Three Places Kanye West Could Also Auction Off A Signed Copy Of ‘The College Dropout’

Yesterday (Feb. 10) marked the eleventh anniversary of Kanye West’s classic debut, The College Dropout.  To celebrate, 'Ye signed a vinyl copy of the album so it can be auctioned off on eBay for MusiCares, the official charity for The Grammys. Right now the bid is at $8,100. However, the irony of it all is that just this past weekend Kanye went on a rant stating— and reiterating a few hours later—that the Grammys is diminishing art and does not respect the craft. Read the full transcript here.

I don’t even know what Beck said. I just know that, the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We aren’t going to play with them no more. "Flawless." Beyoncé’s video. And Beck needs to respect artistry, he should have given his award to Beyoncé. At this point, we tired of it. What happens is, when you keep on diminishing art, and not respecting the craft, and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you’re disrespectful to inspiration. We, as musicians, have to inspire people who go to work every day, and they listen to that Beyoncé album, and they feel like it takes them to a different place. And then they do this promotional event, and they’ll run the music over somebody’s speech, the artist, because they want commercial advertising. We aren’t playing with them anymore. And by the way, I got my wife, my daughter, and I got my clothing line, so I’m not going to do nothing that would put my daughter at risk, but I am here to fight for creativity. That’s why I didn’t say anything tonight, but you all knew what it meant when ‘Ye stepped on that stage.

To vehemently diss the Grammys and let them auction off a special vinyl copy of The College Dropout that is signed for their benefit seems contradictory. Why not sell the exact same cover for an organization or charity of Kanye's choosing? Here are three other places that Yeezy could have auctioned off the special vinyl to make a statement.

Chicago Inner City School System

This would of been the perfect place for the money to go. Last month, Chance The Rapper along with his brother Taylor Bennett, Sway Calloway, raised $100,000 for the Get Schooled program. That $100,000 will go towards new technology equipment to help six local elementary schools with their digital learning programs. The College Dropout vinyl probably wouldn't make $100K by itself, but it would garner a significant amount of money.

Apollo Theater

In the heart of Harlem, New York, The Apollo Theater is on an amazing resurgence. The theater was built in the early 1900s but wasn't officially called the Apollo Theater until 1934. The careers that started at the famous theater is astounding. Billie Holiday, Pearl Bailey, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown & The Famous Flames, King Curtis, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Parliament-Funkadelic, Wilson Pickett, The Miracles, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Rush Brown, Stephanie Mills, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Short, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, The Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Mariah Carey, The Isley Brothers, Lauryn Hill, Sarah Vaughan, Jazmine Sullivan, Ne-Yo and Machine Gun Kelly. However over the years, because of multitude of problems the theater's prominence decayed over the years until recently. While most of the music world was out in Los Angeles for the Grammys, D’Angelo played to a sold out crowd at the Apollo Theater. His first show in years.  The magic is starting to come back to the Black mecca and what better way to support the movement than using the auction to help fund the restoration of one of New York City's landmarks.

Chicago State University

Before Kanye West was Kanye West, he was a student at Chicago State University with a major in English. This is the same university that his mother, Dr. Donda C. (Williams) West, taught at. Now although he didn't get his degree and dropped out at the age of 20, if 'Ye was to sell some signed collectors merchandise and put it on auction, the money could be donated to the university's art department. That would be a huge statement and great look for the 21-time Grammy winning rapper.

Related: Signed Copy Of Kanye West’s ‘The College Dropout’ Is Being Auctioned Off By The Grammys
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