will be, like, “Man, that Harry Styles album is pretty great, I like that.” Maybe we’ll bring fathers and daughters together.

#hs1 #jeff bhasker #article

[beerzandbarz]

Kanye West, Intersectionality, and what?

Whether it be from various music releases involving himself and others, or the political landscape within America, conversations and feelings regarding Kanye West are just about as enigmatic as his interviews. However, it wouldn’t be fair to start this writing with Kanye West as we know him from 2016 until now. In order to understand the wide scope of thoughts and opinions, we first must go back to a young music producer from Chicago, with an unparalleled ego and drive. Jay-Z’s “The Dynasty – Roc La Familia” album was released in October of 2000. I was a Jay-Z fan like most young black teenagers in America. I would buy the Roc-A-Wear gear, wear the silver chains as if they were platinum, and purchase albums from arguably the greatest rapper ever. The stand out single from the aforementioned project was “I Just Wanna Love U (Give it to Me)”, produced by the hottest track makers of the time; The Neptunes. The joint was flat out funky, from the drum loop and synth guitar, to the sexually suggestive hook performed by Pharrell and Omillio Sparks. As the 1st verse began, you had Jay-Z paying homage to the late/great Biggie Smalls rapping, “When the Remy’s in the system, ain’t no telling will I f*ck or will I diss em”, you probably know the rest. The premise of the album was a collaboration of Roc-A-Fella’s current artists, with Beanie Siegel, Memphis Bleek, and Jay-Z carrying most of the load.

For me though, it wasn’t the single that l fell in love with. As with most hip-hop albums, you typically find yourself playing the “album cuts” more than the singles. These are the songs that end up being more relatable, as the artist delves into deeper and more introspective topics. “This Can’t Be Life” was a song that featured Jay-Z, Beanie Siegel, and southern rap pioneer; Scarface. Each of them shared stories regarding their personal pain and suffering, exploring the harsh landscapes of their very existence. Each verse was heart felt, really playing to the title of the song and how rough life can be. What made the verses even more poignant was the musical background provided by Mr. West. A sped-up sample of Harold Melvin’s “I Miss You”, laid on top of a drum loop similar to Dr Dre’s “Xplosive”, provided the perfect marriage of beats and rhymes. It was soulful, gritty, simple, and refreshing. The portion of the song sampled, displaying the pain in the singer’s voice, was a perfect compliment to the pain demonstrated within the verses. This was my introduction to Kanye. From there, I followed along as he transformed from producer, to one of the most brilliant creators within Hip Hop. He was a champion. Someone that everyone loved as the underdog. A person that transcended the culture, and rose to prominence within Hip Hop simply because he believed in himself, and wouldn’t let anyone tell him what he couldn’t do.

Kanye was also very vocal. He said/did things at times when most wouldn’t dare. Everybody remembers the famous “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” statement during hurricane Katrina in 2005.  From a black perspective, it felt as if he was speaking for us, at a time when most felt as if the government’s response to hurricane Katrina was poor to say the least. Fast forward 13 years later, and the sentiments of the masses regarding Kanye are at the other end of the spectrum.

After the 2016 election, Kanye West came out publicly while on tour, saying that had he voted, he would have voted for President Trump. This year in an interview with TMZ, Kanye said the following regarding slavery: “400 years? That sounds like a choice”. Actions like these, amongst others, have kept Kanye in the public eye, and in countless conversations across the social media stratosphere. The once beloved Chicago artist seemed to be moving further and further away from the hearts of fans within the Hip Hop community. How could someone who once made the comment about George Bush, now publicly endorse a president who might be viewed in a much darker way, especially amongst the black community? However, many loyal fans continued to support the artist, citing that even though sometimes his message isn’t centered or easy to follow, there is usually something substantive to glean from his many controversial rants. My personal feelings regarding Kanye are very wide-ranging. I dared not to speak on Mr. West publicly, in fear of looking hypocritical by changing my stance based on some newly released interview of him down the road. However, I began to question if that fear was a bi-product of the politicized and polarized climate that we live in. This is a time where things such as civil discourse, nuance, and intersectionality are very rare. If you are conservative, you have to speak as a conservative at all times. If you are a liberal, you have to be liberal at all times. Right and left, black and white, gay and straight, male and female, are all things that sit at opposite ends of each other, with no middle ground in sight.  Someone stepping outside of their identity group, and speaking a different language, regardless of any intent may come as a detriment.  This is why the idea of someone wearing a MAGA hat, while sporting a Colin Kaepernick sweater can seem like the most insane thing ever. This is why going to sit in front a villainous president, being apart of a culture that is supposed to represent the disenfranchised, is completely off limits.

Some of today’s foremost public intellectuals are wary that the current political climate, may very well leave us ripe for even tougher times ahead; societally changing times. These are the thoughts of those that believe in free-speech, conversation and debate around complex ideas, and belief that truth and honesty are paramount. They might also say that these things are fading. So how does Kanye West play into this you might ask? Well, at that level…. I am not sure if he does. However, I find the entire Kanye ordeal to be compelling and perplexing, as it brings about a wide variety of topics around issues such as: politics, race, fame, celebrity, mental health, change, free-speech, and much more. These are all topics that you can find heavily discussed in the news, and many other media platforms available in this age.  Unfortunately for Kanye (and all of us frankly speaking), we cannot escape our past. His life in the public as a star, who we saw him to be, and his evolution to today has left us with a polarizing question: is Kanye West making some sort of peculiar, misunderstood attempt at intersectionality and peace, or is Kanye West a crazy, selfish entertainer, using this moment to elevate himself for his own personal brand?  The two proposed questions reflect most of the posts, comments, and conversations I have heard regarding Kanye within the past year. Personally, I believe that he is on some weird journey of peace, trying his hand at intersectionality. However, there is also that skeptical voice of reason that tends to fire back, doubting his intentions. Either way, the uncertainty is fine with me, as the idea of not being dualistic may leave room for further conversation.  At a larger level than Kanye, that very idea may prove useful to us in society in general. But…I just drink beer and talk about rap (Kanye shrug).  As always, let us continue to keep our pints full, while being forever ready to scream at each other in the name of hip hop.

 OT The GoldN’ Child

#kanye west #kanye

[mdwatchestv]

The Magicians 2x12: Hakuna Matata

I have had a very busy week this week and did not get to ascend my Magicians blogging throne till this very morning. In order to not forget what I wanted to write about, I wrote down this little list of words yesterday to remind myself of the topics I wanted to cover in the blog. Here is the little list of words I scribbled on a post it note at 9am Thursday morning:

fuck relationships sex

At the time of their writing they seemed like totally separate, reasonable ideas to write about. Looking at them now they seem like a crass little haiku. But I do sort of remember what I wanted to say, so mission accomplished.

Let's start with fuck. When The Magicians began I thought the audio silencing of the f bomb was kind of a cute and cheeky way to drop in profanity while still remaining family friendly. Kind of teen rebellion lite. Now that we have born witness to two seasons of the Magicians and the hot sex, casual use of lesser swear words, and graphic violence within...I am starting to wonder what the point is. I am also 100% sure I heard Margo drop the c-bomb a couple episode ago. There's no reason they can't let their fuck flag fly, come on SyFy, let The Magicians be free.

But let's get to this week's ep, where to even begin. WHERE TO EVEN BEGIN. Every character's storylines went warp speed ahead (with the notable exception of my Queen Margo who didn't even appear in full opacity).

                                   Raindrops, drop tops

I want to first get out of the way the brief, but glorious, rule of High King Josh. His chill af approach to governance actually made a lot of sense, Elliot has tied himself into knots worrying about his likability, but Josh's Hakuna Matata approach actually worked pretty well....for a while. Cursed thrones, why even keep those? Throw em out baby! Baddies at the door? Smoke em up! Brilliant leadership. And to be fair the conflict with Loria wasn't his doing, nor was the rattening of the kingdom. Perhaps in another life Josh would have been the perfect ruler. We can only ponder how he would have blazed into the history books of a simpler Fillory.

                                                    #same

Meanwhile the once and future King Eliot has been booted from Fillory. He meets up with Q and through some whirlwind exposition they figure out the only way back home is via a magic clock Quentin saw in the first episode (he had a Yale interview? No memory). Anyway they track down the clock in Vancouver (Welcome to Vancouver indeed) where it is owned by Nico Evers-Swindell, and not just ANY Nico Evers-Swindell, NATURAL ACCENT NICO EVERS-SWINDELL. I basked in his New Zealand accent like a lizard in the sun. So rarely do NZ and Aussie actors get to have their true accents in American television, which made this a rare and delightful treat. Okay I'm done being an actor nerd now and we can talk about the ACTUAL big reveal which is that Nico Evers-Swindell is really UMBER aka the missing god of Fillory. We met his brother Ember last season, he was the goat guy who wanted little cakes and then took a big dump in the wellspring. Good times.

Umber has abandoned Fillory as a failed world-building experiment and assumes it's only a matter of time before Ember gets bored and destroys all of it. It feels like the show is now setting up Ember as the big bad, which is strange since he didn't come across as all that villainous when we met him last season. I do like the angle that to save Fillory Eliot will need to conquer it, which as Quentin pointed out, is exactly what the Beast was trying to do. The Fillory storyline is turning out to be the strongest and most interesting of the season, and I can't wait to see what crazy shit goes down in the finale.

That being said, let's talk about what everyone else is doing. Alice has been reunited with her shade and is not too happy with Quentin for forcing her return to mortality. While I am still not rooting for this relationship to work out, I do like the story they are telling with it, and I think relationships that are bad or not meant to be, are just as important to portray as dream ships. Which reminds me, something I wish that the Magicians had was a couple to root for. I like the complexity of the romantic relationships, but there is no romance that makes my shipper heart go pitter pat. Even though I like Kady and Penny as a couple, as a viewer I don't feel particularly invested in their future. Speaking of Penny, he and his new friend the Kanye sympathizer break into the Poison Room (which is literally poison, honestly not sure what they expected). Anyway his new friend dies but Penny is able to steal Kady's book before escaping. Plot!

Finally in Julia-land things come to a head with Reynard. After Reynard kills his wife, Senator Chris Gorham forces Kady to murder him in order to absorb his power. This felt like a case where the writers saw the Senator storyline wasn't really going anywhere so quite literally killed it. Even though it felt a little messy, I would rather a nonworking storyline get the chop early on then spiral miserably for weeks. Again, tearing through plot is often one of the Magician's greatest strengths but its inability to play out longterm threads sometimes leads to a lack of emotional stakes. Anyway Julia makes a magic bullet (if they could make a magic gun, why not a magic sniper rifle? Just wondering.) and our best bitches summon Reynard. However just as Julia is about to pull the trigger, Our Lady Underground (aka Persephone) pops up and asks for his life to be spared because he's her....son! OLU begs Julia to show Reynard mercy and SHE DOES. I don't know about y'all but I was 100% Team Kady here. Reynard not only horrifically brutalized Julia herself, but he is also a MASS MURDERER. I don't care if killing a god comes with a high price, you are doing a PUBLIC SERVICE. Also Kady herself killed a god that very day and she seems pretty okay. Anyway I agree with Kady that was some grade a prime bull shit. But Julia got her shade back so yay. I guess.

Next week is the season finale, and since there has been a LOT of set up this season I can only assume about one million things are going to happen. Can't wait! See you on the other side.

XO MD

#The Magicians #the magicians syfy #the magicians gif #syfy #quentin coldwater #jason ralph #Stella Maeve #julia #alice quinn #Olivia Taylor Dudley #eliot waugh #Hale Appleman #nico evers-swindell #umber #ember #fillory #jade tailor #Arjun Gupta #kady #penny #mackenzie astin #reynard the fox #our lady underground #garcelle beauvais #trevor einhorn #vancouver #tv reviews #Martha writes #tv recaps #tv gifs

[campuslately]

Kanye West left college to pursue his passion in 1996. He attended American Academy of Art briefly and Chicago State University where he majored in English. His mother Donda West worked as a professor at the time. Can you imagine that conversation the nerve he had to work up to tell his mother he was dropping out of college? Many of us have contemplated the same thought, be it quitting college to follow your dreams or quitting your job to do it. That experience did its part in helping to define Kanye West and his music at that time. But what also shaped his early music was #Collegelife, #GreekLife, and #BlackCollegiateLife which in return helped to shape a generation and a culture. Kanye West first album “The College Dropout” was one of the first albums to talk about black collegiate life and greek life on a national level. Walk down memory lane with us as CampusLATELY names Kanye West “The Black Collegiate Wordsmith.”

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10 Reasons We Fell For Kanye West!

1.)He took the job he didn’t want to get closer to the job he did want. He saw producing for other artists merely as his entry point into the music business. Roc-A-Fella chief Damon Dash signed him in 2002 with the idea that he’d produce a compilation album for the label’s roster of talent, which at the time included acts like Cam’ron, Beanie Sigel and the Young Gunz, among others.

2.)Everyone who contributed to his first album was an underdog “at that time.” Kanye West pulled “his people” and a lot of his friends he grew up with in Chicago to help him create “The College Dropout” (GLC, Coodie, Chike, Really Doe, Olskool Ice-Gre, JB Marshall).

3.)He is a Poet!

Also Read: Campus Lately Poetry Jam

4.) Before there was Chance The Rapper incorporating church hymns in his music there was Kanye West with “I’ll Fly Away.”

5.)He worked at the Gap. Who didn’t get a job at the Gap during the Christmas holiday’s or a gap like spot, not making “s#&^” wishing for a spaceship.

6.)He said what we were all thinking during Hurricane Katrina “Bush doesn’t care about Black People” and have thought many times since about our justice system and new representation i.e number 45.

7.)He let my generation rock to “Jesus Walks” in the club. Maybe not breaking it down on the dance floor but definitely body rocking, rapping all the words and people screaming Jesus in the club. Thanks for that @Kanye!

8.)In 2004 he dropped Slow Jamz and it “set so many parties off right”!

9.)School spirit repping the Devine Nine and #greeklife is a one of a kind.

10.)He has an angel he literally got a second chance at life. When he released “Through The Wire” he told us his story of surviving a car crash after which he dropped his first single and blew up! The American Dream.

7 Of Our Favorite Black Collegiate Versus

1.)She was with me before the deal, she’d been tryna be mine She a Delta, so she’d been throwin’ that Dynasty sign

2.)Alpha, step, Omega, step Kappa, step, Sigma, step Gangstas walk, pimps gon’ talk Oh hecky naw that boy is raw AKA, step. Delta, step S G Rho, step, Zeta, step Gangstas walk, pimps gon’ talk Oh hecky naw that boy is raw – School Spirit

3.)Cause ain’t no to tuition for havin’ no ambition And ain’t no loans for sittin’ your ass at home We forced to sell crack rap and get a job You gotta do somethin’ man your ass is grown. – We Don’t Care

4.)Man, I promise, she’s so self-conscious She has no idea what she’s doing in college That major that she majored in don’t make no money But she won’t drop out, her parents will look at her funny.- Alls Falls Down

5.)Saying “We eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast!” Huh! Y’all eat pieces of shit? What’s the basis? We ain’t goin’ nowhere, but got suits and cases. – Jesus Walks

6.)My freshman year I was going through hella problems ‘Til I built up the nerve to drop my ass up outta college My teacher said I’m a loser, I told her why don’t you kill me I give a fuck if you fail me, I’m gonna follow my heart. – Get ‘Em High

7.)And you don’t want to stay there ’cause them your worst cousins Got roaches at their crib like them your first cousins Act like you ain’t took a bath with your cousins Fit three in the bed while six of y’all I’m talkin’ ’bout three by the head and three by the leg But you ain’t have to tell my girl I used to pee in the bed – Family Business

Kanye West’s ‘The College Dropout’ at 10: Classic Track-by-Track Review by Paul Cantor on Billboard.Com

Kanye West popped on the scene with full skits on his album and they were hilarious and relatable. You understood the message behind the joke or just loved the comedy.

“Intro”

DeRay Davis (impersonating Bernie Mac) opens things up and asks Kanye to do something for the kids, on their graduation day. It sets up the concept of the record, which is essentially Kanye speaking to the student body from the standpoint of a dropout who made good on his life without a college degree.

“We Don’t Care”

The celebratory track finds Kanye, like a valedictorian, stating his position to the graduating class — they shouldn’t care what anyone thinks of them. “We forced to sell crack, rap and get a job/ You gotta do something man your ass is grown,” he spits over a steady drum pattern and chopped sample. Elsewhere, children sing, “We wasn’t supposed to make it past twenty-five/ Jokes on you, we still alive.” It’s this idea that people are just trying to get by, and with the odds already stacked against them, they’d never planned to do much with their lives. Survival was their priority. Via Billboard.com

“Graduation Day”

DeRay (as Bernie Mac) returns, incredulous at the song Kanye has just delivered to the students. He calls him the n-word, and tells ‘Ye he’s not graduating, at which point the music takes a much darker tone — minor keystrokes and a sweeping string arrangement — setting up the rest of the LP.

“All Falls Down” feat. Syleena Johnson

Kanye at his confessional best, acknowledging that his addiction his not wealth; rather, it’s consumerism. Over muted guitar licks, he spits: “Then I spent four hundred bucks on this/just to be like ni–a you ain’t up on this!” The original mixtape version features samples of Lauryn Hill’s “Mystery of Iniquity,” from her “MTV Unplugged No. 2.0” album. Via Billboard.com

“I’ll Fly Away”

A short rendition of Albert E. Brumley’s classic gospel hymn, sung by a then-unknown John Legend. It’s more of a skit than a song, but again, sets up the next track, which deals with the themes of escapism. It’s in these early Kanye experiences where you can see his penchant for big conceptual ideas taking shape.

“Spaceship” feat. GLC and Consequence

A sample of Marvin Gaye’s “Distant Lover” provides the backdrop for Kanye and his comrades to detail needing day jobs to finance their rapping dreams: “I’ve been working this graveshift, and I made shit/ I wish I could, buy me a spaceship and fly, past the sky.” ‘Ye melodically croons, while rapping about the hypocrisy of being the only black employee at The Gap. Via Billboard.com

“Jesus Walks”

Over a skittering drumline, Yeezy goes in on organized religion, acknowledging that he needs Jesus, but questioning how helpful he’ll be. He speaks of the American Midwest — a region filled with its fair share of blight, back in 2004, the same as now — and says that it too, needs Jesus, but to what end? He hopes the song will help absolve him of his sins, but he’ll have to report back to us from pearly gates when he gets there.

“Never Let Me Down” feat. Jay-Z and J. Ivy

Perhaps looking to cash in on the slam poetry explosion of the time, J. Ivy — a Chicago native who’d appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam — finds himself sandwiched between Kanye and Jay-Z, kicking the rare poem on a rap album. The results are mixed, and mostly it’s because Jay-Z phones in a verse about making number one albums when the rest of the cut is about overcoming racism and undefeatable odds. Via Billboard.com

“Get ‘Em High” feat. Common and Talib Kweli

Fun fact: before he was famous, Talib Kweli used to take Kanye West on the road with him, and he used to interrupt his shows too. In an attempt to pay him back for that favor, Kanye recruited him and Chi-town hero Common for “Get ‘Em High,” one of the album’s more playful cuts. Rapping about using the Internet to hook up with girls? A very honest and open portrayal of every twenty-something’s real life. Kanye, again, showing that he wasn’t caught up in the fantasy world of being a rapper. He was one of us. Via Billboard.com

“Workout Plan” [Skit]

A simulation of what would ordinarily be a nail salon conversation about what else?: losing weight. It looks to highlight the reasoning many women have for hitting the gym and the honest conversations that surround those efforts.

“The New Workout Plan”

Some critics argue that “The New Workout Plan” doesn’t fit in with the rest of the album, but critics are traditionally anti-fun, so that explains that. This playful jam should be commended as much for its conceptual ingenuity as its arrangement; it effortlessly transitions from juke to four-on-the-floor Chicago house, and in a nod to his forbearers, even includes a soul clap. Miri Ben-Ari’s violin work can be heard all over this track, and sonically you can hear the beginnings of Kanye’s maximalist approach — songs inside of songs — taking shape.Via Billboard.com

“Slow Jamz” feat. Twista and Jamie Foxx

Kanye’s first number one record on the Hot 100, and ultimately the track that put “The College Dropout” over the top. Lyrics like, “Got a light skinned friend looked like Michael Jackson/ Got a dark skinned friend looked like Michael Jackson,” displayed ‘Ye’s infectious lyrical wit. Paired with Jamie Foxx’s surprisingly nimble voice and Twista’s rapid-fire flow, “Slow Jamz” became one of the biggest songs of 2004.

“Breathe In Breathe Out” feat. Ludacris

“Breathe In Breathe Out” looks better than it sounds. Ludacris was one of the hottest rappers out at the time, but for whatever reason, he’s relegated to hook duty here and doesn’t add much. “First ni–a with a Benz and packpack,” Kanye rhymes, over bluesy trumpets. Not a bad song per se, but with its spare arrangement, it just doesn’t live up to the rest of the album. Via Billboard.com

“School Spirit Skit 1”

Davis delivers the first part of a hilarious skit that pokes fun at the post-college experience: the graduate who has to work a menial job even though he/she has a degree. Millennials everywhere know exactly what that’s about.

“School Spirit”

Kanye West is done with the fraternity life. “I’ma get on this TV mama, I’ma put shit down,” he spits, singing a line that would eventually be incorporated in his 2007 hit “Good Life.” A declarative boast about washing his hands of the school experience, complete with ending shots at Omega Psi Phi. (“I feel a ‘woo’ coming on cuz.”).Vicious. Via Billboard.com

“School Spirit Skit 2”

“When I die buddy, you know what’s gonna keep me warm? That’s right, those degrees.” More hilarity from DeRay Davis, who takes shots at the ridiculousness of higher education.

“Lil Jimmy Skit”

A continuation of the “School Spirit” skits, but goes even further and shows how a family that chooses education over finance won’t be able to leave anything of value to their children. Pity.

“Two Words” feat. Mos Def and Freeway

This Mandrill-sampled cut sees Kanye adding live guitars, piano, a string arrangement and the Harlem Boys Choir, making it perhaps the symphonic high point of the record. What’s more, conscious hip-hop and street rap meet on the same track, with Mos Def and Freeway featured. It’s Kanye bridging the gap between the two worlds, as if to say, ‘hey, this is all hip-hop and we’re all not that much different.’

“Through The Wire”

This is the song that started it all. Kanye, post-car accident, rapping with his jaw wired. Though the track is devoid of a hook — ‘Ye even apologizes for not speaking that clearly; such humility! — it’s an endearing cut that displays his passion for the craft. His passion for life, too. Via Billboard.com

“Family Business”

One of the most soulful cuts on the record, “Family Business” finds Kanye waxing poetic about the loving relationships he shares with his family members. If you dig around online, there’s a demo version of this cut with some slight differences in the piano melody and lyric delivery. Worth checking out, just to see how much work went into the final version.

“Last Call”

In Jay-Z’s 2004 retirement movie “Fade to Black,” there’s a scene in which Kanye plays Hova the instrumental to “Last Call,” which should be an indication that it could have wound up as just any other song on “The Black Album.” Luckily, it escaped that fate and became Kanye’s 15-minute rags-to-riches tale about getting signed to Roc-A-Fella. It’s really on this last cut, just hearing Kanye talk over the jazzy instrumental, where the brilliance of “The College Dropout” — and the brilliance of Kanye West, the artist — is fully realized. It never gets boring or dull. The music is dynamic, the story is engaging, and Kanye sounds excited just to be living his dream. We were excited just to be living it along with him, on record Via Billboard.com.

  We respect his growth as it had to occur but we thank him for his history and the stories he shared with the world that connected with a generation. CampusLATELY Names Kanye West “The Black Collegiate Wordsmith.”

CampusLATELY Names Kanye West “The Black Collegiate Wordsmith” Kanye West left college to pursue his passion in 1996. He attended American Academy of Art briefly and Chicago State University where he majored in English.

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