There's never been anybody to do it quite like Kanye West. Even when he busted out onto the scene with "Through The Wire" in 2003, it was clear that he'd be a superstar. It wasn't clear, however, that he'd have arguably the biggest impact on pop culture of any rapper, ever.
College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation set the tone for what has become the greatest run of albums in rap history. Today we'll focus on the early singles from those albums before giving just a little shine to 808s & Heartbreaks, the beginning of Kanye's more experimental era.
T.L.O.P. is officially out later today, with screenings in theatres around the world. We'll be live-tweeting the entire time, so stay glued to our twitter feed at approximately 4:00 PM EST. Til then, click through these singles.
"Through The Wire"
"Last October, Grammy-nominated producer KANYE WEST was in a nearly fatal car accident. His jaw was fractured in three places. Two weeks later, he recorded this song with his mouth still wired shut…so the world could feel his pain!"
Some of the world's greatest songs are birthed out of pain, and Yeezy's near-death experience led him to writing his first bust-out single as an MC: "Through The Wire." The soulful track was certified gold, setting the pace for College Dropout to do massive numbers.
"Slow Jamz" featuring Twista & Jamie Foxx
Here we have Kanye's second single as an MC: "Slow Jamz." The rap/R&B crossover was potent enough to hit number one on the rap, R&B, and overall charts. Twista nails his feature, Foxx lays a fly hook, and Kanye's genius becomes evident to the mainstream public.
"All Falls Down" featuring Syleena Johnson
Despite not hitting the number one spot, "All Falls Down" is the first Yeezy single to platinum. College life is fun, but it can also be hard to find your path. Kanye details the struggle and pans it against the pining for luxury.
"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"
"Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx
After the success of "Slow Jamz," Ye and Foxx had to link up again, this time on the Ray Charles-sampling banger "Gold Digger." The track was released in the summer of 2005, and it dominated. "Gold Digger" hit the number one spot in multiple countries including US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
"Touch The Sky" featuring Lupe Fiasco
Sampling Curtis Mayfield, Kanye crafted quite the instrumental with this one. He invited Lupe Fiasco, who was real hot at the time, to jump on it with him and the rest is history. This song will still ignite a crowd into a frenzy, even a decade after its release.
"Diamonds From Sierra Leone"
A James Bond sample, a Grammy award, and a Hype Williams music video. Kanye has been winning big for a minute now, as evident by "Diamonds From Sierra Leone."
"Good Life" featuring T-Pain
Kanye West likes making G.O.O.D. music. Whether he's droppin' some heat on G.O.O.D. Friday or waking you up with "Good Morning," it's all good with Yeezy behind the mic. Of course his collaborative single with T-Pain, "Good Life" was also evidence of his dominance of all things not-bad.
"Flashing Lights" featuring Dwele
Kanye's electro influence has birthed the "Glow in the Dark" tour, collaborations with Daft Punk, and "Flashing Lights," amongst other things. The synth-heavy beat keeps it simple on the drums, borrowing from French dance music to create something that was, and still is, completely fresh.
"Drive Slow" featuring Paul Wall & GLC
How iconic is this beat nowadays? Kanye really did it on this one.
"Love Lockdown"
808s & Heartbreaks received mixed reviews when it was released in November of 2008, but it seems to have shed any negative light since then. It's a cult-classic of sorts, and also produced some of Kanye's biggest singles ever. "Love Lockdown," the first from that record, went triple platinum.