Kanye West - Late Registration

Kanye West. You either love him or hate him. Personal
feelings put aside, you cannot deny that the man has
talent (although his notorious ego has many times
prevented the due praise of his work). Many critics
have hailed West in the past year as the artist rose
quickly to superstar status largely on his intricate
funky soul sampled-based production paired with an
eccentric lyrical delivery mixed with commentary on
society and amusing wordplay. Though much of his
acclaim is based on the fact that his approach to his
hip-hop is unique in comparison to other acts, yet in
fact producers such as Pete Rock, Large Professor, and
RJD2 have been using a similar blueprint for quite
sometime. But what makes Kanye West novel is that he
is one of the few musicians to work with a
multi-platinum-selling artist and have a major-label
record deal while using that formula. His debut
release garnished immense praise with countless
mainstream rap club bangers, socio-politicaly themed
tracks, and an interesting use of samples backed by
attractive production design. In the interim West
continued producing and rapping with various artists
but many had thought that his second album would
make-or-brake the rapper in being a long-term success.

“Wake Up Mr. West”
Serving as the introduction track to the album,
Kanye’s desire to show the world that he was able to
make in spite of predictions that his style would not
catch on is clearly evident. His ego is still on the
rise folks!

“Heard ‘Em Say”
A very jazzy track and a soulful vocalist crooning set
the mood to the album. Deep baselines and a playful
piano medley drive the track. West delivers his social
and political lyrics questioning the so-called system
(American government and society). The decision to put
this track at the start of the album may show the
artist’s wish to be portrayed more as a humble
musician who is grounded in reality.

“Touch the Sky”
The lyrical content is more diverse than most
commercial rap songs and the track serves to blend
Kanye’s original style with a somewhat catchy
mainstream beat. The funky fingerprints of producer
Just Blaze are clearly evident throughout the track,
sounding similar to his work on previous Jay-Z albums.
A solid track that is likely to get airplay.

“Gold Digger”
Production-wise this is a very unique number. Instead
of using a dense melodic sample, Kanye West artfully
employs a mere vocal sample (courtesy of Ray Charles)
paired with Jamie Foxx as the backbone of the track.
As the song progresses, an intricate bass sound effect
is chopped up to deliver a fresh tune to the ears.
Lyric-wise the Chicago native falls into the age-old
trap of making the theme for his track based on the
chastisement of women who seek to manipulate men for
financial gain. Nothing new here…

“Drive Slow”
Another smooth cut along the lines of “Heard ‘Em Say”.
Here the listener will notice what makes this album
different than ‘College Dropout’. The work of
co-producer Jon Brion lifts the work to a higher level
than West could have done on his own. Brion gently
laces the track with a silky horn tune, transforming
the track from an album-filler into a highly artistic
performance.


“Crack Music”
As the title suggests, the theme of this cut is based
on the social, economical, political, and racial
dynamics that the crack-cocaine drug plays in the
United States. Further, Kanye metaphorically refers to the crack epidemic with the recent explosion of hip-hop into the mainstream of American. The literary double exposure is a great example of the lyrical abilities West posseses. Crack Music” is filled with many powerful statements such as the opening two bars which accuse the former president for intentionally spreading the drug in order to reduce the political power of African Americans, “How we stop the Blank
Panthers / Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer”. In comparison to the previous tracks the production is less detailed and at times sounds repetitively dull, relying mostly on heavy snare hits.

“Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)”
This tracks jumps the album back into the familiar and
fresh sounding Kanye West song. Working with a bouncy
baseline, chimes, subtle piano rolls, solid drum hits,
and elaborate stringy synthesized effects, this remix
provides the listener with a feel-good vibe all
throughout. The word “diamonds” is used in duality by
Kanye, not only talking about the jewel, but to
symbolize the power of his fellow peers on the
Roc-a-Fella Record label. Former record owner Jay-Z
interrupts his protégé during the track to deliver a
verse, further complimenting the artists signed to the
label who will lead Jay-Z’s dynasty after his
retirement. Although an overall braggadocios themed
track, Kanye brings the topic of social injustice to
the table when mentioning the dire condition of
African diamond miners.

‘Late Registration’ uses much of the same formula that
made his debut release a sensation across the globe:
crafty employment of soul vocal and music samples laced over hip-hop drum patterns and lyrics that define his novel personality. Overall the album should live up to the expectations that Kayne West aficionados have been holding for over a year. Though falling short of being a classic, ‘Late Registration’ will no doubt elevate the prestige of West well into the next year to come.