I tried to write a review of Late Registration.

[roaches]

All this time spent in a science cirriculum, away from non-technical reading beyond the newspaper, has made it extremely difficult for me to write, though. Big ass hump.

I still have my notes, though, and I wanted to let my thoughts out. Maybe have a discussion?

Kanye West - Late Registration review
Rating: @@@@@

Weak:
- "Bring Me Down"
More overproduced than the most tragic victims of College Dropout. Proof that Jon Brion isn't responsible for all things good about the album.
- The skits
Not as stupid as the ones that tried to give College Dropout its theme. They're funny once, and after that it's like Dane Cook on the VMAs versus Dane Cook any other time.

Ehhh:
- "Diamonds From Sierra Leone"
Sierra Leone verse is rushed and half-assed, whereas "Diamonds Are Forever" is one of his best rapping performances. The Jay-Z verse would actually fit on the original version..
- The drums
Patterns are dope, but the actual drums are mostly soft as hell. How does a hip-hop producer get away with this?
- "We Major"
Two minutes too long, underwhelming Nas verse.

Why @@@@@ in spite of the above:
- "Crack Music"
- "Heard 'em Say"
- "Gone"
are fucking fantastic.

The changes in the beat throughout "Gone" - hip-hop records aren't expected to be like this. With today's modern expectations, even R&B isn't supposed to be like this. The way Otis Redding is weaved in and out - that's a better RZA homage than the previous soul formula ever could be. And, of course, emceeing-wise Kanye snaps at the end of the song.

- "My Way Home"
it still brings a smile to hear Common rip it over these kinds of beats like he should
-"Drive Slow"
Kanye's storytelling is pretty good
- "Touch the Sky"
Just Blaze is like, "Fuck 'Encore'"

- "Roses"
- "Hey Mama"
hit hard

Content:
- Devin does the everyman thing better than Kanye
- Kanye doesn't usually sound convincing when he tries to act like the conscious rapper he's marketed as
- Really, how much different is it from the average rapper's content? Kanye's just trying harder to compensate for being an introvert.

Points of discussion:
- Is LR better as a pop record than as a hip-hop one?
- The dynamics, changes, heavy use of live instrumentation in addition to samples: does this album push hip-hop further towards the popular/black music spectrum? Will we look back and call LR one of the first good post-hip-hop records?
- The singing and weak drums - how he's gotten a pass

 

[ARon]

I wish you could feel the drums more for sure. But i would say LR is a Hip-Hop record rather a pop one. Just listen, you want to say, "this is hip-hop", the beats make it something special. So what do you call post hip-hop? I just thinks it pushes the limits a little further. I saw someone in another thread talking like he doesnt even follow the song structure, verse, hook, verse type thing, talkin like it was bad, which made no sense to me.

 

[Crunkadelic]

Here's my review:"That album is tight." :thumb: :thumb:

 

[imported_Mo_K]

Having listened to the majority of the album now, (still haven't given the later tracks a real good listen), I would give the CD 5 stars. I still think Kanye is a little arrogant, but with music like this, he can be as cocky as he wants. I just hate it when people are cocky and they can't back up their confidence with some decent music (READ: Rappers like Chingy and 50 cent). As long as Kanye keeps releasing music like this, he can be as arrogant as he wants. 2 albums, 2 classics. He deserves the praise he gets. One more thing, any self respecting hip hop fan cannot tell me that songs such as "My Way Home", "Heard Em Say", "Touch The Sky", "Drive Slow", "Crack Music", "Addiction" (I could just name the whole CD) are not classics - in every sense of the word.

 

[Little Skittle]

all i seen was "dane cook...."....so off topic, dane cook is the funniest motherfucker alive

and to not make this post a waste of space...it is the best hip hop record of the year so far

 

[linx]

I only gave it a quick listen and I didn't think it was great. You all heard that song he did with Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip and some other dude though? It's called "We Can Make It Better". It's dope, but I don't know what it's from. I mean ..is it a song that was cut from the album or what?

 

[linx]

For those of you that don't have it:
my name is linx, I'm a cock. And will get a ban if I do anything against the rules again.

 

[S O F I]

"Gone" is tight because Cam kills it.

 

[Frank Grimes]

. As long as Kanye keeps releasing music like this, he can be as arrogant as he wants. .

now thats a fucking load of shit, being good does not give you the right to be a cocky bastard.

btw kanye aint bad

 

[imported_Mo_K]

now thats a fucking load of shit, being good does not give you the right to be a cocky bastard.

btw kanye aint bad

It's not bragging or being cocky if you can back it up. With music like this, anything Kanye says about changing rap or being the best rapper out there is completely justified. It may not give you the right to be a cocky, but it gives you more right then any other rapper putting out music that's below par. I don't think people like Tony Yayo, 50 Cent or Chingy have the right to be a "cocky bastard", but if anybody has the right, it's Kanye.

 

[roaches]

I wish you could feel the drums more for sure. But i would say LR is a Hip-Hop record rather a pop one.

So it's either/or, not and/or? You think hip-hop (or specifically, this album) hasn't bridged the gaps between it and general music enough to become part of it?

 

[Frank Grimes]

It's not bragging or being cocky if you can back it up. With music like this, anything Kanye says about changing rap or being the best rapper out there is completely justified. It may not give you the right to be a cocky, but it gives you more right then any other rapper putting out music that's below par. I don't think people like Tony Yayo, 50 Cent or Chingy have the right to be a "cocky bastard", but if anybody has the right, it's Kanye.

im also good at certain things but i dont brag about them, if i did i would be a cocky fuck and id have to kick my own ass

 

[ARon]

So it's either/or, not and/or? You think hip-hop (or specifically, this album) hasn't bridged the gaps between it and general music enough to become part of it?

I guess I said it wrong. Also I understand what you mean by "post Hip-Hop" now.
And/or. When I think Pop music I look at the music that is generally aimed to be Pop, to sell and find the mainstream, something that will be catchy and so forth. This isn't that. This is real music, something with a purpose, Kanye knew what he was doin with each track and it has more than just appeal to a mainstream audience. Thats why yes, this album has bridged the gap between the two. Kanye had an audience behind him but with this album that "mainstream" audience will hear what I love. Something with purpose, with relevance, and most of all with effort. The Hip-Hop that I like. They will see it isn't all big cars, big houses, and big jewels that all came out their backpacks. So I'm hoping Hip-Hop earns the respect it deserves from the outside, the ones who say it isn't real music and all. Hip-Hop still isn't as big as it can be. Country and R&B albums still sell more and are heard more and I want to see Hip-Hop like that. Thats why this album could be something more than music. It could help start that, but then maybe I'm just looking for too much.

 

[roaches]

I think we agree, we just have different definitions of "pop music."

 

[ARon]

What is your definition of "pop music."

 

[roaches]

Pop music = music derived from popular genres of music. Doesn't mean good/bad to me. Doesn't necessarily respect the ethics/values of different genres, more concerned with the quality of the final product.

 

[ARon]

I agree with that, especially the good/bad part, but what is the quality you are talking about? Something that will be "pop" or are you saying something else?

 

[roaches]

By quality in that context, I just mean sounding good (that's in the eye of the beholder).

i.e.: Rock music values independence and a DIY-mentality. Polished-ness (I'm at a loss for words these days, literally, shit.) and not writing your own lyircs = frowned upon. A group of white guys playing guitar, bass, drums with polished songwriting and immaculate production and maybe even some outside assitance on the lyrics would be frowned upon according to rock values, but becomes perfectly acceptable in the pop context (see the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson).

 

[Advocate]

can someone tell me the difference between

Diamonds are Forever and
Diamonds from Sierra Leone

i realize that one is the remix with jay-z where kanye brings his political side, but which is it im confused.


and ive never liked kanye, i find him arrogant and cocky on the mic. him being "witty" kills me, it really does, like on one of the diamond songs when he says

"then her friend is minivan
excuse me thats just the henny man" talking about a fat chick, i fucking cringe

some nice beats on the album, nice features, i actually dont mind paul wall on drive slow, i think that we major is extremely overrated, i fucking love nas and wasnt really feeling his verse. i dont understand how he has become such a sensation, but he does have the production tip down when he is not sampling (drive slow samples a bunch of shit, that MF doom we major thang) e.t.c

a

 

[ARon]

Sampling began Hip-Hop and will always be apart of Hip-Hop, and if you ask me it is definitely not something we should look down at.
Nas' verse wasn't the greatest but it wasn't bad either, but being on Kanye' album and with the talks of it being something great(the song that is), which he should of known, i think we all expected more. I'm a little disappointed but it was good.
Yeah that Mini-van line is kind of corny but there are plenty betters ones just on that song let alone the album. The production is their, as it was on College Dropout, quite the different feeling but he stepped his lyrics up which makes this better to me.
If people who say they're not feeling this album put away their hate for him, i think they would enjoy it a lot. The only reason I've been reading is people commenting on his arrogance, and so forth, which shouldn't stop them from enjoying the music.




I feel you on that rock comment, almost even worse in Country, that is something i dont even want to get into though, but yeah like you said earlier, i think we agree.