NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP

By: B -- 9/28/05

Obviously Kanye West was aiming for everyone's Best Of list with Late Registration. Some artists want money, some want critical respect - Kanye seems to want 'em both. With guest appearances on almost every track, genre-fusing beats and an assortment of covered topics, Late Registration is Kanye's epic album; his attempt at a decade-defining, industry-changing work of art. And if you ask Kanye, it's a masterpiece.

In my eyes he didn't quite pull it off, but I respect that he tried. Kanye can be arrogant, melodramatic and whiny, but his ambition is unrivaled in the music industry. To me, that ambition trumps his shortcomings.

Most popular hip-hop CDs feature one or two radio-friendly singles with a dozen or so others that are superficial bullshit; and always always always a song about the artist making it big after growing up poor. (The defining song on this subject is Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy", but every damn rapper tries to follow suit.) My point is, most hip-hop discs feel the same.

Not Registration, an eclectic album that boasts elements of old-school R&B (with the horns and singsong choruses) and new-school bravado and danceability. Featured artists include Adam Levine from Maroon 5, Brandy, Nas, Common and Jay-Z ("I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man"). The subject matter covers everything from family, fame, mortality, women and race issues.

At present time, "Gold Digger" is far and away my favorite track on the album. In fact, I enjoy it so much that I'm betting I'll be sick of it soon. The up-tempo synthesizer groove under a sampled Ray Charles line, the theme and dead-on lyrics, the fact that it's being played everywhere... I'm going to hate it by October. Luckily, there are many other quality songs on the disc; my favorites after "Gold Digger" include "Gone," "Late" and "Hey Mama." Much to love on Registration.

My complaints with Late Registration are mere quibbles. First, the embarrassing skits. There are four throughout, all of them about Broke Phi Broke, a made-up fraternity of broke-ass homies that Kanye eventually gets kicked out of for making it big. Hip-hop skits are the most cancerous indulgences of any genre, and while Kanye's are short in length and mostly harmless fluff, they suck nonetheless.

My second problem concerns the diverse sound of Registration. I love that Kanye tried to make every song radio-worthy, that he filled the album with so many layers and guest appearances and samples... but the downfall is the overall lack of defined mood. Registration is so spanning and varied that it can feel at times like a collection of singles. Not only that, but there are a handful of heavily sampled tracks; from Outkast to Otis Redding to Curtis Mayfield. But I'm getting nitpicky; at least Kanye attempted to make them his own.

Late Registration is an impressive album boasting more than just a few solid cuts. With a bit more focus and less borrowed beats, Kanye could have pulled off that epic album he was gunning for. There's no doubt he has the ambition to make a classic album someday, which leads me to wonder if Kanye needs all that talent to back up his arrogance, or all that arrogance to back up his talent. I guess we'll see.

Buy Late Registration on Amazon

CRITICAL RATING: 9

POP RATING: 8

B’S RATING: 8.5

take me to the top | contact B | subscribe to newsletter