Matt's Track of the Week: "Spaceship"

Song: Spaceship

Artist: Kanye West

Album: The College Dropout

Year: 2004

There has been a lot of buzz lately about Kanye West, and his future plans in the music industry.  Some recent speculation gives the impression that he may be trading in his pop-icon status altogether for an internship position at a major fashion house.  Whatever the case may be, I have found myself listening to a lot of his work in the past week or so, and one song that I have had on constant rotation is "Spaceship", from his debut record, The College Dropout.

One thing I have always enjoyed about Kanye's records, is how he incorporates certain whimsical and imaginative elements that give insight into his personality.  "Spaceship"  does this better than most.  Backed by a sample of Marvin Gaye's, "Distant Lover", and singing soulfully, West depicts an an almost child-like, simplistic view of the world, and a yearning to escape that world by flying up past the clouds.  It seemed like an uncharacteristic song for him at the point of its release, but looking at the current state of things, it isn't that surprising.  Kanye West has come to define himself as an artist with few limits.  Check it out below.