KANYE WEST: LATE REGISTRATION

Please do yourself a huge favor and purchase the sickest hip hop album of the year. West narrowly edges Common to take the crown for best of '05.

Heard 'Em Say featuring Adam Levine of Maroon 5
This is a sweet beginning to the album. Kanye waxes humble about his success, saying "Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today." He reminds us why we love him: he's equal parts asshole and wide-eyed nice guy.

Touch the Sky featuring Lupe Fiasco
This song is triumphant, featuring a prominent horn sample, courtesy of Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up." Kanye raps about his success, saying that he's "sky high." When we hear about from whence he came, we can't be mad at him for bragging about where he is now. At least he remembers how it all began.

Gold Digger featuring Jamie Foxx
You've heard this one. Kanye laments the bane of a rapper's existence. Jamie Foxx channels Ray Charles on the hook. The subtext is that black women stick with a black man's broke ass until they get famous, then the man turns around and "leaves her ass for a white girl." Speak on it Kanye!

Drive Slow featuring Paul Wall and GLC
This one is rather unremarkable but it's cool. West does a little something for the dirty dirty. Paul Wall lends a verse and the end of the song is "chopped and screwed."

My Way Home featuring Common
Kanye lets Common get a track to himself. The beat is steady, a continuous loop of Gill Scott-Heron's "Home Is Where The Hatred Is." Common is his usual poignant and political self.

Crack Music featuring Game
This is the best, most powerful track. Kanye analogizes crack and rap music: both addictive, both used as a means of financial escape by its purveyors, and both are craved by the masses…well not quite. I've never done crack, have you? Anyway, this beat kicks ass and just stirred something in my soul. West raps about Bush and Reagan and how crack destroyed the black community, then asks God how He could let this happen. This song is very moving. Kanye stylistically departs from his first album by beginning some songs in a certain rhythm, then morphing the song into a new and distinct beat at its conclusion: I like it. If you don't like "Crack Music," you must be on crack yourself.

Roses
When rappers allow themselves to be introspective, the payoff is usually good. Nas and Jay-Z (in his later work) come to mind. Here Kanye raps about his grandmother and how he and his extended family feared for her life after a medical emergency placed her in the hospital. He paints a vivid image, and one can almost picture the scene. He says that he and his family are the roses. Interesting metaphor.

Bring Me Down featuring Brandy
As I said previously, this album is nearly flawless. So, this song is good---but Brandy annoys me sometimes, so I skip it when it comes on. Kanye raps about haters, and he has a lot of them. Moving on. Next!

Addiction
This track features Kanye's trademark sped up drum sample. He raps about those things that conflict him, stating "Why everything that's bad for me makes me feel so good?" I hear you brother. I would elaborate more, but my family reads this page and I've already said too much.

Diamonds from Sierra Leone(remix) featuring Jay-Z
Balance. I can tolerate rappers talking about the overdone topics of gold diggers and haters if they throw me a bone every now and then that makes me think. Here Kanye raps about "blood diamonds," or "conflict" diamonds, and how people crave these beautiful stones that literally costs people life and limb in Sierra Leone.

We Major featuring Nas and Really Doe
This song is a mess. I was particularly disappointed in Nas, I expected so much more. Believe it or not, his verse is weak and he only has one good line. The beat is good, although it too is all over the place. Perhaps it confused Nas and that’s why he couldn't bring his A-game. Kanye is alright. Really Doe—who the hell is that? I don't care enough to find out.

Hey Mama
An ode to Mama. It's so sweet! I'm a Mama's girl, so I like it. I can't picture the local hard ass driving around blasting this one through the speakers, but you know you like it!!

Celebration
This one is unremarkable. It's cool, though. Kanye raps about getting in some girl's pants and partying: not exactly profound.

Gone featuring Cam'ron and Consequence
Nice Otis Redding sample and West and Cam'ron switch up their vocals to match the fast tempo. Prominent keys enhance the beat: thumbs up.

Bonus track: We Can Make it Better
This is a good one. It probably sounds good under the influence. Not that I would know, Mom! Kanye effectively captures the college experience, even though he dropped out. We get tired of hearing songs with drug references and misogynist lyrics, kudos to 'Ye.

To sum it up, this CD is great. Kanye challenges himself musically and steps out on a limb with co-producer Jon Brion (he's done stuff for Portishead) who had never produced a hip hop song prior to Late Registration. The production is stellar, and this album is the most creative since Outkast's last project. I know, I know that sounds extreme but it's true. Think about the music that has come out since Speakerboxx/The Love Below. It's been good (Nas, Game, Common, Jay-Z) but truly creative? Nah. Common is the shit, don't get me wrong: but Kanye has got it with this one. It's a masterpiece and in the words of Nikki Giovanni, "it's so hip even its errors are correct."

Red Eye

Red Eye is like having only one bite of your all-time favorite dessert: good but ultimately unsatisfying. The "master of horror" Wes Craven (who can forget A Nightmare on Elm Street?) brings us a psychopath on an airplane, and believe me: this guy's name isn't on any government terrorist list.

Starring Rachel McAdams (The Wedding Crashers) and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins), Red Eye takes place in the not-so-friendly skies. McAdams plays Lisa Reisert, the manager of a Miami hotel returning home after her grandmother's funeral. While in the airport she has a "chance" meeting with Murphy's character, Jackson Rippner. Can you imagine? A psycho named Jack Rippner? Oh yeah, at this point Lisa doesn't know Jack's a psycho. He seems like a friendly stranger. They share a drink while they wait to board their delayed flight. Once the two strangers happen to be seated next to each other on the flight, the fun begins. Turns out Jack has a little assasination to carry out. One of the guests at Lisa's hotel, a political bigwig, must be taken out. Jack needs Lisa's assistance. If she fails to cooperate, Grandma won't be the only relative needing a funeral: she can kiss dear old Dad goodbye. That's the premise of the movie, and I think it's a good one. Here's my problem: The movie has excellent, taut pacing but ends too quickly. The resolution, although an intelligent one, is all too neat and comes too soon. The only thing missing is a cherry on top or a big red bow. 85 minutes! That's short by movie standards, or at least it is to me. The movie spends too much time in the beginning trying to make the audience fall in love with McAdams. OK, we get it: she's cute, lovable....blah blah blah. Move on. The writer didn't need to spend so much background time on Lisa. I always point out the implausible, and I'll just say this: Jack is a sorry ass assassin. I won't reveal anymore, see for yourself. Some positives: Red Eye is VERY smartly written. McAdams and Murphy also make the most of their roles: she as plucky, resourceful heroine--he as twisted but inept villain. Murphy seems to have quite the knack for playing the meanie. This makes his second badguy role of the summer, and it suits him. He looks scary as fu*k, in my opinion. He has the most amazing/ugly/pretty/scary clear blue eyes. They look unreal and hella creepy. Like a teensy weensy bite of your fave dessert, Red Eye is good while it lasts but after it's done you feel a little empty and wish you had more.

Four Brothers

A man's movie. Chicks will dig it too. Director John Singleton (Baby Boy, Boyz n The Hood, 2 Fast 2 Furious) doesn't disappoint. Whoever said that revenge was a dish best served cold never met the Mercer boys. The tagline for this flick reads, "They came home to bury mom... and her killer." Hellz yeah, kick ass and take names!! And let me tell you, there is plenty of ass to be kicked when four adopted brothers return home to Detroit after their mother is ruthlessly gunned down in a convenience store robbery.

I have so much to say about this movie I don't know where or how to start. Mark Wahlberg (The Italian Job), Tyrese Gibson (Baby Boy), Andre' Benjamin aka Andre 3000 (1/2 of rap duo Outkast and most recently featured in Be Cool), and Garrett Hedlund (Troy) are a ragtag band of brothers, united by their troubled childhood and the unyielding love of their foster mother, Evelyn Mercer. Wahlberg as "Bobby" is the unofficial leader and the hothead of the bunch. He's followed closely in machismo by Gibson as "Angel." Andre' 3000 as "Jeremiah" is the most level-headed and stable of the group, serving as the lone voice of reason as the Mercers unleash the fury. Rounding out the foursome is Hedlund as "Jack," the youngest and most sensitive. I don't want to paint a picture of the brothers as bloodthirsty and mean…quite the opposite. They are suffering the loss of their mother (neighborhood sweetie pie and all around good lady) and quickly realize that her death was not random at all. Particularly poignant is the aftermath of her funeral, when the brothers attempt to have Thanksgiving dinner without their mother. They each stare wistfully at her now-empty chair and reminisce about the loving way in which she guided them. These four actors had great chemistry together and really conveyed a sense of family, despite the fact that 2 are Black and 2 are White. It doesn't matter. Wahlberg particularly is the perfect blend of swaggering, roguish masculinity and sensitivity. I think all of the performances were strong. However, the movie is not without its flaws. Detroit is depicted as the Wild Wild West…and I can dig that the neighborhood is rough as hell, but are we supposed to believe that the Mercer boys are kickin' ass all over town and the cops aren't getting involved any quicker?

Powered by a '70s era soundtrack, Four Brothers has a no-nonsense throwback vibe. It's also interesting to see how the brothers piece together the motive for their mama's murder. There's one scene in the movie…man you gotta see it! The tension/fear/adrenaline are completely palpable. We want these boys to win. Also featured are Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things). Payback's a bitch!

The Skeleton Key

I'm getting old. I just don't have it in me anymore. I used to be able to go see creepy movies and enjoy them. Now…I'm literally on the edge of my seat, cringing from the screen. Don't get me wrong, I still love a good scare – but sometimes I don’t know if my heart can take it! The suspense of The Skeleton Key absolutely killed me. I don't know if that's a testament to how good the movie is or a reflection of how soft I've become. While watching, I had to remind myself that the movie is PG-13, so how scary could it be? Enough rambling, let me tell you what the movie is about.
Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days) stars as Caroline, an aspiring nurse who accepts a position as live-in caretaker for a dying elderly man, deep in the Louisiana bayou. I found myself resisting the urge to yell out, "Stop! Don't go in there!" Unless you were born yesterday, you know that in order for spooky movies like Skeleton to chug along, our heroine must be doggedly curious and meddlesome – just like those rascally Scooby Doo kids. So when we see Caroline persistently poking around in the attic despite being warned not to do so, we have to just sit back and accept this plot device for what it is: a means to an end. Caroline was hired by the old man's wife to care for him after a stroke. She's the third or fourth caregiver to quit: shouldn't that clue her in to something? The man's wife claims he had a stroke, but Caroline grows suspicious as she learns the history of the house. Let's just say the previous inhabitants met with a rather unfortunate demise. I don't want to give away too much, but there are references to voodoo, hoodoo, spirits and the like. Unsettling and atmospheric, The Skeleton Key begins strong, dips into absurdity, and then finishes with a bang. Overall, pretty good. I would say more, but I'm not gonna spoil it for you. I applaud the filmmakers for attempting an original ending. I think movies can be saved or ruined in the last 10 minutes, and this one went out on a high note.