The Best Kanye West Songs From Before "The College Dropout"

Before "Spaceship" would become a Kanye fan-favorite, the up-and-coming Chicago artist was already showing his knack for melodies and atypical song structure. On "Heavy Hitters" with GLC, Kanye keeps it hip-hop but fuses in a touch of classical piano and melodic delivery, giving a glimpse into the outside-the-box thinking he'd bring to hip-hop in the coming years.

One of the things that set Kanye apart from his-hop peers on College Dropout was his refusal to play the gangster. In a landscape dominated by rappers like 50 Cent—killers, drug dealers, gangbangers—it was a break from the norm to hear a rapper admitting on tape that he was, essentially, a normal guy. If that depiction of a more dangerous, aggressive life was something you felt was missing from Ye's discography, then "Have It Your Way" is probably the song for you. Over the same Rose Banks piano sample he would later use on "Bring Me Down," Kanye takes the threatening route. The rapping is noticeably ragged when compared to any of his later output, and the subject matter comes off as faintly ridiculous when contrasted with the artist we know now. That said, Kanye's able to pull out some great punchlines, even when talking about killing—"Niggas close they eyes and don't aim/Like my bitch when she pop champagne"—and the beat's menacing quality is an interesting look at a rough draft you can compare with its Late Registration finalized counterpart.

This Ol' Dirty Bastard-featuring cut surfaced around 2000 on the Kon The Louis Vuitton Don tape and never made it to The College Dropout, but years later that ODB flow would be resurrected by Kanye himself during "Stronger," when Kanye asks, "Do anybody make real shit anymore?"

In the relationship-skewering tradition of "The New Workout Plan," "Gold Digger," and many others in Kanye's repertoire, "Out Of Your Mind" has his unique combination of observational humor and emotionally valid, if mundane, subject matter. Over a clean, slumping bassline he lays out the story of a doomed relationship, largely through the use of some terrible wordplay. Example: "The problem is, arguments be Daly like Carson is." This isn't Kanye's best, but it's from a perspective that is entirely his own creation and in a style he would later come to perfect, and it's fascinating to look at the missteps and improvements that had to come for a track like "Bound 2," hilarious, vitriolic, and affecting all at once, to be made.

At the beginning of his career, Kanye West was a producer trying to make it in rap, and while some people were telling him he should stick to producing, he always had enough confidence to know he could make it doing whatever he wanted to do. In "Wow," Kanye goes all out with the brag-raps, talking the kind of shit that you'd expect from a rapper on top of the game. But at this point, Kanye hadn't yet released College Dropout or proved himself as a rapper. Listening to this song, you wouldn't know it.

A lot of early Kanye West has all the elements of a The College Dropout hit, but few feel as complete as "I Need To Know." This one feels like a fully fleshed out idea, playful and confident, that shows not only Kanye's artistic ability and soulful tendencies, but his ear for turning his ideas into something accessible and fun.

Kanye West was never the best rapper, technically speaking. He never had to be. Even back in the day, Kanye had a way of making his verses animated and fun to listen to. "Doin' Fine," known to many as "Peace," is Kanye at his most entertaining. PEACE.

Pull up in somethin tinted

So tinted she squinted

She said, "This car is real old!" I told her her it was vintage

Opening with nearly unrecognizable ad-libs and an interpolation of The Notorious B.I.G., this is one of Kanye's strongest pre-College Dropout outings. It's closest relative in the discography is something like "Get 'Em High," utilizing a groove-heavy beat to wax poetic about the hottest girl Kanye knows for a single full verse.

One of the most powerful songs Kanye West has ever written takes on even more weight since the passing of his mother. The version of "Hey Mama" that ended up making it on Late Registration isn't too different from the original, but this take was more bare-boned, less polished, and just as moving. Jon Brion's added production gives the album version of "Hey Mama" a slightly more complete feel, but with a song like this, it isn't even necessary.

This track feels more like a lyrical exercise than a fully-formed song. Kanye runs through movie references over a beautifully looped sample of Melanie's "In The Hour"—the loop is simple but stands as the effective centerpiece, like a less tense "Can't Tell Me Nothing." These days, Kanye's ideas are massive and enthralling, but there's a simplicity and charm to "Livin' A Movie" that never gets old.

"Homecoming" was the fifth and final single from Graduation in 2008. It featured Coldplay's Chris Martin, an inspiring piano-driven beat, and a big sing-along style chorus. But years before "Homecoming" there was a soulful John Legend-featuring "Home." A love story about the relationship between a young artist and the city of Chicago, "Home" was fueled by a sample of Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles' "You'll Never Walk Alone." The final version of this track is fine, but this original version has so much soul.

"My Way" had everything that people talk about when they talk about "old Kanye." The strings set a bittersweet, reflective tone, and Kanye manages to tell his own story while making commentary about the come-up that everyone can relate to. Seeing where Kanye West stands now, as one of the world's most respected artists, makes it even more interesting to hear Kanye when he was still on his way up.

I took the road less traveled, the unbeaten path

I've been beaten but not broken, through the darkest past

It's sort of like when King spoke and said we free at last

Ain't nothin' free from that point, though

We needed cash

And we need it fast

We broker than Ethiopians just trying to eat at last