Kanye Raps about Family

Due to his newer material and media coverage, rapper Kanye West’s popularity has recently increased. However, The College Dropout is where he began. The College Dropout’s subject matter focuses on Kanye’s personal life, hardships, survival in the inner city, and values: religion, truth, and family.

A value of HipHop culture that Kanye’s album touches upon is family. “Family Business” integrates this significant topic. West’s album tells us family is important and shows how HipHop takes “family” to different levels. “Family Business” shows in the inner city you have your actual family to whom you are very close; however, you also have your “family” or posse. Your blood-related family are the people you love, care about, support, and survive with daily. Kanye raps, “Come on, let’s take a family Gammy picture” (“Family Business”). Kanye wants to let his family and listeners know how important his family is. He is trying to give credit for his Grammy to his family by asking them to be in his picture. Kanye feels his family supports him and they deserve credit for his Grammy. “Family” has another meaning. The people you hang out with and roll with, that is your “family.” These people are whom you associate and survive with on the streets. When Kanye raps, “…my niggas from the Chi, that’s my family dog/…my niggas ain’t my guys, they my family dog,” he is saying his friends are not just his guys they are his family (“Family Business”). Although they aren’t blood-related, to him they are still family.