Time was samples were the exclusive preserve of the rearguard, those purists clinging to their SP1200 in a world reshaped by electro-futurists who preferred not to cough up for sample clearance. Then came Jay-Z's "The Blueprint" and a sound that instantly endowed Hova with legendary status; effortlessly straddling the great hip hop divide. Before moulding that album, Kanye West had put in his best production work for backpacker types. And, lest we forget, before the linen suits and diamonds came along, Kanye was rocking a polo shirt and a Jansport himself.
His debut, "The College Dropout", was hailed as the record to 'save' hip hop and it certainly brought rap back out of the ghetto and into the arms of white critics once again. Expansive in its ambitions, it proved that helium vocals weren't Kanye's only trick, as anyone with an ear to his work on Alicia Keys lushly orchestrated "You Don't Know My Name" already suspected.
"Late Registration" feels more comfortable in its own skin than its predecessor. A more restrained affair, it doesn't shout so loud to drown out doubts about its genius architect's shortcomings on the mic. It's still a moot point though and, consequently, there are guests on almost every track. This is a policy that makes sense, usually allowing the host to shine before a guest takes over just as his limitations were threatening to grate.
Sometimes he lets slip and shows a debt to Jay-Z's wordplay against which he can only come off the loser. When the themes stray beyond the rags to riches staple and bid for universality, tracks like "Roses" show none of his mentor's ability to tackle sentiment without mawkishishness. "Heard 'Em Say" - the closest he gets - is a beautifully affecting lament on the condition of black America lent particular poignancy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
But when all's said and done, it's all about those tunes. Sometimes he can loop them up so good that you feel the charge feeding straight into the vocal. "Touch The Sky" should by rights be just another hip hop beat borrowed from Curtis Mayfield. But in his hands it's triumphant, he's triumphant and so is his guest, Lupe Fiasco. "Addiction" teases the boundaries of the hip hop template, "Drive Slow", "We Major" and "Crack Music" simply couldn't have come from any other studio right now.
As the dream hip hip auteur, the perfect synthesis of producer and emcee, Kanye West still has some distance left to travel. But, on this form, you'd be a fool to put it past him.
by James Poletti
