Late Registration (abbreviated as LR) is the second studio album by Kanye West, which released on August 30, 2005 through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings.[1] The album was recorded in one year, and features several collaborations from Jay-Z, Nas, Paul Wall, Adam Levine, Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, and more.
The album is the second in Ye's "college" trilogy (originally planned to be a tetralogy), following his debut album, The College Dropout (2004). While Ye still samples old R&B and soul songs similarly to The College Dropout, his chipmunk sound was phased away and replaced with orchestral instruments, which can be heard in several of the album's biggest songs, including "Touch The Sky" and "Diamonds From Sierra Leone". Critics have praised Late Registration for its orchestral elements, favoring it over The College Dropout. Some have even said that it is one of the most impactful hip-hop albums ever released.[2]Rolling Stone, Spin, Time, and USA Today ranked it as the best album of 2005. In 2020, Rolling Stone also ranked Late Registration at #117 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[3]
In 2006, the album won a Grammy award for the Best Rap Album for the second year in a row.[4]
Following his support of Usher's Truth Tour, Ye began recording material for Late Registration in 2004.[1] By November, Ye had completed "around 75 percent" of the album, but was not satisfied with the outcome, so he invited Jon Brion to help him in March 2005, which heavily changed the album's direction.[5] While many of the songs in the album were conceived during the sessions for LR, "Gold Digger" and "Hey Mama" were both created before The College Dropout released.
Cover art[]
The covert art for Late Registration features the Dropout Bear (previously seen in the cover art for TCD) looking through the doors of a university. Ye had various plans for the Dropout Bear for cover art for LR, including showing a younger Ye building the bear out of LEGO pieces and showing the bear driving up to a woman. The bear would "always be late to every class and assembly, too busy daydreaming of being a star".[6] The cover art picture was taken in Princeton University.[7]
Chart performances[]
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, becoming Ye's first ever #1 album. It also stayed at the top spot for 2 straight weeks, becoming Ye's first and only solo album to achieve this feat.[8] Several songs also reached the Billboard Hot 100, including "Gold Digger", which stayed at the #1 spot for 10 consecutive weeks.[8]
Get Well Soon... • Akademiks (Jeanius Level Musik) • I'm Good... • Akademiks (Jeanius Level Musik Vol. 2) • Kon The Louis Vuitton Don • Getting Out Our Dreams: The Class Of '06 Mixtape • Welcome to Kanye's Soul Mix Show • Can't Tell Me Nothing • Kanye West Vodafone Mixtape • Alter Ego • G.O.O.D. Ass Mixtape • Live at Coachella 2011
