Kanye West Takes Hip-Hop Back to School with Late Registration

There is little doubting Kanye West's intense arrogance, but how that hubris is interpreted varies. While some find his brashness oft-putting, others say it's justified. And with the recent rush of praise aimed at Mr. West, from a cover story on Time Magazine to consistently blush-worthy reviews, you can hardly blame the guy for his cocky behavior. With his new album, Late Registration, Kanye continues to expand the boundaries of hip-hop, and he's not going to be shy about it.

As with many multi-faceted artists, Kanye's greatest strength is also one of his greatest weaknesses, as he insists on trying to please everybody. He's not leaving any possible listener behind, which explains how he can so dramatically switch subject matter, sounding profound and revolutionary in one line, "How do we stop the Black Panthers? Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer," misogynistic and materialistic in the next, "Before model chicks was bending over, and dealerships asked me Benz or Rover," and then sweet and sincere in another, "Mama I'm gonna love you 'till you don't hurt no more."

But there's more going on here than merely an artist displaying his contradictions. There's a business angle, a marketing strategy. In order to change hip-hop, Kanye has to include everybody, a feat no other so-called "conscious" rapper has been able to achieve. That is, of course, until now. With the anticipated arrival of Late Registration finally here, Kanye's headed to the top echelon of pop music, and he's bringing his backpack rhymes and gifted pop producer Jon Brion along with him.

The middle of the album is where the risky, but vastly rewarding, union of Kanye and Jon Brion reaches its' creative peak. "Roses", "Bring Me Down", and "Addiction" are full of lush arrangements beautifully layered and sounding like nothing you've ever heard on a hip-hop album. "Roses" is both a gospel love letter to his Grandma and an indictment of health care, as Kanye raps, "You know the best medicine go to people whose paid, If Magic Johnson got a cure for AIDS, and all the broke motherf***ers passed away."

The orchestration on "Bring Me Down," accompanied by Brandy's vocals, is cinematically sentimental, yet still highly enjoyable. Kanye confirms his oft-criticized braggadocio by daring you to hate on him, knowing that he can be cocky with his words because the music behind them is that good. In "Addiction" he uses a "My Funny Valentine" sample to help him explore hedonism, creating a rollicking, effortless beat accompanied by thought-provoking rhymes that ponder, "Why everything that's supposed to be bad, make me feel so good?"

The skits, which are at best slightly amusing, seem out of place on an album that aspires to be a classic. But Kanye follows them with songs like "Hey Mama", which now sits with Tupac's "Dear Mama" as the best of the "Mama" songs, and the skits suddenly seem easy to forgive.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the album is the way in which Kanye and Jon Brion's production brings out the best of all the guest stars, including a revived-sounding Cam'ron, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, and Common, whose career West recently helped resurrect. Kanye follows Jay-Z's show-stealing verse on the "Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)" with a Nas collaboration, the instant hip-hop classic "We Major," cleverly linking the two battling emcees and upping the album's lyrical ante in the process.

Even when West's lyrical content is less than brilliant, it's hard to hate on him because the production is so good. As Kanye raps on the standout track, "Gone," "Damn, Ye, it'd be stupid to diss you, even your superficial raps is super official." The piano, violin, and heavy bass prance along, creating a soothing, smooth road song with a great melody. "Celebration", with its' jubilant horns and violins, is undeniable fun, the kind of song that could become an anthem for graduations, proms, and other youth-defining moments.

Lots of rappers have hot songs. Very few have hot albums. The number of consistently artful hip-hop albums in the past few years can be counted on one hand, and Kanye now has two of them. Kanye may not quite be all things to all people, but he's trying, and it's hard not to admire his lofty ambitions because they're backed by such considerable talent. Hate on him or not, there's little denying the fact that Kanye's what mainstream hip-hop most needed: a certifiable artist.

As he says on the track, "Gone," slowing the beat down to make sure you hear him: "I'm ahead of my time, sometimes years out. So the powers that be won't let me get my ideas out. And that make me wanna get my advance out, and move to Oklahoma and just live in my Aunt's house."
Let's hope he doesn't.