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."