> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

60 31Knots
82 Abe Vigoda
71 The Academy Is...
53 The Airborne Toxic Event
79 Alias
77 Theresa Andersson
76 Apollo Sunshine
47 The Automatic
79 Azeda Booth
75 Joan Baez
84 Bajofondo
56 David Banner
76 The Baseball Project
77 Beck
77 Black Affair
59 Black Ghosts
75 Black Kids
79 Blitzen Trapper
74 Bodies Of Water
70 Brazilian Girls
72 Brightblack Morning Light
66 The Broken West
50 Buckcherry
78 Lindsey Buckingham
90 The Bug
56 Caesars
78 Calexico
70 Glen Campbell
70 Brendan Canning
63 Cats In Paris
74 The Chemical Brothers
65 Cold War Kids
69 Alice Cooper
79 Rodney Crowell
63 CSS
67 Miley Cyrus
45 Dandy Warhols
64 Kimya Dawson
73 Dead Confederate
74 Death Vessel
74 Delta Spirit
79 Damien Dempsey
78 Ani DiFranco
58 DJ Khaled
66 The Donkeys
72 Dr. Dog
80 DragonForce
78 The Duhks
77 Dungen
74 Brian Eno + David Byrne
62 The Faint
67 The Fiery Furnaces
63 Ben Folds
64 iForward, Russia!
72 Friendly Fires
71 Fujiya & Miyagi
65 The Game
74 Inara George With Van Dyke Parks
74 Giant Sand
79 Girl Talk
83 Glasvegas
61 Golden Animals
64 Mike Gordon
68 Gym Class Heroes
78 GZA
65 Neil Halstead
64 Albert Hammond, Jr.
72 Juliana Hatfield
61 Hawthorne Heights
81 High Places
77 High Places
76 Zach Hill
85 The Hold Steady
83 David Holmes
80 Horse Feathers
74 Howling Hex
58 Jennifer Hudson
71 Human Highway
70 Ice Cube
66 Ida Maria
68 Jack's Mannequin
69 Jaguar Love
73 James
81 Jamey Johnson
70 Jonas Brothers
78 Damien Jurado
57 Kerli
89 B.B. King
65 Kings Of Leon
67 Ladyhawke
73 Leila
54 Levellers
74 Jenny Lewis
76 Lykke Li
82 Lindstrom
72 Little Jackie
57 LL Cool J
60 Lloyd
60 The Lord Dog Bird
85 Patty Loveless
76 John Mellencamp
71 The Melvins
70 Mercury Rev
77 Metallica
71 Metronomy
74 Mirah
75 Mogwai
64 Motorhead
66 Mugison
78 Nico Muhly
74 Murs
84 The Music Tapes
71 Nas
65 Nelly
79 Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis
50 New Kids On The Block
77 The New Year
85 Randy Newman
80 Ne-Yo
57 Nightmares On Wax
68 The Nightwatchman
78 Nine Inch Nails
61 Noah And The Whale
67 Oasis
75 Conor Oberst
78 Okkervil River
76 Old Crow Medicine Show
80 One Day As A Lion
74 Oneida
73 Joan Osborne
75 Oxford Collapse
79 Amanda Palmer
65 Parenthetical Girls
89 Aaron Parks
74 Lee "Scratch" Perry
51 Kellie Pickler
69 Pivot
58 Plain White T's
89 Plush
64 Primal Scream
50 Pussycat Dolls
76 Ra Ra Riot
71 Ratatat
62 Re-Up Gang
62 Rex The Dog
76 Roots Manuva
71 Darius Rucker
72 The Rumble Strips
81 Raphael Saadiq
57 Sam Champion
73 Scars On Broadway
70 Ron Sexsmith
68 The Shaky Hands
39 Shwayze
58 Jessica Simpson
69 Slipknot
79 Patti Smith and Kevin Shields
73 Solange
69 Son, Ambulance
65 Rick Springfield
65 Staind
47 Stereo MC's
72 Stereolab
71 The Stills
73 The Subways
83 Sugarland
70 Matthew Sweet
74 T.I.
72 Robin Thicke
77 Irma Thomas
79 Tindersticks
71 Tittsworth
90 Shugo Tokumaru
74 Emiliana Torrini
67 James Jackson Toth
72 Randy Travis
69 Tricky
89 TV On The Radio
78 The Uglysuit
92 Underoath
56 UNKLE
61 David Vandervelde
77 Chad VanGaalen
71 The Verve
76 Volcano!
68 Loudon Wainwright III
80 The Walkmen
66 Ben Weaver
84 The Week That Was
77 Paul Weller
70 Brian Wilson
77 Wire
63 XX Teens
71 Young Jeezy
55 Yung Berg

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

College Dropout
by Kanye West


9.3

based on 23 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 160 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

The in-demand Chicago-based producer makes his debut with the help of guests Ludacris, Jay-Z, Mos Def, Dirt McGirt, and more.

LABEL:	Roc-A-Fella
RELEASE DATE:	10 February 2004
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rap

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

Not only does he create a unique role model, that role model is dangerous--his arguments against education are as market-targeted as other rappers' arguments for thug life.

100

Dot Music

There will be few better albums released this year.

Stylus Magazine

Throughout The College Dropout, Kanye subverts cliches from both sides of the hip-hop divide, which again isn’t unprecedented, but still refreshing and revelatory coming from someone who could have just as easily stood pat on his massive Midas-producer stacks.

Entertainment Weekly

West delivers the goods with a disarming mix of confessional honesty and sarcastic humor, earnest idealism and big-pimping materialism. [13 Feb 2004, p.71]

The New York Times

2004's first great hip-hop album. [9 Feb 2004]

All Music Guide

Prior to this album, we were more than aware that West's stature as a producer was undeniable; now we know that he's also a remarkably versatile lyricist and a valuable MC.

Urb

Manages to be both visceral and emotive, sprinkling the dancefloors with tears and sweat. [Mar 2004, p.111]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

With sterling quality to match its massive advance hype, The College Dropout is one of those wonderful crossover albums that appeal to a huge audience without sacrificing a shred of integrity.

PopMatters

That level of "realness", the way that the songs ring true whether he's bragging or self-criticizing, joking or praying, is what makes The College Dropout more than worthy of all of the attention that it's getting.

Tiny Mix Tapes

College Dropout contains some of the most intelligent and clever lyrics hip-hop has produced in a while, be it mainstream or underground.

Amazon.com

West magically sledgehammers home his opinions on taboo topics over beats that are equally daring.

Pitchfork

A flawed, overlong, hypocritical, egotistical, and altogether terrific album.

Uncut

West's rhymes are wry, witty, warm and unswervingly self-aware. [May 2004, p.106]

Village Voice

West's witty, self-produced solo debut, College Dropout, frolics in this space between should and can, between playful hyper-awareness and young, willful naïvete.

Blender

He has his own personality: not a gangsta or a player but a diligent pragmatist. [Apr 2004, p.124]

Mojo

This is manna for hip hop fans starved of basic but ballistic beats-and-breaks fare in an increasingly litigious age. [May 2004, p.102]

Vibe

Delivers both ass-shakers and contemplative cuts.

Q Magazine

His production is masterful enough to demonstrate just why he is hip hop's hottest new property. [May 2004, p.111]

Launch.com

West is at his best the higher the lyrical stakes get, and the more they contradict hip-hop orthodoxy.

Los Angeles Times

West does tend to overextend his songs.... But it's a forgiveable sin for a man whose music and message is so powerful. [12 Feb 2004, p.E16]

Rolling Stone

His ace in the hole is his signature cozy sound -- dusty soul samples, gospel hymns, drums that pop as if hit for the very first time.

New York Magazine

A sprawling and undisciplined mess... but it’s fully attuned to what made West so compelling in the first place, namely chunks of samples that feel raw and convey an underdog sensibility.

ShakingThrough.net

College Dropout is a competent if overlong debut, which serves up solid but by no means groundbreaking production work a little too dependent on familiar hooks from '70s R&B staples.

The average user rating for this album is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 160 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Barbarannette M. gave it a9:
I like this very hot.

Harold J. gave it a10:
one of the hottest albums of all time lyrics are undeniable and the beats are amazing long live G.O.O.D. music

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
it is the best , kanye is the best, and what keep it real-he is real, he is not looking for back me up please please! no -he speak his soul& his heart in his lyrics. he is amazing. love you kanye!!!!!!!!

David J. gave it a10:
A Hip Hop Classic.

ManManManManMan ManManManManMan gave it a10:
WOW. Now if I could give halves it would just be like a 9.5, because of the skits taking up such valuable track time. But aside from that, this is the most refreshing Hip Hop album in a long time, and Kanye West is one of the few mainstream artists people should welcome with open arms.

Dan A gave it a10:
Amazing. When I first heard Kanye I thought it was just another solid rapper coming up. But the production on this album is far above great and the lyrics are more than solid. Kanye is the best well-rounded rapper, or maybe even music artist in general, of today.

ghqjhhejgh jhlj gave it a9:
the shti for real....

College Dropout by Kanye West

College Dropout
by Kanye West