The overall sound of this project was a refreshing twist to the sound that was popular at the time-featuring many jazzy, funk, and soul-inspired layers. There’s a reason this album won Kanye a Grammy. The production and beat selection on this project was absolutely FANTASTIC. This project was socially conscious but also very enjoyable to listen to. If Jesus Is King sounded like this, it wouldn’t have been the worst project on this list. “Jesus Walks” is a GREAT way of Kanye showcasing his passion for Christianity. You have a man speaking on “Intro” and “Graduation Day” that sounds like Bernie Mac, poking fun at the idea of college being the only way to be successful. The skits on the album were absolutely hilarious. On “Through the Wire”, Kanye is literally rapping with his jaw WIRED SHUT, showcasing his determination to get this project out. Kanye mentions every organization in the Divine 9 in the song, “School Spirit”, which was a nice college feel. The line “sophomore three years ain’t picked a career” could apply to most, if not all, college students at one point or another. On “All Falls Down”, he talks not only about being materialistic but about being lost in the college experience. The song, which features guest verses from GLC and Consequence, also has a beautiful blues-inspired sound to it. On the song “Spaceship”, Kanye sings of working at a dead end job that you hate but you do it to pay the bills. I feel like Kanye is at his most relatable on this project. A great album but not his best, in my opinion. The last two minutes of “Bad News” is the same way. Kanye raps for about 3 minutes and then the instrumental plays for the last three-like he fell asleep in the booth and forgot to turn the beat off. “Say You Will” is one of my favorite tracks on the album, the only issue is the song is 6 minutes long. Songs like “Love Lockdown” and “Paranoid” are more upbeat love songs. The autotune works really well on tracks such as “Amazing” and “Heartless”, making for some of Kanye’s most memorable hooks of all time. Kid Cudi also does a great job on the hook. Lines such as “He showed me pictures of his kids, I could only show him pictures of my cribs” and “He told a joke and they all laughed but I couldn’t hear up in 1st class” really show you that money isn’t everything. On “Welcome to Heartbreak”, Kanye really breaks down how unhappy he is knowing that his friends are enjoying life with their kids and family while all he has is money. This album also features a lot more singing from Kanye. Kanye was going through so many personal issues at the time and you can tell from this project: from the death of his mother to relationship failures, Kanye is at his most vulnerable here.

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