Then I paid my own money that I get paid for doing “Gold Digger”, which I never really liked that song, but I always knew I would get paid for doing “Gold Digger”

Sometimes what we know of an artist consists of that which we were unable to avoid—their most popular or viral songs; the stuff they play on the radio. I doubt many of us have heard anything by Gotye other than "Somebody That I Used To Know". He's another perfect candidate for an article like this, an artist that’s done great work throughout his discography, which produced only one hit single (that those of us in North America heard, anyway). To fully appreciate the work of prolific creative geniuses, like Stephen King and Bill Watterson for example, we must sometimes follow their progression through their amassment of work.

Although the hits can help us come to appreciate an artist when they're catchy and easy to listen to, they sometimes aren't the best sampling of true creativity. Most Kanye appreciators could tell you there are songs more innovative than "Gold Digger" on Late Registration. In this series, I'll exposé some of the non-hits.

1. "My Way" — Freshmen Adjustment

This one was an instant classic to my ears, the kind of song that makes Youtube commenters say things like "I want the old Kanye back"—and as ignorant a comment as it is, tracks like this make it clear why they're saying it: Kanye was brilliant way back then, too. It comes from the Freshmen Adjustment mixtape, whose tracks contain some verses and beats Kanye later recycled for his studio albums, including "Hey Mama", "Self Conscious", and "Home".

The track exemplifies the chipmunk-soul sampling style that he would become known for after College Dropout, sampling Irene Reid's rendition of a song of the same title popularized by Frank Sinatra. The strings sample played all throughout is from the same song, making this one of a few precursors to his heavy use of strings on later albums such as Late Registration and MBDTF. “My Way” was never used or adapted in any of his studio albums (though there is this line). Regardless, it is an early iteration of his signature braggadocio and his rejection of gangsta rap, which would become thematic elements of his music.

When you walk straight niggas tend to look at you sideways
I say fuck that dog, I get my own way
Niggas ain’t believe me ‘til they see me on TV

He would express a similar sentiment on the concluding track of his debut album, "Family Business":

I woke up early this morning with a new state of mind
A creative way to rhyme without using knives and guns

2. “Family Business” — The College Dropout

When I say this is my favorite track on an album filled to the brim with classics, I don’t say it lightly. I recently played a bit of Kanye for my barber, a 65 year-old man, and he was enthralled. When I played “Family Business”, his first response was, “Hmm… if you take away his voice and the drums, you’ve got church music.”

Kanye’s softer vocals on this song accentuate both the soulful piano riff and the sentimental lyrics themselves. In just one verse, Kanye rejects not just the violence of gangsta rap, but also gender roles, the machismo bullshit of being “manly”. And he doesn’t just talk about it either—just check out his kilts.

All my niggas from the Chi, that’s my family, dog
And my niggas ain’t my niggas, they my family, dog
I feel like one day you’ll understand me, dog
You can still love your man and be manly, dog

3. “Drive Slow” — Late Registration

My homie Marley used to stay, 79th and May
One of my best friends from back in the day
Down the street from Calumet, a school full of stones
He nicknamed me K-rock so they’d leave me alone

Some rappers have a great affinity for telling stories of their younger years (see Kendrick's GKMC) but the ever forward-looking Kanye has never really been one of them (with a few exceptions). He has written many more songs about where he is and where he’s going. As the about section notes on this track's Rapgenius page, the track exemplifies the use of feature artists, with slow-flowing rappers Paul Wall and GLC accentuating the slow tempo. It not only calls back to growing up in the Chi, but also expresses a more general sentiment about taking life slow. As GLC tells us:

Live today ‘cause tomorrow man, you never know

4. “Big Brother” — Graduation

Another anomaly of Kanye’s discography, “Big Brother” is an homage to his labelmate, mentor, and friend, Jay Z. As it happens with Kanye, it is an homage that is rife with conflict.

Big brother got his show up at Madison Square
And I’m like, “Yeah, yeah, we gon’ be there” but
Not only did I not get a chance to spit it
Carline told me I could buy two tickets

Kanye’s desire to steal the spotlight has been a trend throughout his rise to fame. When Talib Kweli allowed Kanye to tour with him, Kanye would stop the music and jump on stage. From Kweli:

So when I see him do it to Taylor Swift, I’m like ‘Oh, that’s what he used to do to me.’ He literally would come on stage while I was rapping and stop the music and say, ‘Yo, I gotta kick this rhyme.’ And I would have to be like, ‘Yo, you can’t, this is my show.’ But that’s how passionate he is about the music.

Best lines of the song?

My big brother was B.I.G.’s brother
So here's a few words from ya kid brother
If you admire somebody you should go on 'head tell 'em
People never get the flowers while they can still smell 'em
A idol in my eyes, god of the game
Heart of the City, Roc-a-Fella chain
Never be the same, never be another
Number one, Young Hov, also my big brother

5. “Street Lights” — 808s & Heartbreak
I never noticed this song when I first listened to this album, but Rapgenius annotations and a few more listens helped me understand this subtle piece of genius. It is one of Kanye’s most poetic and sentimental tracks, its sounds forming a brilliant parallel with the lyrical content—a lingering, synthetic sound, a flickering electrical current that stands alone before the drums come in.

In one of the darkest points in his life, Kanye meditates on some existential questions in this song, and as it happens with such questions, the apparent conclusions can sound pretty grim.

Life’s just not fair

6. “See Me Now” — My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

The B-side with the B-lady and Charlie Wilson. Her final bridge alone makes this worth listening to. That and this wicked pun from Kanye:

And if you fall on the concrete, that’s your ass fault

Also notable:

Uncle Charlie, by the way
And I’mma let you finish, but I got Beyoncé on the track

7. “Made In America” — Watch The Throne

Frank Ocean is brilliant on this track, and the hook he sings reminds us of—or otherwise teaches us—the names of some of the biggest leaders in the American civil rights movement.

Sweet king Martin, sweet queen Coretta
Sweet brother Malcolm, sweet queen Betty

I, for example, was not familiar with the life or accomplishments of Coretta Scott King. She was an early proponent of LGBT rights—appropriate that Frank Ocean, one of the first artists in the hip hop community to publically come out, should be the one to sing of her here.

8. “On Sight” — Yeezus

He’ll give us what we need
It may not be what we want

As soon as I listened to this song, it both made sense and bewildered me that so many people had a bad reaction to this album. Such a wicked, grating sound—Zane Lowe somewhat aptly called it "disgusting"—but it made perfect sense in its contrast with the sample. I listened to it for that choral sample over and over again—and not just for the sample itself, but for the way it is somehow seamlessly woven into the song to form a auspicious contrast with that harsh industrial sound, a synergy between two elements I never fathomed would be good together. “Blood On The Leaves” similarly exemplified Kanye's ability to brilliantly integrate and synthesize music from vastly different genres. It was originally going to be the first track, which, as Kanye notes in the interview, would have made the album more favorable to critics, but it seems that Kanye didn’t want to make it that easy.

I’m not here to make easy listening, easy programmable music