Cody Remembers Kanye’s First Album, 10 Year Later

There are certain milestones that everyone remembers. First time riding a bike. First kiss. First job. Some milestones even hail from pop culture. Sure, some people may remember where they were when The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, but for the rest of us who weren't born yet, other moments stand out and they may come from more personal experiences. For me, that includes first hearing Kanye West's debut album, "The College Dropout."

Yesterday marked 10 years since 'Ye released an album that changed the face of rap forever. Before that, hip hop and rap seemed one-dimensional to a kid from private school who'd only seen random videos on MTV. Things started to change, for me at least, around 2004. Prior to that, I had happened upon a copy of Jay Z's "The Black Album" and it had started to creep into my consciousness as a new form of art to explore. Those middle school years, as embarrassing as they may seem at the time, are often the years that one develops tastes that will last a lifetime. I still listen to the pop punk like Sum 41 & Blink 182 and early hip hop, like Jay & Kanye.

My friend Tim had been more a fan of rap. I wasn't sure what to listen to. He gave me an earbud and put in a new CD called "The College Dropout." I had seen a video by this artist called "Through The Wire"... For some reason, he had recorded a rap while his mouth was wired shut. As soon as I heard the album, though, I could tell it was special. After that, I checked out Talib Kweli, who had done a guest verse on Kanye's, and more Jay Z and then Kanye's later album and so on. Kanye may make bold statements, but if you ignore his public persona and dealings with the press, his music makes it's own statement.

Without Kanye, there wouldn't be Drake, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Lupe Fiasco, Childish Gambino, you name 'em. It is mind-blowing to think that some younger people only know Kanye for his latest work or, even worse, just that he dates a Kardashian. If you haven't heard "The College Dropout" drop what you're doing and listen.