Chris Brown - Deuces (Remix) [feat. Drake, Kanye West & André 3000] - Single [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: R&B/Soul, Music
Released: Oct 11, 2010

Various Artists - Kanye West Presents Good Music Cruel Summer (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music
Released: Sep 18, 2012

JAY Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne (Deluxe Version) (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, East Coast Rap, Rap, Hardcore Rap
Released: Aug 08, 2011

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, Hardcore Rap, Rap, Rock
Released: Nov 22, 2010

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak (Bonus Video Version) (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A/M4V]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, R&B/Soul
Released: Nov 24, 2008

808s & Heartbreak is an anomaly in the pop landscape: a nearly extemporaneous work that hews to its author’s emotional and creative needs rather than audience expectations. Precipitated by the death of West’s mother and his subsequent split with his fiancé, 808s & Heartbreak is a radical departure from Kanye’s career trajectory. Where Late Registration and Graduation presented a parade of colors delivered with a self-deprecating sense of humor, 808s is cold and mechanical. Despite its icy sheen though, the undercurrent of loss and despair comes through the strange grooves of “Love Lockdown,” “Coldest Winter,” and “Welcome To Heartbreak.” At times the album seems one-dimensional, but its significance comes as much from its concept and its audacity as it does from the music itself. For Kanye to take his art in a drastically different direction just as his superstardom is at its zenith shows an uncommon amount of courage. Though 808s & Heartbreak will not go down as the fullest realization of West’s musical talent, it may go down as the most important statement in the man’s career.

Kanye West - Graduation (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, Alternative Rap, East Coast Rap
Released: Sep 11, 2007

If College Dropoutwas our introduction to an underdog and Late Registration a victory lap for a newly anointed champion, then Graduation crystallizes Kanye West's stratospheric success in 24-carat surround sound. Like the teddy bear mascot being hurtled into outer space on the album's cover, Kanye's third album pushes his reflexive rhymes and musical imagination to places only hinted at on his previous two albums.Anyone can rap about cash, but Graduation sounds likes a million bucks: "Good Life" is a layer cake of silver-gilded synths that lets the listener bask in Kanye's luxurious dream life for three vivid minutes, while the Daft Punk-sampling "Stronger" beams us into a futuristic dance party, awash in neon color and surround sound audio. Though Kanye's increasing wealth hasn't helped to curb his obsession with fashion brands and jewelry, he never stops investigating himself and his motives. "To what much is given, much is tested," he raps on the hit "Can't TellMe Nothing," which resembles nothing else on contemporary radio. "I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny / And what I do? Act more stupidly." Kanye's egomania will always be a fully-fledged part of his persona, but even as the superstar in him looms large, the self-critical upstart of College Dropout is there checking his every move.

Kanye West - Late Registration (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, Alternative Rap, East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop
Released: Aug 12, 2005

Kanye West could easily coast after the near-universal acclaim he received for 2004’s The College Dropout. Instead, he challenges himself and raises his game by arguing with himself and hiring soundtrack maestro and one-time Fiona Apple producer Jon Brion as a co-producer for Late Registration, an album good enough to trash any talk of a “sophomore slump.” More engaged with music and the world than ever, West here makes the kind of multilayered sound that few hip-hoppers – or pop musicians, period – have achieved in a while. It’s a set undeniable enough that even his detractors will have a hard time poking many holes in it.

Kanye West - Freshmen Adjustment [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, East Coast Rap, Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop
Released: March 21, 2005

Kanye West - The College Dropout (Album) [iTunes Plus AAC M4A]

Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, East Coast Rap, Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop
Released: Feb 10, 2004

College Dropout poses ethical questions about living poor and wanting (and achieving) more. ("I'll Fly Away," "Spaceship," and "All Falls Down" are prime examples.) There are moments of fierce determination on "Through the Wire" and "Never Let Me Down" that give the record additional lift. The Chicago producer aimed the magnifying glass inward to reveal a bifurcation of expectations as "the first nigga with a Benz and a backpack." On "Graduation Day," a voice chastises him for not making songs for the kids. "Jesus Walks" asks pointed questions about the role of religion in music. And West does this with a magician's sleight-of-hand, a generous amount of sweetener, and a cheetah's ear for hooks. Overhyped? Nah, College Dropout deserved every Grammy award it won and more.