Kanye West's 'Late' is only half great

[eminemcaparica]

Already in line to be the best-selling album of the year, Kanye West's "Late Registration" is also being built up as the best hip-hop album in years. And not just by Kanye himself.

Unfortunately, West's No. 2 effort is only about half as great as the hype. That still makes it 50 times better than 50 Cent's sophomore album (probably the second biggest seller of the year), but if that's the bar for mainstream rap nowadays, we've hit an all-time low.

When it comes to collegiate, backpack-toting hip-hop this year, try Common's "Be." For innovative beats and rhythmic rhyming, try M.I.A.'s debut. As for the personal, introspective nature of West's music vs. all the shotgun-ringing, bling-blinging garbage ... America, meet indie-rap.

"Late Registration" is nonetheless a step ahead for everyone, including West. It's less uneven than his multi-platinum debut, "College Dropout," and the high points are -- like the feel-good gem "Touch the Sky" says -- truly sky-high.

Kanye WestLynne SladkyAssociated PressOther standouts include "We Major," which features Nas and Really Doe but best shows off West's own emo-cool MC skills, and "Heard 'Em Say," a Stevie Wonder-copping soul ditty with Maroon 5's Adam Levine. (Read: hit! hit! hit!) Best of all, "Celebration," an ambitious, orchestrated six-minute epic at album's end, uses strings and an Otis Redding sample for a musical thrill ride.

Then come the letdowns. "Bring Me Down" is an egotistical dullard. The Ray Charles/Jamie Foxx romp "Gold Digger" is just too gimmicky. Neither version of "Diamonds of Sierra Leone" (one a remix with Jay-Z) is a gem. And to add to the OutKast copying in the latter tune, are skits like the half-dozen used here (making it a bloated 70-minute disc) going to be hip-hop's most hobbling shtick forever, ever?

http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/5587430.html

[ITSSHADYBITCH]

I think Kanye's album is real good!!!

[j_shady]

i like the album too, he knows it wont be another "College Dropout" and he's content w/ that. the skits on the album shouldve been less in my opinion, cuz it kinda seemed pointless to lead to the next song.

[donomar]

Besides a couple of songs i was dissapointed.