AlbumE · 2005
Late Registration
by Kanye West
Late Registration is a 2005 hip-hop album by Kanye West. It runs 23 tracks across 77 minutes on Def Jam Recordings. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Riffiter listeners rate it 4.1/5 from 375 ratings.
Hip-Hop · Conscious Hip-Hop · Pop Rap
Your rating
- 4.1 /5
- 375 ratings
- 93 /100
- 10 critics
- 23
- Tracks
- 77 min
- Runtime
- 97 bpm
- Tempo
- A# minor
- Key
Ratings
375 ratings · avg 4.1
Reviews
4 reviews
- 3.5
- 3.0
Upon first listen this album was just ok. There were some songs I really liked like Roses, Gold Digger, and Diamonds. But there was also a lot that were just ok or even a little boring to me. I’m sure some deeper stuff may have been lost on me and it definitely is still a good album but I wasn’t having a bunch of fun listening to it (at least not like I did for College Dropout). I think the music and flow in general just wasn’t my style and felt a little bland to me. It’s probably just that it wasn’t terribly stimulating. It may change over time and I might like it upon a second listen but for now it’s just kinda “meh”. Also by no means would I say this album is bad or think it’s not worthy of a higher ranking but if I’m going based on how much I personally enjoyed it, then it’s ok.
- 4.5
Late registration has a very special place in my heart, I can't even explain why, just listen!
- 5.0
The maximalist coronation: Late Registration hires film composer Jon Brion to orchestrate Kanye's soul-sample empire, and the gamble produces "Gone," "Hey Mama" and "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"'s Bond-theme conscience. "Gold Digger" did the commercial heavy lifting. College Dropout announced the talent; this proved the vision had no ceiling.
51 people have played it start to finish
2 people are spinning it this week
People who scrobbled it: 4.1★ (5) · Everyone else: 4.4★ (35)
Critics
10 publications
- AllMusic5/5
- Los Angeles Times4/4
- Rolling Stone5/5
- The Guardian5/5
- USA Today4/4
- Pitchfork9.5/10
- Entertainment WeeklyB+
- SpinB+
- Blender4/5
- NME8/10
- Metacriticaggregate85/100
Scores collected from the English Wikipedia ratings box (CC BY-SA). Ratings belong to the publications; follow a link to read the review.
Late Registration album cover
3 ratings
Riffiter listeners rate it 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings.
Your rating for the cover
Tracklist
23 tracks · 77 min
Ranked head-to-head
1 vs 1
Stars say how much you like Late Registration. They never settle which song on it you would defend. Pick between two at a time and the order builds itself.
Nobody has finished a run on this record yet. Rank Late Registration's songs yourself →
Videos
1 video
Ranked by listeners
top 5 · 18 rated tracks
According to Riffiter listeners, the best track on Late Registration is Diamonds From Sierra Leone (remix) — rated 4.8/5 by 2 listeners.
Awards
1 win · via Wikidata
- 2005Grammy Award for Best Rap AlbumAll winners →
More by Kanye West
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About
Late Registration is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on August 30, 2005, by Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions for the album took place over the course of a year at Record Plant Studios, Chalice Recording Studios, and Grandmaster Recording Studios in Hollywood, and at Sony Music Studios in New York City. West collaborated with American record producer and composer Jon Brion to produce Late Registration, and the album features guest contributions from artists such as Jay-Z, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, Nas, Brandy, and Adam Levine, among others. The production is notably more lush and elaborate than West's previous album, The College Dropout. By collaborating with Jon Brion, West was able to utilize production styles and instruments not commonly associated with hip-hop music. More intricate sampling methods and the inclusion of string arrangements meant that the production featured on the album was unique to hip-hop music.
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West sought to deliver lyrics that allowed him to continue his style of storytelling during songs, and the album covers topics of social issues, such as poverty, drug trafficking, health care, and blood diamond trades. The album produced five singles, including the international hits "Touch the Sky", "Heard 'Em Say" and "Gold Digger", the latter topping the Billboard Hot 100 at number one. Music videos for all five singles were produced. West supported the album with a promotional concert tour, and the live album Late Orchestration. Late Registration debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 860,000 copies in its first week. The album has sold over 3 million units in the United States and has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Upon its release, Late Registration received rave reviews from music critics and earned West several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards and an Album of the Year nomination. It appeared at the top of several publications year-end lists of top albums. Rolling Stone named it the best album of 2005, and included it at number 118 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2012.
In brief
- Is Late Registration good?
- Riffiter listeners rate Late Registration 4.1/5 from 375 ratings.
- What is the highest-rated track on Late Registration?
- Diamonds From Sierra Leone (remix), rated 4.8/5 by 2 listeners on Riffiter.
- When was Late Registration released?
- Late Registration was released in 2005 on Def Jam Recordings.
- How many tracks are on Late Registration?
- Late Registration has 23 tracks, with a runtime of 77 minutes.
- What genre is Late Registration?
- Late Registration is catalogued under Hip-Hop, Conscious Hip-Hop, Pop Rap.
- What BPM is Late Registration?
- Late Registration runs at a median tempo of 97 BPM across its tracks, most often in A# minor, measured from audio analysis.
- What albums are similar to Late Registration?
- Listeners of Late Registration also rate Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne, DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar, Scorpion by Drake.
Late Registration at a glance
- Labels
- Def Jam Recordings, Roc-A-Fella Records
- Produced by
- Jon Brion, Just Blaze, Devo Harris, Warryn Campbell
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).