Album Review - Kanye West Late Registration (Rock-A-Fella Records)

Once the underdog of rap, Kanye West exploded to the forefront of the rap scene with 2004's stellar "The College Dropout". The album had a different take on the world of hip-hop, describing more real life situations versus stories of gangs and million dollar jewelry. Somewhere, along the way, West decided that he was as deserving of every award he was nominated for, and threw tantrums when he didn’t win.

So, on the latest, "Late Registration", West's rants of grandeur (along the lines of Fred Durst)it was certain that West would out hype himself. Well for the most part, "Registration" lives up to what West was doing on "Dropout", and throws more of his production skills that he lived up to on Jay-Z "Blueprint" album. The album, produced by Jon Brion (produced records for Fiona Apple) shines, and adds live instrumentation on tracks such as the original version of the first single "Diamonds From Sierra Leone". The radio won’t tell you this; but the original is far superior to the popular radio remix featuring Jay-Z himself.

Where the album really excels is when West and Brion delve into samples from classic rock and soul records. In "Touch The Sky" takes the beat from Curtis Mayfield, as West raps about how his 2002 near-fatal accident turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him. With Jamie Foxx in tow, the hit single "Gold Digger" proves to be a guy's anthem, rebelling against people that just want a man for his wallet. West's message: If you're poor, women want your wallet. If you're a NFL player, they want it even worse. "My Way Home" featuring Common, is another key track that makes "Registration" live up to its hype.

The album suffers from some non-sensical skits, and tracks with Houston rapper Paul Wall ("Drive Slow") and the Game ("Crack Music") would be better left off the album.

"Registration" is one of the strongest records in hip-hop this year, and West keeps living up to the hype he showed on "Dropout". Now, if we can only get him to tone down the ego...

GRADE: B+

Art can be reached at arthatesyou@detroitbuzz.com.