Kanye West
Late Registration

Release Date: 2005 | Tracklist

Sophomore slumps: they've killed hype for many artists. Snoop Dogg, Nas, DJ Shadow, MGMT, etc. So it makes sense that people would be a little worried about Kanye West’s 2nd album, following the critically acclaimed The College Dropout. How on earth would he top, or even follow an album already considered one of the best rap albums of the decade at the time?

Mr. West is not a man that skimps on his work when it comes to production, bringing to the table a consistently wonderful beats. Here on Late Registration, West takes his signature production style to new heights. He enlisted film composer Jon Brion to help create some of the grandest beats in his career. The horns that dominate “Touch The Sky” are crazily uplifting and “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” might possibly be the biggest beat Kanye has ever made. Not only are the beats bigger than ever, but the soundscape of Registration is much more expansive than his debut album. On here, we've got more piano, strings, baroque pop, jazz, and R&B influences; just more everything in general. However, Registration is still quite similar to its older brother; which is the only thing that could be put against the album production-wise. While every other Kanye album brings in a completely new sound that set it apart from its contemporaries. At some moments, this album just feels like College Dropout: Part 2, which is honestly a bit disappointing for someone considered one of the more innovative faces in mainstream music.

However, one thing that Late Registration does better than its predecessor are the lyrics. Thankfully Kanye still has the knack for writing a damn catchy hook. In fact, there are more memorable choruses here than on The College Dropout, partially thanks to the more pop-oriented sound. Also, while it doesn't reach for the more taboo subjects like religion, this album is a much more emotional story. “Roses” tells of West’s grandmother on her possible deathbed, and it shows the desperation and pain people go through when a loved one is lost, which is amplified with the fuzzy piano and the powerful choir charging the chorus. However, the most personal track is “Hey Mama”, a tribute to his mother. West talks about how proud of he is of her and the rough times they suffered through together, creating one of the most heartfelt rap songs in recent history. He comes off as incredibly sincere, you can just tell that he truly loves her and just wants to make her proud. But just because there are moments in this album where things get real, that doesn't mean Kanye has lost his sense of humor. Tracks like “Celebration” and the smash- hit “Gold Digger” contain some comical gold, such as this line from the former:

“And I vow that my child will be well endowed/Like his daddy/And tell him that your mama had a fattie/He looked up at me said, ‘Daddy that's the reason why you had me?’/Yep! We was practicing /Til one day your ass bust through the packaging/You know what though? You my favorite accident.”

As I've said before, Late Registration is a continuation of The College Dropout’s style, so it makes sense that the two would share a fault: filler. With 21 tracks in total, 16 excluding skits, there’s bound to be some unneeded tracks. Also like College Dropout, the skits are funny distractions at most and don’t really deliver that much of a contribution to the album. However, Late Registration easily met its high expectations. While it considered to be least innovative album when compared to West’s other efforts, it’s still an amazing album that saved Mr. West from the dreaded sophomore slump. Let’s hope that he keeps it up.

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4 excellent

Rank: #0 for 2005