The College Dropout is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.
Late Registration is the second studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held at studios in Hollywood and New York City, in collaboration with Jon Brion. The album features guest appearances from Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, Brandy, Jay-Z, and Nas, among others.
GOOD Music is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide distribution contract with the Island Def Jam Music Group in 2011. In 2012, the label released its only compilation album, Cruel Summer. In 2015, Pusha T was appointed president of the label by West, while record executive Steven Victor was appointed chief operating officer (COO). In late 2022, Pusha T stepped down from the position as he was no longer on speaking terms with West.
Ernest Dion Wilson, professionally known as No I.D., is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his early work with Chicago-based rapper Common, as well as his career mentorship of rappers Kanye West, J. Cole and Logic. Wilson first gained success for his role as an in-house producer for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings—leading to largely uncredited work on Dupri's productions "My Boo" by Usher, "Outta My System" and "Let Me Hold You" by Bow Wow—before reaching commercial success with his solo productions. He worked with Jay-Z to produce his singles "Run This Town" and "Holy Grail," West to produce "Heartless," and Drake to produce "Find Your Love" and "Nonstop"; all of which have peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Through the Wire" is the debut solo single by American rapper and producer Kanye West, who wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car crash on October 23, 2002. The song samples Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire" and was released on the last day of September 30, 2003 as the lead single from his debut album The College Dropout (2004).
"All Falls Down" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released as the third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song was written and produced by West and features singer Syleena Johnson. The hip hop song contains an interpolation of "Mystery of Iniquity" by Lauryn Hill from her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0; Hill is credited as a composer.
"Drive Slow" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers Paul Wall and GLC, and additional vocals by American recording artist Tony "Penafire" Williams. It was produced by West, who wrote the song alongside the featured artists. The song originally appeared on Kanye West's second studio album, Late Registration, and was also included on Paul Wall's debut studio album, The Peoples Champ, as well. Drive Slow was released on a 12" vinyl on June 6, 2006 by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam as the fifth and final single from the album. A hip hop track, it contains elements of jazz. The song features a sample of Hank Crawford's cover version of "Wildflower".
"Two Words" is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West, that features Mos Def, Freeway and The Boys Choir of Harlem, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). A cinematic version of the song was released as part of The College Dropout Video Anthology. It has been performed by Freeway regularly at his live shows over the years. An orchestral sound is used in the song. The music video was released in March 2005.
The discography of American rapper T.I. consists of eleven studio albums, one compilation album, one remix album, four extended plays (EPs), 13 mixtapes, 110 singles and 11 promotional singles. He has also released one music video album and over 60 music videos, the details of which are included in his videography.
The discography of Rick Ross, an American rapper, consists of 11 studio albums, one compilation album, 145 singles, one soundtrack, and 40 music videos. Ross's debut studio album, Port of Miami (2006), features two singles with "Hustlin'" and "Push It". Ross's second studio album, Trilla (2008), produced hit singles such as "The Boss" and "Here I Am". Ross's third studio album, Deeper Than Rap (2009), includes the singles such as "Magnificent" and "Maybach Music 2". Ross's fourth studio album, Teflon Don (2010), includes the hit single, "Aston Martin Music".
Antony Von Williams, known professionally as the WRLDFMS Tony Williams, is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Williams is the first cousin of American rapper Kanye West and has contributed vocals or songwriting to most of his albums, beginning with The College Dropout (2004).
Love, Life & Loyalty is the first and only album by American hip hop musician GLC, released on October 12, 2010, on Ylimit Records. The album was mostly produced by Kanye West, but he received other production collaborations, like the producer and singer T-Pain, among The Legendary Traxster and the rest of Kanye's GOOD Music producers.
The discography of American rapper Wale consists of seven studio albums, three compilation albums, ten mixtapes, one extended play, sixty-five singles, two promotional singles and forty-one music videos. In 2005, Wale started his music career by releasing mixtapes in the Washington, D.C. area. His debut mixtape was titled Paint a Picture. Following that, Wale released his second mixtape in 2006, Hate Is the New Love. In the same year, Wale signed with a local record label in Studio 43. In 2007 Wale was discovered by Mark Ronson, and was signed by Allido Records, which released his third mixtape, 100 Miles & Running, featuring artist Daniel Merriweather.
American rapper Big Sean has released five studio albums, four mixtapes, thirty-one singles, eight promotional singles, and thirty-nine music videos. In 2008, Big Sean was discovered by American rapper and record producer Kanye West, who signed Sean to his record label GOOD Music—distributed through Def Jam Recordings. Since 2008, after signing a record deal to West's label G.O.O.D. Music, Sean's career continued through his mixtapes such as Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKnowBigSean (2009) and Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG (2010). While he was releasing these mixtapes, he collaborated on various tracks and/or singles from West, Royce da 5'9" and Chris Brown.
The discography of American rapper Pusha T consists of four studio albums, one extended play (EP), two mixtapes, 53 singles, two promotional singles and 33 music videos.
My Name Is My Name is the debut studio album by American rapper Pusha T. It was released on October 7, 2013, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. While leading up to the album's announcement, Pusha T released the mixtape Fear of God and the EP Fear of God II: Let Us Pray during 2011, along with collaborating on the GOOD Music's compilation album Cruel Summer. In 2013, he also released another mixtape Wrath of Caine. The album's production was handled primarily by Kanye West, along with several producers, including Pharrell Williams, The-Dream, Hudson Mohawke, Sebastian Sartor, Don Cannon, Swizz Beatz, Rico Beats, Mano and Nottz. It also features guest appearances from Rick Ross, Jeezy, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Future, Pharrell Williams, Chris Brown and Kendrick Lamar, among others.
The discography of Ab-Soul, an American hip hop recording artist, consists of five studio albums, two mixtapes, seventeen singles and 30 music videos. Ab-Soul's first full-length project was a mixtape titled Longterm. The mixtape was released in 2009, as a free download via mixtape-sharing websites.
Bryan James Sledge, better known by his stage name BJ the Chicago Kid, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sledge is best known for frequently collaborating with Top Dawg Entertainment recording artists Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Rock. He has also worked with several other prominent rappers, such as Freddie Gibbs, Warren G, Nekfeu, Chance the Rapper, Big K.R.I.T., GLC, Kanye West, Anderson .Paak, and Joey Badass, among numerous others.
"Spaceship" is a song by American musician Kanye West, featuring fellow American rappers GLC and Consequence, taken from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was scheduled to be released as the album's sixth and final single, but this plan ended up being cancelled. The music video was released in June 2009. "Spaceship II" and "Spaceship III" were released by Alex Wiley in 2013 and Consequence in 2017.
"Never Let Me Down" is a song by American rapper and producer Kanye West featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was released as the album's eight track, produced solely by West and samples "Maybe It's the Power of Love" by Blackjack. West and Ivy each provide one verse–the latter is a poem–while Jay-Z has two verses. Music critics mostly had praise for it, but tended to view Jay's appearance in a negative light. In 2011, Billboard listed the song as the second greatest collaboration between Kanye and Jay. Although an accompanying music video wasn't ever produced for "Never Let Me Down", the audio of it was used in one of West's videos for "Jesus Walks". The song has developed a significant legacy over time, despite never being released as a single.
