College Dropout: Where Are They Now?
Kanye's landmark debut featured several talented guests.
1 / 17
College Dropout: Where Are They Now? - Ten years ago today (Feb. 10), hip hop took a left turn with Kanye West's landmark debut, College Dropout. Yeezy's since become one of rap's GOATs, spawning numerous hit albums in its wake. But he didn't do it alone. College Dropout was a true family affair, featuring several talented rappers, singers and musicians. None have had an ascent as meteoric as Kanye's (Jay was already on top), but all have had success. Where are they now? Read on to find out.(Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
2 / 17
John Legend - You already know: John Legend, an early G.O.O.D. Music breakout artist, has become a huge star since College Dropout, which featured his background vocals on several tracks. He's won nine Grammys, including three for Wake Up!, his 2010 collaborative album with The Roots; he's toured with Sade; and after a wedding to model Chrissy Tiegen, released one of his more romantic and critically acclaimed albums to date, Love in the Future, for which he says he worked more with West on than he had on any album before.(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
3 / 17
Aisha Tyler - Actress-comedienne Aisha Tyler provided a tongue-in-cheek cameo on “Slow Jamz,” introducing Twista's head-spinning machine-gun verse. She's been all over the small screen ever since, landing recurring roles on CSI and Ghost Whisperer, and voicing Lana on the hilarious FX cartoon Archer. In 2013, she released her second book, Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation, and was announced as the new host of the long-running show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?(Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
4 / 17
Jay Z - If you don't know where this dude is now, you might be on the wrong site. Hov executive-produced College Dropout with his Roc partners Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, and was featured on the dramatic centerpiece "Never Let Me Down," living up to the song's title by contributing one of the album's dopest rhymes. Jay and 'Ye haven't looked back since, with their long-time musical partnership reaching new heights with 2011's joint album and tour Watch the Throne.(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
5 / 17
Mos Def - Mos sets off the massive "Two Words" in epic fashion. But, unfortunately, that's been one of the few musical high points for the hugely talented MC in the new millennium, as he's focused more on acting in movies such as Cadillac Records. More recently, he opted for a name change, Yasiin Bey, and reunited with Talib Kweli to perform Blackstar's classic debut album on the Rock the Bells tour — and the duo are scheduled to hit the road together as such in 2014.(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 17
Consequence - Cons was Kanye's left-hand man back in 2004, and another part of G.O.O.D. Music’s first wave. He showed his worth with a dope, downtrodden verse on "Spaceship." My, how things have changed: Cons had a falling out with his Chicago homie and G.O.O.D. Music, releasing a series of diss tracks and videos before squashing the beef. He went back to beef-mode for a while, after, shifting his focus to Joe Budden, who he exchanged assaults with during a Love & Hip Hop reunion taping. Last word is he's planning his sophomore album release, titled Start Your Own Business.(Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup)
7 / 17
Twista - Kanye's fellow Chi-Town MC did what he does best on "Slow Jamz" — tear it down with a dizzying double-time flow. The chart-topping song also appeared on his album Kamikaze, pushing it to platinum. Twista's stayed consistent with a few more albums since then, including 2011's The Perfect Storm, a face-melting freestyle over the instrumental of A$AP Rocky’s "Purple Swag," and a gem of a verse for Lady Gaga's "Jewels N Drugs."(Photo: John Amis/PictureGroup)
8 / 17
GLC - GLC was a key early member of Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music, and he represented with a dope blue-collar verse on "Spaceship" and later on "Drive Slow" off 'Ye's Late Registration. He's not officially on the roster anymore — though he says he's still down — and struck out on his own with his solo debut, Love, Life and Loyalty, in 2010. His most recent release, 2013's Ism Churchill mixtape.(Photo: Fernando Leon/PictureGroup)
9 / 17
Miri Ben-Ari - Ben-Ari played all over College Dropout, adding lush layers of live instrumentation to Yeezy's samples and synths to help him realize his already ostentatious production visions. She's released two solo albums as "The Hip Hop Violinist" since, and had a huge 2011, being named one of 25 "Remarkable Women" by Michelle Obama at a White House ceremony and performing at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.(Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Hennessy)
10 / 17
Damon Dash - Damon Dash, reportedly one of the earliest advocates of Kanye as a rapper, took on executive producer duties with the other heads of Roc-A-Fella, Jay Z and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. After splitting with Jay on bad terms, Dash has been hustling as hard as ever with his DD172/BluRoc imprint and new ventures with Jim Jones and his Vampire Life brand, an art gallery named Poppington and Dusko whiskey.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT
11 / 17
Kareem "Biggs" Burke - Kareem "Biggs" Burke, the Roc's reclusive third co-founder, rounded out executive producer duties on College Dropout. He stayed hustling on various business enterprises after Roc-A-Fella crumbled, some alongside Damon Dash. Unfortunately, according to the feds, one of those hustles was a massive marijuana ring, and he was arrested along with 42 others in New York and Florida in 2010. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
12 / 17
Syleena Johnson - Syleena Johson had a tough assignment on "All Falls Down" — covering a sample from Lauryn Hill's "Mystery of Iniquity" — but her husky voice lived up to the task perfectly. Since that song's success, Syleena released three of her own albums, most recently 2011's Chapter 5: Underrated, and landed a starrig role on the TV show R&B Divas. Interesting sidenote: Her father is soul legend Syl Johnson, who's sued Kanye for sampling his "Different Strokes" without permission on "The Joy."(Photo: Shanachie Records)
13 / 17
J. Ivy - Poet J. Ivy almost outshined Kanye and Jay Z when he closed out "Never Let Me Down" with his dramatic Grammy-winning sonnet. The song helped Ivy become one of the biggest spoken-word artists in the new milennium. He's released two albums, including his latest, HERE I AM and accompanying lyrics book HERE I AM: Then & Now; he's appeared on TV numerous times, including on BET's 106 & Park and Harlem Nights; and he's given out scholarships via his Write to Live Academy and works with Yeezy's Kanye West Foundation.(Photo: Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images for Frontline Marketing)
14 / 17
Common - Common's cameo on "Get 'Em High" was the first of many dope collabos with Kanye. Com signed to G.O.O.D. Music soon after and released two of his best and most successful albums, Be and Finding Forever. More recently, Com's turned to acting, starring on the AMC series Hell on Wheels and collaborating with Kanye mentor No I.D. on The Dreamer/The Believer, one of last year's best albums. For 2014, he's working on Nobody Smiling, an album designed as a call of action for his troubled hometown of Chicago that will feature upcoming Chi-raq spitters looking for the light.(Photo: John Ricard/BET)
15 / 17
Talib Kweli - Back when he was first establishing himself as a rapper, Kanye would frequently tag along on Talib Kweli's tours, so it's only right that Yeezy invited Kwe to spit a dope verse on "Get 'Em High." Kweli has stayed busy since, releasing several albums, including a Reflection Eternal reunion with Hi-Tek and his latest independent release, Gravitas. He's also touring nonstop, including a Blackstar reunion tour with Mos Def in 2014.(Photo: Terrence Jennings/Picturegroup)
ADVERTISEMENT
16 / 17
Ludacris - Luda was at his charismatic peak when he contributed a hilarious hook for "Breathe In Breathe Out." He went on to become a credible actor, starring in Crash, Hustle & Flow, and in the Fast & Furious series, among many other films. His next album, Ludaversal — his eighth studio album — is scheduled for a 2014 release and features none other than Anita Baker.(Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)