In honor of Kanye West's "Storytellers" premiering on VH1, I thought I'd put together a list of Kanye's top 10 songs.
It should be noted that this list is not a matter of personal opinion, but rather scientific fact. Research was conducted by myself, Margo Basset, Lil' Squawk Box, Sarah, Pheezy, Emily Love, a Ford Taurus, a Ford Focus, the Target Center, and the Herkimer jukebox.
This list is based solely on Kanye West's four proper albums (The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808's & Heartbreak). It does not contain any material off mixtapes, nor does it contain any collaborations off other people's albums (sorry, Swagger Like Us).
Click the track title to download the song.
First, 5 tracks that just missed the cut:
15. Barry Bonds (w/Lil' Wayne) (Graduation)
14. Celebration (Late Registration)
13. All Falls Down (The College Dropout)
12. Say You Will (808's & Heartbreak)
11. Jesus Walks (The College Dropout)
Top 10:
10. We Don't Care (The College Dropout)
The first track off The College Dropout serves as the perfect intro to what Kanye West is all about. It paints a picture of the world Kanye's trying to get away from, it's funny, it remarks on dropping out of college, plus, it's a mission statement: "Stack ya money 'til it gets sky high." It's Kanye (circa 2004) in his own words. Plus, it's the perfect song for the kiiidz.
Key line: "We never had nothin' handed/Took nothin' for granted/Took nothin' from no man/Man, I'm my own man."
09. Amazing (w/Young Jeezy) (808's & Heartbreak)
808's & Heartbreak is a tough album to place. At this point in his career, Kanye has started at the bottom and climbed to the top of the mountain with Graduation. How does he follow it up? With a auto-tune drenched, emo album. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's genius, but admittedly, a bit of a curveball.
"Amazing" is the first instance on the album of the old, ego-maniacal Kanye turning up. I mean, the song opens with the line, "It's amazing/I'm the reason/everybody's fired up this evening." It's also the first instance of overt hip-hop, with Jeezy turning up to throw in a few "Yeah" 's and a verse that includes the line, "I'm at the podium/I'm trying to watch my sodium" Yeah, Jeezy, let's get it! Unless "it" has MSG.
Key Line: "No matter what you'll never take that from me/My reign is as far as your eyes can see/It's amazing"
08. Flashing Lights (Graduation)
One of the main components of the Graduation album was Kanye's use of keyboards to construct his beats. Nowhere is that more evident than on "Flashing Lights." The bouncing keyboards and reverb-drenched chorus make for a great pop hook.
Lyrically, the track takes aim at Kanye's longtime nemesis, the paparazzi (Damn, these niggas got me/I hate these niggas more than a nazi). It also provides a portrait of the complications that arise from dating Kanye West (You more like love to start shit/I'm more of the trips to Florida) which, in hindsight, makes it an interesting preface to the whole 808's & Heartbreak album.
Also, he made three equally inexplicable videos for the song.
On a personal note, this song has some great memories attached to it. Pheezy, drop those keyboards!
Key line: "And the weather's so breezy/Man, why can't life always be this easy?"
07. Never Let Me Down (w/Jay-Z) (The College Dropout)
Before Kanye's relationship with Jay-Z deteriorated into some kind of crazy inferiority complex, they put together this standout off The College Dropout. Oddly, Young Hov gets two verses on the track, sandwiched around Kanye's. While this no doubt contributed to the complex, the fact that Jay uses the first verse to boast (When you're hot, I'm hot/And when you're feet are cold, mine is sizzlin') forces Kanye to take a more reflective approach with his verse (Niggas can't make it to ballots to choose leadership/But we can make it to Jacob's or to the dealership). This, of course, plays to Kanye's strengths and makes this one of the best collaborations on any Kanye album.
Key line: "I get down for my grandfather who took my mama/And made her sit in that seat where white folks ain't want us to eat/At the tender age of 6 she was arrested for the sit-ins/And with that in my blood I was born to be different"
Honorable Mention: "I know they don't want me in the damn club/They even made me show ID to get inside of Sam's Club"
06. Good Morning (Graduation)
Whether it's a remarkable amount of self-awareness or just another example of his unstoppable ego, "Good Morning" is clearly made the opener of Kanye's third album with the intention of proclaiming Kanye's greatness compared to, um, every other rapper ever. The track opens with a very sparse beat and a couple of "Uh" 's from Kaney before the keyboards kick in.
Kanye spends the first couple of verses bringing us up to speed (From the streets to the league/From an eigth to a key/But you graduate when you make it up outta the streets). Then, in one of the more brazen moves in pop music, he ends the third verse with the line, "After all of that you receive this..." and then he samples Jay-Z's opening lines from "The Ruler's Back" off The Blueprint.
I could probably throw out about 500 words on this, so I'll try to be brief. This is so remarkable because it is basically Kanye proclaiming he does not play second fiddle to anybody. Jay-Z, at the time, was pretty much considered the best MC alive. To sample his voice, after spending three verses claiming you've got the credentials to do so, is pretty goddamn ballsy. Also, the ties to The Blueprint are pretty clear. It's basically the record that pushed Jay-Z over the top and into the mainstream. It is also an album produced mainly by a young and hungry Kanye West. At the end of Graduation Kanye spends a whole song (Big Brother) explaining how complicated his relationship is with Jay-Z. Once you have the whole story, the fact that he sampled his voice to open the album is a proven to be a bold move.
Key Line: "Scared of the world/Complacent career student/Some people graduate but be still stupid"
05. RoboCop (808's & Heartbreak)
While most of the 808's album is spent inside Kanye's head, he lets his guard down and has some fun on two consecutive tracks in the middle of the album, Paranoid and RoboCop. RoboCop starts out with those sweet 808's and turns into a full on pop song. Kanye is getting on a "spoiled little L.A. girl's" case for trying to keep tabs on him, wagging his finger and claiming, "I don't need no RoboCop/When did you become a RoboCop?" He even manages to sound like Morrissey, lauging mockingly, "You're kidding me?/Haha, that was a good one/You're first good one in a while."
Key Line: "'Bout the baddest girl I ever seen/Straight up out a movie screen/Who knew she was a drama queen/That would turn my life to Stephen King's?"
04. Homecoming (w/Chris Martin) (Graduation)
Alright, obviously, I'm a Kanye West fan. I'm also a Coldplay fan. No, I'm not a 16 year old girl, but thanks for asking. I'm also a fan of just about any song where people big up there hometown. Kanye has obviously never shied away from mentioning Chicago, but this is his first song that is overtly about his city. Oddly, in the first verse, he addresses Chicago as a woman who showed him the ropes (I met this girl when I was three years old/And what I learned first she had so much soul). However, he spends the second verse just being straight with it, passionately ranting directly to and about his hometown. Honestly, that second verse is probably my favorite verse in the Kanye catalog.
Of course, wrapping up the whole package is Chris Martin's piano-banging beat. He delivers a ridiculously catchy chorus, which is the exact opposite of the bizzarely ambient "Beach Chair" off Jay-Z's Kingdom Come record. He actually has my favorite line in the song, "Baby, do you remember when/Fireworks at Lake Michigan?" Easily his best work since "The Scientist."
Key line: "Every interview I'm representin' you, making you proud/Reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud/Jump in the crowd, spark your lighters, wave 'em around/If you don't know by now, I'm talkin' 'bout Chi-Town!"
03. Champion (Graduation)
When I started making this list, I had this song way back in the five that just missed the cut. As I started analyzing the, "Which song made me turn up the volume in my car when it came up on shuffle?" data, I found that "Champion" was one of my favorites. It's got a great, synthesizer-driven hook wrapped around a Lauryn Hill sample (cleverly referenced IN the song when Kanye says, "Lauryn Hill claimed her heart was in Zion/I wish her heart still was in rhymin.") and a couple of beautifully ego-driven verses from Kanye.
Does Kanye West realize he's a champion? What do you think he's going to say?
Key Line: "I don't see why I need a stylist/When I shop so much I can speak Italian"
02. Touch The Sky (w/Lupe Fiasco) (Late Registration)
As you can probably tell from the list, I'm not the biggest fan of Late Registration. It's just not solid all the way through, and it's got three stellar albums to compete with. That being said, "Touch The Sky" nearly topped my list. This is as close to a perfect hip-hop/pop single as I think I've ever heard. The fact that Kanye had to wait until "Stronger" to actually receive that validation still surprises me.
This track serves as Kanye celebrating the success of The College Dropout, obviously a well-deserved victory lap. Bringing Lupe Fiasco along for the ride and wrapping up the whole package in some Curtis Mayfield horns? Good choice.
Also, this shit was great on the Glow In The Dark tour. Bringing out Lupe to do the third verse live was pretty cool.
Key Line: "Before anybody wanted K. West beats/Me and my girl split the buffet at KFC/Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns/Like, "Damn, these niggas that much better than me?"
01. The Glory (Graduation)
And here we have it, number 1 on the list. "The Glory" is Kanye brining us up to speed with where the story's at so far (2007). What makes this song great is the fact that Kanye's position in the rap world circa 2007 feeds directly into what he's been telling us all along, that he's the best and he's going to be on top of the world. No wonder he freaked out after this record and put out 808's.
Kanye spends the whole track bragging about his shoes, his hat, being pop, being hood, the fact that the paparazzi is always on his ass, his propensity for talking lesbians into his tour van, the fact that it doesn't matter to him how much new homes cost, and how good he looks in real life (evidently, it's "better"). This is Kanye at the height of his commercial power & letting his ego do all the talking.
Plus, the beat is as close to "bangin'" as anything Kanye's ever put on one of his albums. Plus, it even has one of his old trademark sped-up soul samples, just to bring it all back home.
So, there you have it. The data is indisputable. If you need to see the raw numbers, I'll dig them out, but why would I lie to you? I'm outta here, baby.
It should be noted that this list is not a matter of personal opinion, but rather scientific fact. Research was conducted by myself, Margo Basset, Lil' Squawk Box, Sarah, Pheezy, Emily Love, a Ford Taurus, a Ford Focus, the Target Center, and the Herkimer jukebox.
This list is based solely on Kanye West's four proper albums (The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808's & Heartbreak). It does not contain any material off mixtapes, nor does it contain any collaborations off other people's albums (sorry, Swagger Like Us).
Click the track title to download the song.
First, 5 tracks that just missed the cut:
15. Barry Bonds (w/Lil' Wayne) (Graduation)
14. Celebration (Late Registration)
13. All Falls Down (The College Dropout)
12. Say You Will (808's & Heartbreak)
11. Jesus Walks (The College Dropout)
Top 10:
10. We Don't Care (The College Dropout)
The first track off The College Dropout serves as the perfect intro to what Kanye West is all about. It paints a picture of the world Kanye's trying to get away from, it's funny, it remarks on dropping out of college, plus, it's a mission statement: "Stack ya money 'til it gets sky high." It's Kanye (circa 2004) in his own words. Plus, it's the perfect song for the kiiidz.
Key line: "We never had nothin' handed/Took nothin' for granted/Took nothin' from no man/Man, I'm my own man."
09. Amazing (w/Young Jeezy) (808's & Heartbreak)
808's & Heartbreak is a tough album to place. At this point in his career, Kanye has started at the bottom and climbed to the top of the mountain with Graduation. How does he follow it up? With a auto-tune drenched, emo album. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's genius, but admittedly, a bit of a curveball.
"Amazing" is the first instance on the album of the old, ego-maniacal Kanye turning up. I mean, the song opens with the line, "It's amazing/I'm the reason/everybody's fired up this evening." It's also the first instance of overt hip-hop, with Jeezy turning up to throw in a few "Yeah" 's and a verse that includes the line, "I'm at the podium/I'm trying to watch my sodium" Yeah, Jeezy, let's get it! Unless "it" has MSG.
Key Line: "No matter what you'll never take that from me/My reign is as far as your eyes can see/It's amazing"
08. Flashing Lights (Graduation)
One of the main components of the Graduation album was Kanye's use of keyboards to construct his beats. Nowhere is that more evident than on "Flashing Lights." The bouncing keyboards and reverb-drenched chorus make for a great pop hook.
Lyrically, the track takes aim at Kanye's longtime nemesis, the paparazzi (Damn, these niggas got me/I hate these niggas more than a nazi). It also provides a portrait of the complications that arise from dating Kanye West (You more like love to start shit/I'm more of the trips to Florida) which, in hindsight, makes it an interesting preface to the whole 808's & Heartbreak album.
Also, he made three equally inexplicable videos for the song.
On a personal note, this song has some great memories attached to it. Pheezy, drop those keyboards!
Key line: "And the weather's so breezy/Man, why can't life always be this easy?"
07. Never Let Me Down (w/Jay-Z) (The College Dropout)
Before Kanye's relationship with Jay-Z deteriorated into some kind of crazy inferiority complex, they put together this standout off The College Dropout. Oddly, Young Hov gets two verses on the track, sandwiched around Kanye's. While this no doubt contributed to the complex, the fact that Jay uses the first verse to boast (When you're hot, I'm hot/And when you're feet are cold, mine is sizzlin') forces Kanye to take a more reflective approach with his verse (Niggas can't make it to ballots to choose leadership/But we can make it to Jacob's or to the dealership). This, of course, plays to Kanye's strengths and makes this one of the best collaborations on any Kanye album.
Key line: "I get down for my grandfather who took my mama/And made her sit in that seat where white folks ain't want us to eat/At the tender age of 6 she was arrested for the sit-ins/And with that in my blood I was born to be different"
Honorable Mention: "I know they don't want me in the damn club/They even made me show ID to get inside of Sam's Club"
06. Good Morning (Graduation)
Whether it's a remarkable amount of self-awareness or just another example of his unstoppable ego, "Good Morning" is clearly made the opener of Kanye's third album with the intention of proclaiming Kanye's greatness compared to, um, every other rapper ever. The track opens with a very sparse beat and a couple of "Uh" 's from Kaney before the keyboards kick in.
Kanye spends the first couple of verses bringing us up to speed (From the streets to the league/From an eigth to a key/But you graduate when you make it up outta the streets). Then, in one of the more brazen moves in pop music, he ends the third verse with the line, "After all of that you receive this..." and then he samples Jay-Z's opening lines from "The Ruler's Back" off The Blueprint.
I could probably throw out about 500 words on this, so I'll try to be brief. This is so remarkable because it is basically Kanye proclaiming he does not play second fiddle to anybody. Jay-Z, at the time, was pretty much considered the best MC alive. To sample his voice, after spending three verses claiming you've got the credentials to do so, is pretty goddamn ballsy. Also, the ties to The Blueprint are pretty clear. It's basically the record that pushed Jay-Z over the top and into the mainstream. It is also an album produced mainly by a young and hungry Kanye West. At the end of Graduation Kanye spends a whole song (Big Brother) explaining how complicated his relationship is with Jay-Z. Once you have the whole story, the fact that he sampled his voice to open the album is a proven to be a bold move.
Key Line: "Scared of the world/Complacent career student/Some people graduate but be still stupid"
05. RoboCop (808's & Heartbreak)
While most of the 808's album is spent inside Kanye's head, he lets his guard down and has some fun on two consecutive tracks in the middle of the album, Paranoid and RoboCop. RoboCop starts out with those sweet 808's and turns into a full on pop song. Kanye is getting on a "spoiled little L.A. girl's" case for trying to keep tabs on him, wagging his finger and claiming, "I don't need no RoboCop/When did you become a RoboCop?" He even manages to sound like Morrissey, lauging mockingly, "You're kidding me?/Haha, that was a good one/You're first good one in a while."
Key Line: "'Bout the baddest girl I ever seen/Straight up out a movie screen/Who knew she was a drama queen/That would turn my life to Stephen King's?"
04. Homecoming (w/Chris Martin) (Graduation)
Alright, obviously, I'm a Kanye West fan. I'm also a Coldplay fan. No, I'm not a 16 year old girl, but thanks for asking. I'm also a fan of just about any song where people big up there hometown. Kanye has obviously never shied away from mentioning Chicago, but this is his first song that is overtly about his city. Oddly, in the first verse, he addresses Chicago as a woman who showed him the ropes (I met this girl when I was three years old/And what I learned first she had so much soul). However, he spends the second verse just being straight with it, passionately ranting directly to and about his hometown. Honestly, that second verse is probably my favorite verse in the Kanye catalog.
Of course, wrapping up the whole package is Chris Martin's piano-banging beat. He delivers a ridiculously catchy chorus, which is the exact opposite of the bizzarely ambient "Beach Chair" off Jay-Z's Kingdom Come record. He actually has my favorite line in the song, "Baby, do you remember when/Fireworks at Lake Michigan?" Easily his best work since "The Scientist."
Key line: "Every interview I'm representin' you, making you proud/Reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud/Jump in the crowd, spark your lighters, wave 'em around/If you don't know by now, I'm talkin' 'bout Chi-Town!"
03. Champion (Graduation)
When I started making this list, I had this song way back in the five that just missed the cut. As I started analyzing the, "Which song made me turn up the volume in my car when it came up on shuffle?" data, I found that "Champion" was one of my favorites. It's got a great, synthesizer-driven hook wrapped around a Lauryn Hill sample (cleverly referenced IN the song when Kanye says, "Lauryn Hill claimed her heart was in Zion/I wish her heart still was in rhymin.") and a couple of beautifully ego-driven verses from Kanye.
Does Kanye West realize he's a champion? What do you think he's going to say?
Key Line: "I don't see why I need a stylist/When I shop so much I can speak Italian"
02. Touch The Sky (w/Lupe Fiasco) (Late Registration)
As you can probably tell from the list, I'm not the biggest fan of Late Registration. It's just not solid all the way through, and it's got three stellar albums to compete with. That being said, "Touch The Sky" nearly topped my list. This is as close to a perfect hip-hop/pop single as I think I've ever heard. The fact that Kanye had to wait until "Stronger" to actually receive that validation still surprises me.
This track serves as Kanye celebrating the success of The College Dropout, obviously a well-deserved victory lap. Bringing Lupe Fiasco along for the ride and wrapping up the whole package in some Curtis Mayfield horns? Good choice.
Also, this shit was great on the Glow In The Dark tour. Bringing out Lupe to do the third verse live was pretty cool.
Key Line: "Before anybody wanted K. West beats/Me and my girl split the buffet at KFC/Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns/Like, "Damn, these niggas that much better than me?"
01. The Glory (Graduation)
And here we have it, number 1 on the list. "The Glory" is Kanye brining us up to speed with where the story's at so far (2007). What makes this song great is the fact that Kanye's position in the rap world circa 2007 feeds directly into what he's been telling us all along, that he's the best and he's going to be on top of the world. No wonder he freaked out after this record and put out 808's.
Kanye spends the whole track bragging about his shoes, his hat, being pop, being hood, the fact that the paparazzi is always on his ass, his propensity for talking lesbians into his tour van, the fact that it doesn't matter to him how much new homes cost, and how good he looks in real life (evidently, it's "better"). This is Kanye at the height of his commercial power & letting his ego do all the talking.
Plus, the beat is as close to "bangin'" as anything Kanye's ever put on one of his albums. Plus, it even has one of his old trademark sped-up soul samples, just to bring it all back home.
So, there you have it. The data is indisputable. If you need to see the raw numbers, I'll dig them out, but why would I lie to you? I'm outta here, baby.
