Before he was the Kanye West we know today, he was a producer creating beats for local artists in the 1990s before hitting it big with Jay Z after he signed with Roc-A-Fella Records and worked on Hova’s 2001 album The Blueprint.
Now, thanks to a man named Jensen Karp, an entire 27 track disc has been made available on YouTube (below) as well as a whole other disc that you can also download over at DJ Booth.
Says Karp about this newly discovered music…
“I was stumbling through my garage, searching through old storage bins, when I came across some old beat CDs from my days as a signed Interscope rapper. I was shocked to find that two of them, both given to me in ‘01, had the name Kanye West on them. These two CDs, which I believe are the oldest Kanye beats ever released.”
“I think this collection of early Kanye beats shows you where he came from, even if it doesn’t necessarily sound like ‘Kanye’ now. He kept at it and became the incredible producer he is today. I remember he even had to leave the studio sessions early, so he could make the last train back to his mom’s house. He’s come a long way, and I’m proud to have been around, even if for just a second at the start.”
Quite an amazing find, huh?
H/T RSVLTS