10 Classic Albums That Came Out Of Nowhere

Throughout the past two decades, Kanye West has become the one pop culture icon who has refused to die. As much as he has said some really shady things in public forums, it feels like the rap community is always willing to go to bat for the guy as one of the greatest in his field.

Even though it might seem commonplace now, it's still shocking to consider how different Ye was right out of the gate.

While The College Dropout was far from being the first alternative sounding hip hop record, it was definitely a gamechanger at the time of release. How the hell did the rap community have time for something like School Spirit in the midst of people like Eminem and 50 Cent dominating the charts? Despite not being the most dangerous-looking type of performer, West's clean cut, backpack-clad style ended up becoming the entire blueprint for the next generation of hip hop stars.

Fresh off his producer's chair on Jay-Z's The Blueprint, Dropout shows Kanye at his most charismatic, from comedic tracks like New Workout Plan to the way he pits himself against religion on Jesus Walks. This might not be the most thoughtful hip hop record in the world, but it did offer a lot more points than 2004 was probably willing to take.