Kanye West is one of the best producers in the business and he wants to be known as the best rapper in the business.  His first LP, College Dropout was close to classic but certainly had diamonds on it like Jesus Walks and Through The Wire. The first album showed West to be more than just gimmicks but someone who could switch up beats, flows and get serious from time to time! Now with his LP,   Late Registration , Kanye is trying to cement his status as the best young fella in the game today! Does he accomplish this though? Read on as we give him his album the spotlight with a GeoReview.

He starts with Heard 'Em Say with Adam Levine of Maroon 5, a cut talking about taking advantage of opportunities given.  Next he gets you hype with Touch the Sky featuring newcomer Lupe Fiasco, a track that reminds you of Wait For with a sample of Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up". Gold Digger is the second single from Ye with help from part singer/actor Jamie Foxx in his best Ray Charles impersonation talking about those female that are out for the cash and a funny and truthful way. He also lets the men know they got to step their games up and be willing to go the extra mile when dealing with their ladies. Drive Slow brings Houston's Paul Wall and ChiTown's GLC (Spaceship from College Dropout) to the mix on a hitting track that sounds even better when it gets screwed up towards the end.  Common joins Kanye for a short track called My Way Home, a 70's sounding track featuring sample of Gil Scott-Heron's Home Is Where The Hatred Is" to talk about how sometimes home can be a trap and be a negative because of all you know and can do! Crack Music is political spirited track despite the title of the song and it features Game from LA. This song makes music into crack and pushes it to the community so their peoples don't have to slaves again. It is this comparison that shows the diversity of this album.  "Roses " talks about losing the loved ones and still shining as bright as possible. The song contains a sample of Rosie written by Bill Withers. Bring Me Down is for the haters and doubters and Kanye uses his verse from wack n----as on a heavy beat with Brandy singing the hook.

There is plenty of highlights on this album too many to go deep on I know you need to listen to Diamonds From Sierra Leone, where Kanye talks about the contradiction of wearing Diamonds while people die in Africa over them and also his leading of the Roc-a-fella ship.  Addiction talks about the money, women and drugs and their duality: good and bad traits and how we deal with them. We Major features a Nas verse that sounds like a freestyle and one of the best beats possible for a track of that name. Consequence and Cam'Ron come through on Gone and talk about Ladies, Missing Fiends and their accomplishments in and out the booth. On Hey Mama is a chance for West to talk to his mother and show appreciation and love and Late could be the

best on the LP and technically it's not on the album.

Overall the worst part of the album is the skits. I don't know but it just takes you away from the music and while I know it goes with the theme of Late Registration and the whole school thing it clear that West does not need the gimmicky skits anymore. I think he tries to be too funny. He's shown more maturity on this album talking about his grind through the business, people losing loved ones, the president and the government and family.  The beats are fire as he using instruments from all over the map of music and the collaborations are timely though plentiful.  West does a great job mixing the old school beats with his topics and still doesn't sound like he's preaching on anything.  He uses his charisma and different sounds to make the track sound different.

I give Late Registration 5 Globes