"2004: West Releases Debut Album, Says His Clothing Hindered His Rap Career   In 2004, Kanye West released his debut album, The College Dropout, which shattered the mold of gangsta rap in favor of a more introspective, jocular, self-aware style of rap that was equal parts balling and self-deprecating. Sonically, the record shifted the landscape of the hip-hop industry, while Kanye's choice in clothing—complete with brightly colored rugby shirts, pink polos, and Louis Vuitton backpacks—also complicated the image of rappers wearing baggy jeans and XXXL tees. Though Dame Dash and Jay Z of Roc-A-Fella records were the ones to finally give Ye a record deal, it wasn't easy convincing hip-hop moguls to gamble on a guy that looked like a Ralph Lauren nerd. ""No one would give me a deal,"" West said during a performance at Webster Hall. ""Maybe it's because of what I had on… I guess they judged a book by its cover."" In other words, West's persecution complex was there from the beginning."
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