and I remember it vividly. I was heading back to school fresh of off winter break. 2005 had just begun and I had a little money in my pocket. I did not have enough money to buy a full-fledged iPod, so this glorified USB drive would have to do. I think the original Shuffle could hold around 100 songs and for someone with musical ADD like me - it was perfect. You could plug it in, sync your playlist, and be on your way. At this time in my life, my iTunes library was my life's most prized possession. Making sure this thing was charged was also a huge priority :).
I was also coming off a personally tough break. I had recently been in a relationship and it ended badly. It was also January - cold, dreary, and just a depressing time of the year. I needed a pick me up and just the opportunity to zone out for a while. The iPod Shuffle became my panacea. All around campus you were starting to notice little white earbuds in ears as far as the eye could see. The iPod was taking over. So when I say that this little gadget changed my life - it wasn't always for the benefit of all mankind. You could just pop in those little white earbuds and zone out. We all began to resemble mind-controlled zombies practically overnight. No one was talking to each other.
I mentioned I needed a pick me up and a change. I needed to feel myself again. Music provided that escape. The Shuffle was the perfect vessel - full of songs from every genre. When I think back to that time, I really hyperfocus on one artist who just seemed to get me out of this funk. That artist was Kanye West (crazy right?!?!). The College Dropout had just come out the year before and I had every song from that album on my Shuffle. There was nothing better to me than walking out of class, putting in those earbuds, rolling the Shuffle's proverbial dice - and boom! - All Falls Down (always had a crush on Stacey Dash) comes on It just put so much happiness back in me. To say that The College Dropout was refreshing when it came out is a HUGE understatement. Most of the hip hop I grew up loving glorified a life I was incredibly far from living. I have always loved hip-hop, but Kanye just was different. It felt like he was a college student, who worked at the mall, who happened to also rap. It was real and relatable.
I had the Polos and I even raided my dad's closet for his old sportcoats to wear with hoodies. Popped collars were now at every party. I don't think I've ever listened to an album more than I did The College Dropout. I had a burnt copy in my car that I just never took out. I also don't think an album has positively influenced me more than that album did. In my mind, it was the perfect album, and he would never top it........but in my opinion he did.
Not much later after The College Dropout released came Late Registration. I remember getting goosebumps the first time I heard it. In my eyes, and more importantly ears, it was flawlessly executed and the features were incredible. Bernie Mac opened up the album, but then when Adam Levine came in on Heard Em Say - it was just indescribable. Lupe Fiasco burst on the scene with this album. I was a senior in college and Late Registration dominated that year. The dance floor at the Neon Cactus could be empty and then Gold Digger would come on and it suddenly became packed. They would even play it multiple times a night just to get people dancing. The album was and is still a masterpiece to me. Those tough times I had at the beginning of 2005 suddenly disappeared thanks to the realness of those two albums. Things continued to look up - I was graduating and I also happened to meet my future wife around this time.
I apologize if you were looking for me to critique these two albums more closely, but I'm stating the obvious - they're incredible. You don't need me to tell you that. I brought up these two albums because they really did help get me through some tough times - not because of the positive content, but rather it just took my mind off of everything else. It helped me escape. I wanted to be like Kanye. I really struggle about what to think about Kanye today. It's so easy to be critical and judgmental, but I know he struggles like everyone else. It just happens to be a lot more public than most people. I really did not dive into his other albums like the first two. I just kind of fell off the Kanye train. Just like he raps on I Love Kanye - I do miss the old Kanye.
To me, Kanye West is to music as Bobby Fischer was to chess. Haunted by constant whispers of "what if". Ironically they're both from Chicago.
Thank you Kanye for those first two albums - they meant a lot to me in 2005 and still do today. And thank you to Steve Jobs for providing me with an overpriced, glorified USB stick that allowed me to have my own personal soundtrack. They both helped.
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