Photo Credit: Angel Laws

29 Kanye West Songs You Need To Revisit Right Now

Gino Sorcinelli
Micro-Chop

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From taking Dr. Dre’s “Xxplosive” drums for Jay-Z’s “This Can’t Be Life” to carrying The College Dropout beats around in a Louis Vuitton bag, Kanye West made it clear from the very beginning that he wouldn’t settle for a typical career in the music industry.

For the past decade and a half Ye has produced and rapped on a dizzying amount of material for himself and other artists. His catalog is so vast it almost defies quantifying, with production credits that boast work with industry titans like Janet Jackson and forgotten early/mid-2000 rappers like Jin in equal amounts.

A polarizing figure who seems to relish controversy and pushing people’s buttons, Kanye’s larger than life persona can sometimes overshadow his remarkable body of work. And with such an expansive solo discography, his own albums sometimes dominate conversations about his production.

This list was compiled to shed some light on his earlier work that often gets lost in the shuffle. Many will recognize “Faithful” by Common, “Get By” by Talib Kweli, and a few other songs on this list, but “Ghetto” by The Madd Rapper, Raekwon, and Carl Thomas likely flew under most people’s radars.

Whether the name Kanye west inspires love, hate, or indifference, I hope this playlist brings you some happiness. If you think I missed an essential song, please write me a response.

If you’d like to learn more about his early solo career, you can read my article about the making of The College Dropout by clicking the link below.

Connect with Kanye West on his website and on Twitter @kanyewest.

If you enjoyed this piece, please consider following my Bookshelf Beats and Micro-Chop publications or donating to the Micro-Chop Patreon page. You can also read my work at Cuepoint and HipHopDX.

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Gino Sorcinelli
Micro-Chop

Freelance journalist @Ableton, ‏@HipHopDX, @okayplayer, @Passionweiss, @RBMA, @ughhdotcom + @wearestillcrew. Creator of www.Micro-Chop.com and @bookshelfbeats.