15 Best Kanye West Tracks

4. Breathe In, Breathe Out (The College Dropout)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_GIbPcq6bw Best Line: "I always said if I rapped I'd say something significant, but now I'm rapping 'bout money, hoes, and rims again" An up-and-coming producer who worked with Jay Z and Alicia Keys wanted to branch out into rap, but even though he was supplying great beats he wasn't getting much traction. The belief was that this kid was a producer and not a rapper. Breathe In, Breathe Out changed things. Forever. Proving to record labels, fans, and maybe himself that Kanye could really rap was a big step in his career. While another song was his introduction, Kanye could have just been another rapper known more for his story than his music (after getting in a car accident Kanye had his jaw wired shut and rapped about his experience on Through the Wire), but Breathe In, Breathe Out showed that he could hang with any rapper. Breathe In, Breathe Out served as a template for several other Kanye tracks, mixing in low-brow humor with observations about the responsibility of being a pop star. He doesn't fully commit to either, as always he is torn between his highfalutin goals and his more instinctual and humorous nature, but he forged out an identity here that still resonates.