I feel as if every time my life is at a crossroads, Kanye West has not been too far behind in dropping an album I can relate to.
The College Dropout, February 2004
'Dropout' was my full-length introduction to Mr. West, who had previously popped up on Jay-Z guest tracks here and there. I was hooked by the soul sample. Then I was reeled in by "Slow Jamz" which featured Twista. This was back when a lot of the stuff I listened to was mainstream.
I graduated high school in June 2004, nearly four months to the day 'Dropout' was released and it was still heavy in my rotation. These were the days before I had learned about iPods. When I finally got to the campus of SIU Carbondale, West's tunes quickly became the soundtrack for my freshman year. "Spaceship" reminded me of how I wanted to escape the wrath of a mundane day-to-day job. "The New Workout Plan" was an up-tempo party jam that I wanted to hear in some basement house party and grind with some cuties. Finally, "Last Call" was the official last hurrah of my freshman year. It was fitting.
Late Registration, August 2005
Kanye's sophomore effort coincided with my sophomore year. And some of the challenges West describes in his tracks related to me. Whether it was problems with class registrations or not knowing what he wanted out of his future -- I felt as if Ye spoke directly to me. In the end, it was a "Celebration" as I rallied from a slow start in my sophomore year. "We Major" featuring Nas is still the track I go to more often than not on that album.
Graduation, September 2007
Top-to-bottom, best album Mr. West has produced. The track that will always stand out for me here is "Homecoming." That's all you really needed to know about my attachment with this album.
808's & Heartbreak, November 2008
The chilling album that really didn't sink in 'til the winter. The icy synths and pounding beats really set the tone for a lot of lonely, sad nights. In general, the winter will do that to you. Couple that with a horrific Valentine's Day that started with SIU getting hammered by arch-rival Creighton, followed by yours truly getting hammered by a girl, then getting hammered at the bar and you could see the gloom and doom.
So, now what?
Again, I'm at a crossroads in my life. I'm 23 and have a full-time job. It's nice. I get to do what I want to do -- granted it's on a much smaller scale -- but it's a start that I am thankful for and am totally embracing. I probably should move closer to my work, but my fears include losing touch with the friends I have in my current establishment ... not to mention the nightlife generally associated with a college town as opposed to the nightlife of a smaller town.
It has also been pointed out to me that for the last nine years of my life, I have put my scholastic work ahead of my social life. I won't argue this point. Neither will the friend that brought it up. We both agree that it has worked out for me thus far, and with school out of the way, I should be able to focus a lot more of my energy on my social life.
As for that, well, I don't know where to begin. But hopefully, it ends better.
As for Kanye, he has penned albums that might as well have served as a soundtrack to my daily routine. Your move, Mr. West. I'm waiting.
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