College Dropout (Explicit Version) CD (2004)

Kanye West, the Chi-town producer/rapper who's crafted hits for Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Jay-Z, and Twista, centers his disc on a familiar rags-to-riches motif, but like Will Smith before him, he adds his own black middle-class sensibility to it. "School Spirit" pokes fun at all the college-educated flunkies who didn't follow their dreams. The College Dropoutis a must-hear lesson in turning personal triumph into banging hip-hop with universal appeal.