Kanye West
Late Registration
(Roc-a-fella)
College Dropout was an album that set hip-hop on its head. It stood out from everything else inundating the market at the time (G-Unnnit!). It was hip-hop with a conscience, and the follow-up, Late Registration, is no different in that regard. Where most artists wouldn’t dare tamper with success, West boldly changes gears by collaborating with producer Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Badly Drawn Boy), who helps draw West away from sped-up samples, pushing him toward live instrumentation. The effect is an album that succeeds on almost every level, and West’s guest list (Brandy, Nas, Common) shines bright, but never once takes away from his spotlight. Those who doubted the longevity of Kanye “New Diddy” West best settle in — he’s not going anywhere.
Trevor Savory
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.