When someone mentions music, what do you think of? Do you think of your favorite song? Do you think of a specific artist? Do you think of what was on the radio while you were driving? Whether or not those are some things that come into your mind, I can almost guarantee that one thing that doesn't come up instantly, is comedy. Whether your view on music is its melody and lyrics, or the culture and community, "funny" isn't usually a word people use to describe it, but although it may not be known for being funny, music that uses comedy right, can bring a whole new level of enjoyment.
One example of this, is Kanye West's "The College Dropout". His first album, released when he was 26, is often regarded as one of his best works, musically and lyrically. He was one of the first to break the barrier of hip-hop music having to be "serious" and "tough", with his carefree attitude on the album while still talking about real problems that people face, which still resonates with many to this day.
While the overall carefree tone of the album definitely contributes to the funny aspect, Kanye also has some obvious jokes in his lyrics as well. On the song "
All Falls Down", Kanye raps about a struggling college student, seemingly going nowhere in life, and in the midst of this heavy topic, he raps "Couldn't afford a car, so she named her daughter Alexis", which both adds to his story and presents his skilled wordplay, with "Alexis" being a homophone of "a Lexus". His use of wordplay and jokes sprinkled throughout the album isn't just impressive lyrically. It also adds to the picture of an up-and-coming artist creating a new soundscape with masterful production and a great message to spread.
Another part of the album, which really adds to the overall picture Kanye paints, are the short interludes he sets between some of the tracks, which really help in Kanye's world building. My favorite interlude is one that more blatantly pokes fun of academics, through the use of satire. "
Lil Jimmy Skit" is about a child whose dad went to school his whole life until he died, not focusing on anything else. This is obviously an exaggeration of people that put themselves through copious amounts of school, to sometimes not even get anywhere, and neglect the things in life that matter the most. In that skit, the character "Lil Jimmy" states "I'm gonna learn too. I'm gonna get super smart, so I, too, can die without money. But I'll be the smartest dead guy! Who has that?", further adding to his mocking of higher education in America.
While Kanye talks about serious topics and gives his stance on problems like education on this album, he does it in a charming and enticing way, utilizing satire, wordplay, and a carefree tone to do so, creating one of the most groundbreaking hip-hop albums of all time.
Some other great lines from this album are:
"
Last Call" - "I went to the malls and I balled too hard
'Oh my god, is that a black card?'
I turned around and replied, 'Why yes
But I prefer the term African American Express'"
When you stop the programs for after school
And they DCFS, some of 'em dyslexic
They favorite 50 Cent song '12 Questions'"
also omg kendrick dropped
My most played songs this week:
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