​Please enjoy this fantastic Kanye reminisce from friend-of-SOTC Sean Fennessey, centered on the heady College Dropout days of 2004, and featuring links to several early mixtapes from rap's favorite pariah of the moment. A fine complement to Kanye's own recent wistfulness. Representative sample: "Every time I've talked to Kanye there's been a snafu or controversy. He's fallen asleep on me. Hung up on me. Ignored me. Told me I wasn't 'asking the right questions.' One time, he literally soundchecked for a show in the middle of our conversation. Still, every one we had was valuable to me--I learned from him. Kanye worked at The Gap. I worked at J. Crew. (That always made 'Spaceship' matter a little more.) He started college. I finished. He wrote music. I didn't. He needed to be understood. I understood. He's an empathetic egomaniac--tricky stuff."