Kanye West - Late Registration
 

out now - any opinions?

i think it's a really great successor to "the college dropout". it seems to be a bit more focused all in all, and Kanye really improved his lyrics IMO. but it's the production that really struck me, containing a particular pop-appeal (of course), but staying 'interesing enough' on the other side. even popular feature artists like that guy from Maroon 5 and Brandy actually sound nice in context.

and sampling Mayfield's "move on up" - priceless! haven't heard a song that gave me such a broad smile all year....(i'm speaking of "touch the sky" btw..)

here's a, uhm, review from *cough* pitchfork *cough* (look at the rating...)

PS: does anyone know where the saxophone on "drive slow" is from? sounds familiar....

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Yes, you can be an excellent producer of pop music, but coming up on Rocafella doesn't buy you street cred, or wax cred, as they say in the music business.

Do another kind of music; don't just incorporate Fionna Apple into yours. That's too easy, and it's been done since the days of, "Planet Rock".

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

get off that stuff, mate.....

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Aye, listen to Eik.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Off what? I have the locational right to talk about rap, and Rick Rubin could do more asleep than Kanye could with 3,000 other guest producers of his choice. Remember Run DMCs first middle-america hit? He was behind the decks on that one. And Glenn Danzig's #1 Single? He did that, too.

It takes you a while to connect The Misfits to Run DMC, without him.

His branching out is fine, but jumping all over him and acting like he is a pioneer (Rolling Stone) is not justified what-so-ever.

If he makes a good Soul album, or R & B (can't ask for too much of him), then I'll call him a great producer. Now, he is just leading the front for current hip-hop, and simply using old tricks at that.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

The locational right? I guess all I can talk about is marijuana, then.

Saying that he's using old tricks and is overhyped is one thing: valid criticism. Saying he lacks street cred is just a knee-jerk reaction to his over-hype, and just as uninteresting.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Are we comparing Kanye West to....Rick Rubin? What?

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Just got this album after reading Eiks thread in fact, as I trust his taste, I agree that Kanye at times seems like a one trick pony with his soul samples, but I still dig his style. That track with Maroon 5 is actually really good, some mediocre/same old Kanye tracks, but some new stuff as well, Gold Digger sounds pretty rad and different to other Kanye stuff.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

I should say, I understand that knee-jerk reaction totally. I've felt it a few times myself. I'm just saying, it's that sentiment Eik is saying you should get off.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Assuming that you most likely got the album from soulseek or wathever I will just quote what the booklet says about that track:

'Drive Slow' contains a sample from a Hank Crawford recording, used courtesy of Sony BMG etc...

I have no idea who Hank Crawford is or if the saxophone comes from there.

P.S. Well he does play the sax.
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/crawford_bio.html

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

'touch the sky' is da funk-diggity-doggy-dong bomb

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

well, it's always the same with music magazines.....the NME has a new rock pioneer every two weeks...but who actually gives a f***?

you're obviously one of the guys who rather listen to old underground records than admitting that a pop record is great.
yeah, it's pop music, yeah it's R&B, yeah it will probably be #1 in the charts, but after all it's a good record and neatly produced (maybe a bit too much of the horns and strings and stuff, but it works).
i didn't say that he is going to change the world of hip hop, right?

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

stick w/ techno eikman

'gone' & to a lesser extent 'drive slow'

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

you know, it becomes boring...sometimes....:)

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Producers of Rap music. And now, it's the "wonder-producer".

I dont' hear the hype; I listen to, and stock the records.

Great producers can produce any type of music. Liam Howlett should have accepted the right to produce Madonnas '98 album, but he turned it down. Madonna, and others, think he has the ability. Rick Rubin could produce anything. If Kanye can do non-rap with just as much impact, then I'll call him a great producer. Now he's just a good, solid rap artist.

That's more of a P.S. to Rolling Stone. Their article all but gives him a happy ending. (innuendo alert)

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

I think there is no point in comparing Rick Rubin with Kanye. There are many producers I like more than Rubin even if they are only good within a constrained area of music. I.e. Timbaland. So I don't agree that because Kanye only produces rap while Rubin produces from Danzig to the Run DMC it makes him a better producer.

I do agree though that Kanye is overhyped as a producer just because he is the only one producing in that style at the moment, and I don't believe that Kanye is the best producer in the music business or anything like that. But his new album is still great.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

isnt anyone going to touch on the fact kanye has no flow

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

but he has more money than you do

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

as long as i have more money than you

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

i think there are lots o rappers that would be better to listen to than this guy... my main new focus is k'naan... the dusty footed philosopher is a smashing albumn!!

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

alright, seems like sarcastic one-line responses don't get us anywhere ...

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

But Kany is being credited with branching out, and encorporating different musical genres into his own. When he branches out fully, and can make a full-fledged album of a complete other genre, then you get that name of pioneering cross-genres, as he is being called by many publications.

It's a great record, sure, but do I think he will forever change the soundscape of music on the path he is now? No.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

I agree with you on this, I do think the media has put him in a high pedestal that most likely he does not deserve. I do believe it is a good album though.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

He is not the best MC but he makes good pop/rap songs.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

he just grates

hes a good producer but people give him far too much credit
he hasnt brought anything new to the table and hes fucked up more often than not

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

9.5 on pitchfork :eek:

This is a good album. I bought it yesterday, I like it a lot but I don't think this is SO great. I'll be back after some more listens...

I haven't heard "College dropout" yet.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

i agree here. even though the kanye west style is good, it is also temporary. i dont really see much of a difference kanye has right now that puff daddy had in the 90s. they are both one-trick ponies to me. puff samples completely 80s songs..kanye's samples and speeds up 70s R&B tunes.

we'll eventually get sick of it after a while.

for publications calling him the 'great producer' he is proves how dead the industry really is.

meanwhile Jay Dee continues to make kick ass hip-hop and 'still' nobody listens.

so when are the next 'beatles' coming to save our listening?

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

this is some groundbreaking shit guys!

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

don't be an ass. no one here said it was.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

kanye at a recent Katrina aid telethon, talking about how Bush dont care about black people:
http://x700.putfile.com/videos/24420044548.wmv

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Well shit, I was skeptic, but now I'm major, over and over again I'm major. You major? That beat, so simple, so made in one shot, but so off the scale.

Touch the sky bothers me a bit though, just cause 'Move on Up' is a master work that shouldn've been touched.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

he left it rather untouched, just polished it a bit, but i think it sounds terrific.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

Pitchforks Hip-Hop writers are morons, notice that hardly NOTHING gets as high of a score on that site as rap music.

"A black dude with a Microphone? Im smelling atleast an 8.8 here... he sucks? Hmmmmm. 8.9!"

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

i may point you to this site that collects the highest ratings of this year. as you can see, out of the 30 or so albums, there are exactly 4 albums that are rap (Common, Kanye, Edan and The Game). so i dare to say that you are wrong.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

i guess the link to the vid is down, but here is the article on Kanye's rant during a Katrina aid telethon:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/...a_nbc_telethon

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

I thought it was pretty cool. I mean, he seems so nervous that it was not the most elocuent speech and in a typical Kanye fashion he was off the mark in a few spots. But just for the comment of 'George Bush doesnt care cabout black people' it was all worth it.

Re: Kanye West - Late Registration
 

They're nice to Talib Kweli.