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''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released February 10, 2004, on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999. The production of the album was often halted by the lack of confidence that producers had in West's rapping ability, eventually being convinced based on the success of his early musical ventures. Prior to the album's release, West had worked on rapper Jay-Z's ''The Blueprint'' (2001), which showcased his melodic and soulful style of hip hop production. The album's production was handled entirely by West, and features vocal contributions from Jay-Z, John Legend, Ervin "EP" Pope, Miri Ben-Ari, and Syleena Johnson and many other artists. Diverging from the then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop, West's lyrics on the album concern themes of family, religion, self-consciousness, materialism, and personal struggles. The album was promoted by singles including "Through the Wire" and "Jesus Walks", both of which received critical acclaim. "All Falls Down" and "Slow Jamz" both charted within the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with the latter charting at number one. The album debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies during its first week. It was a massive commercial success, producing five singles that achieved chart success. Upon its release, ''The College Dropout'' received universal acclaim from music critics and earned West several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 47th Grammy Awards. It is West's best-selling album in the United States, with domestic sales of 3.4 million copies and worldwide sales of over four million copies. It has been named by ''Time'' and ''Rolling Stone'' as one of the greatest albums of all time and is often listed among the greatest debut albums of all time. == Background == Although he had attained success as a producer, Kanye West aspired to be a rapper, but had struggled to attain a record deal.〔 Multiple 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. According to Capitol Record'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, 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.〔 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 Studios 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".〔 West added that "the album was my medicine", as working on the record distracted him from the pain.〔Davis, Kimberly. ("Kanye West: Hip Hop's New Big Shot" ) (April 2005) ''Ebony''.〕 "Through The Wire" was first available on West's ''Get Well Soon...'' mixtape, released December 2002. 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). "(Kanye West Raps Through His Broken Jaw, Lays Beats For Scarface, Ludacris )". MTV. Accessed October 23, 2007.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The College Dropout」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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