Can't Tell Me Nothing (mixtape)

Can't Tell Me Nothing: The Official Mixtape is the fifth mixtape by American rapper Kanye West. It was made freely available over the internet on May 27, 2007, in anticipation of the release of his third studio album, Graduation.

Can't Tell Me Nothing: The Official Mixtape
Mixtape by
ReleasedMay 27, 2007
Recorded2006–2007
GenreHip hop
Length64:25
Label
Producer
Kanye West chronology
Late Orchestration
(2006)
Can't Tell Me Nothing: The Official Mixtape
(2007)
Graduation
(2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Chicago Tribune(favorable)[1]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[2]
Rolling Stone[3]
Stylus MagazineA−[4]
URB[5]

Background

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The official mixtape was hosted by Kanye West alongside his A&R, Plain Pat. Overall, it is compiled of songs made by various artists signed onto West's G.O.O.D. Music label, collaborations with other unaffiliated musicians, and preview versions of certain songs that would later appear on Graduation.[6] The mixtape was very well received and gave off several tracks that later became successful singles.[7]

Reception

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Stylus Magazine awarded Can't Tell Me Nothing an A− rating and complimented it for expressing a high quality in comparison to most promotional mixtapes, claiming, "Even with a few duds, this might be the album of the year." On its general review of the mixtape, Stylus wrote, "Can't Tell Me Nothing is one mixtape that should be legendary on its own, rather than piggybacking off its 'parent' album. It's as diverse as anything I've heard this year, both as intelligent and as stoopid as it wants to be (cf. "Us Placers" vs. "Throw Some D's (Remix)"), and gloriously so."[4] Rock critic Robert Christgau dictated, "Get this while you can from the mixtape man no matter how much of it is destined for the real album."[2] URB wrote, "Although the scatterbrained way Kanye chooses to present himself will continue to face scrutiny and divide opinion, any critic would be hard pressed to deny his talent. Whatever persona he adopts, whether relatively restrained or unsurprisingly in your face, the artist rarely fails to engage."[5] Can't Tell Me Nothing won "Mixtape of the Year" at the 2007 Vibe Awards.[8]

Track listing

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No.TitleProducerLength
1."Can't Tell Me Nothing" (performed by Kanye West)Kanye West4:08
2."Stronger" (snippet performed by Kanye West)Kanye West1:23
3."Us Placers" (performed by Child Rebel Soldier)Lupe Fiasco3:54
4."I Ain't Even on Yet" (performed by GLC)Xcel2:36
5."Friday Morning May 25th" (intro performed by Kanye West, Tony Williams and DeRay Davis)Kanye West2:17
6."Southside" (snippet performed by Common featuring Kanye West)Kanye West2:22
7."The Game" (performed by Common)Kanye West2:30
8."Porno" (interlude performed by Kanye West)Kanye West1:15
9."Stay Up" (snippet performed by 88-Keys featuring Kanye West and Malik Yusef)88-Keys1:50
10."In the Mood" (performed by Talib Kweli featuring Kanye West)Kanye West2:32
11."C.O.L.O.U.R.S." (performed by Fonzworth Bentley featuring Pimp C and Lil Wayne) 4:45
12."Pro Nails" (performed by Kid Sister featuring Kanye West)A-Trak2:37
13."Young Folks" (performed by Kanye West)Kanye West1:47
14."Interviews" (interlude performed by Kanye West and Tony Williams)Kanye West3:31
15."The People" (performed by Common)Kanye West3:25
16."Get'cha Some" (performed by Big Sean)WrighTrax2:57
17."Don't Forget Em" (performed by Consequence)Kanye West2:55
18."White (On the Floor)" (performed by Sa-Ra)Sa-Ra3:00
19."Because of You" (remix performed by Ne-Yo featuring Kanye West)Stargate1:35
20."Buy You a Drank" (remix performed by T-Pain featuring Kanye West)T-Pain2:01
21."Throw Some D's" (interlude performed by Kanye West)Polow da Don0:36
22."Throw Some D's" (remix performed by Kanye West)Polow da Don2:36
23."Dreaming of Your Love" (performed by The World Famous Tony Williams)Kanye West2:52
24."Magnetic Power" (performed by Really Doe featuring Jennifer Hudson)Beaman1:47
25."Hater Family" (performed by P.M.) 3:36
Total length:64:25

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kot, Greg (2007-06-01). "Kanye, Lupe, Pharrell Collaborate on Thom Yorke Track". Chicago Tribune. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (October 2007). "Kanye West – Can't Tell Me Nothing – Music Review". MSN Music. Microsoft. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  3. ^ "Kanye West Can't Tell Me Nothing Review". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks, Inc. 2007. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
  4. ^ a b Inskeep, Thomas (2007-08-31). "Kanye West Can't Tell Me Nothing – Music Review". Stylus Magazine. stylusmagazine.com. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
  5. ^ a b Conan, Milne (2007-07-11). "CD Reviews Kanye West :: Can't Tell Me Nothing". URB. NativeSon Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  6. ^ Reid, Shaheem; Rodriguez, Jayson (2007-06-04). "Mixtape Monday: 50 Didn't Bite Jim Jones; Kanye Keeps GOOD Music Intact". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on June 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  7. ^ Thornton, Alex (2008-02-10). "DXNext, Underground Rap – Kid Sister". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  8. ^ Shepherd, Julianne; Fennessey, Sean (2007). "Vibe Award Special". Vibe. Vibe Media Group, Inc. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved 2007-11-19.