The College Dropout 10 Years Later

When The College Dropout dropped, I was 13 years old and in 8th grade. Living in the suburbs at the time, there wasn't a lot for a young hip-hop head to really connect with. Ja Rule was rapping about the "thug life" with Ashanti and Irv Gotti, Ludacris was shouting for folks to "Get Back", T.I. had just hit the scene rapping about twenty-four inch rims and selling copious amount of drugs to make the dream work. Outside of Eminem, who at this point had entered the goofy days of Encore, there was little for me to relate to, and hip-hop began to feel out of touch. Rap had always been from the streets, but often had poetic sensibilities, easily interpreted by a cross-section of communities. We were in the midst of ringtone rap, until Kanye came along. Rap albums weren't considered among works of art in a larger spectrum, T.I.'s breakthrough album, Urban Legend was given a two out of five stars by Rolling Stone. Hip-hop had hit critical mass, it had jumped the shark, the Ying Yang Twins were serious players. I personally hadn't heard anything like "Slow Jamz" or "Through The Wire" in a long time. It was a hark back to the music my parents played growing up: a mix of soul and funk, all rolled together in Ye's signature sample chops. I remember watching MTV for hours in the days before YouTube to catch that collage video that was so Chicago, yet so different. I remember explaining Kanye to my Mom ('well he's a rapper, but he wears a backpack and talks about Chicago') I bought a hard copy of The College Dropout. There is a whole generation brewing right now that will never do that. I subsequently bought every Kanye album in hard copy until My Dark Twisted Fantasy. Kanye brought me back to hip-hop with The College Dropout, and likely shaped much of what I did after hearing it. It was the culmination of a sound that had been crafted by the likes of No I.D. and J Dilla, but which West was able to succinctly package together in one seminal piece of art. Chance The Rapper points a heavy finger Ye's way when influences come up, and he perhaps describes the feeling The College Dropout still evokes today with a line from his song "Tweakin" with Vic Mensa: "Bumpin' Kanye like it just came out". 10 year later, it's still good to that last clink of glass on "Last Call".

Statement from Kanye West on The College Dropout turning 10:

“Ten years ago today we finally released what had been my life’s work up to that point: The College Dropout.

I say “finally” because it was a long road, a constant struggle, and a true labor of love to not only convince my peers and the public that I could be an artist, but to actually get that art out for the world to hear.

I am extremely grateful to each and every person along that road who helped, lent an ear, lent their voice, gave of their heart to that project, and to all the projects that followed, and are to come.

I am honored and humbled by my fans, for the unwavering support and love over the past ten years. I wake up every day trying to give something back to you that you can rock to and be proud of.

Ten years later I am still the same kid from Chicago, still dreaming out loud, still banging on the door. The doors may be heavier, but I promise you WE WILL BREAK THEM.”


[Mixtape] Kaytranada: "Instrumental Hip-hop Is Dead"

Today, Hypetrak released its latest artist-rendered mix from the ever-eclectic Kaytranada. Instrumental Hip-Hop Is Dead is described by Hypetrak as "an intriguing selection of hard-hitting unreleased production. Much closer to Dilla's Donuts than a DJ mix". Apparently, Kaytranada is declaring the end of instrumental hip-hop, just when it seemed to be making a comeback. His mix is a compilation of what he characterized as "some old hip hop beats" of his. It is a smattering of trap drums, heavy bass, and sample-laden interludes, all sandwiched inside of a comfortable synth sandwich that can carry you through the day with it's smooth transitions to airily different areas. Check out the full mix from Kaytranda streaming down below!

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[Album] J Dilla: "Dillatroit"

J Dilla is one of the most revered and influential artists to ever touch the hip-hop world. Taken too early, at the age of 32, the Detroit producer music has lived on in a multitude of ways. Inspiring everyone from Flying Lotus to Mac Miller, it is almost blasphemy to not list him as one of your influences as a producer today. Dilla even has his own day dedicated to him (Dilla Day).

There have been rumblings about mountains of unreleased Dilla material for awhile now, and today Dilla's mother and J Dilla Foundation head Ma Dukes announced the digital release and stream of the vinyl-only release of Dillatroit, a compilation of choice cuts from the producer's glory days that never seemed to find the light of day, with cuts from The Lost Scrolls and Rebirth Of Detroit. Start your week off right and stream this golden thread of audio below. You can also buy the full project here, with proceeds going to the J Dilla Foundation, which is fighting to improve music education programs across the country.

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Elzhi Turns to Kickstarter for Next Album

Talk about independent. Detroit MC Elzhi announced today that he will fund his next project strictly off the crowd-source funding site Kickstarter. Elzhi is underground to those not in the know and one of the low-key hottest artists in the Midwest to those who do. Having first hit the scene on J Dilla's milestone project, Welcome to Detroit, the artfully thoughtful MC has gone out to carve out an interesting lane in the vast hip-hop landscape today. Respected by his peers enough to remix Nas' groundbreaking album Illmatic and underground enough to get respect from those not in the limelight, Elzhi is certainly in a unique position.

With this in mind, the Kickstarter campaign makes a good deal of sense for Elzhi. In an atmosphere in which artists from Mac Miller to Chance The Rapper are keeping hands out of their pockets by staying independent and making music on their own terms, all an artist needs is some funds-because recording sessions cost money regardless if you release the end result for free on the internet. Check out Elzhi's Kickstarter video and break out your wallet to help make this project come to fruition. More below.

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Finale: "Heat" (prod. by J. Dilla)

Finale

If you have not checked out Finale's A Pipe Dream And A Promise, I don't know what you're waiting for...Here's some more "Heat" for you...Finale interview/Freestyle In The Park coming soon.
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