All Falls Down

Originally featuring Lauryn Hill's vocals before clearance issues forced a rerecording with Syleena Johnson, the track tackles consumerism, materialism, and the profound insecurities within the African-American community. Driven by a remarkably smooth, acoustic guitar-led instrumental, West's lyrics exhibit a level of self-deprecating introspection that was largely absent from mainstream rap at the time. The song earned a Grammy nomination and solidified 'The College Dropout' as a classic.