Kanye West – Late Registration [2× Vinyl LP]

Kanye West – Late Registration [2× Vinyl LP]

Details

• Format: 2× Vinyl LP, Album, Stereo, Explicit
• Catalogue Number: 602498824047
• Barcode: 602498824047
• Genre: Hip-Hop / Rap
• Label: Roc-A-Fella Records / Def Jam Recordings
• Originally Released: 30 August 2005
• Condition: New & Sealed

Description

Late Registration is Kanye West's second studio album and one of the most acclaimed hip-hop records ever made. Released on 30 August 2005 via Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings, it arrived twelve months after the landmark debut The College Dropout and immediately silenced any talk of a sophomore slump — arriving instead as a more ambitious, more expensive and more emotionally complex record in every respect.

West spent approximately two million dollars recording the album over the course of a year at Sony Music Studios in New York City and the Record Plant in Hollywood. Crucially, he enlisted Jon Brion — the acclaimed film score composer and producer known for his work with Fiona Apple and the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — as a creative collaborator, resulting in lush orchestral arrangements, string sections and a sonic richness unprecedented in mainstream hip-hop at the time. A 20-piece ensemble was recorded for the album, and instruments including a celesta, harpsichord and Chinese bells were incorporated alongside West's trademark sped-up soul samples.

The results were extraordinary. "Gold Digger" — built around a Ray Charles sample and featuring Jamie Foxx — became one of the fastest-selling singles in history, spending ten consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)" features Jay-Z and drew global attention to the conflict diamond trade. "Heard 'Em Say" showcases Adam Levine's vocal alongside West's most introspective writing, and "Hey Mama" — a heartfelt tribute to his mother Donda — remains one of the most emotionally resonant tracks of his career.

Late Registration debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified 3× Platinum in the UK and 5× Platinum in the US, and earned West the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 2006 ceremony. Rolling Stone named it the Best Album of 2005 and ranked it among its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Wake Up Mr. West
2. Heard 'Em Say (ft. Adam Levine)
3. Touch the Sky (ft. Lupe Fiasco)
4. Gold Digger (ft. Jamie Foxx)
5. Skit #1
6. Drive Slow (ft. Paul Wall & GLC)

Side B

1. My Way Home (ft. Common)
2. Crack Music (ft. The Game)
3. Roses
4. Bring Me Down (ft. Brandy)

Side C

1. Addiction
2. Skit #2
3. Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix) (ft. Jay-Z)
4. We Major (ft. Nas & Really Doe)

Side D

1. Skit #3
2. Hey Mama
3. Celebration
4. Skit #4
5. Gone (ft. Consequence & Cam'ron)

Credits

• Kanye West – Vocals, Producer, Executive Producer
• Jon Brion – Producer, Co-Executive Producer
• Just Blaze – Producer
• Jay-Z, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, Nas, Brandy, Adam Levine, The Game, Paul Wall – Featured Artists
• Gee Roberson & Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua – Executive Producers
• Label – Roc-A-Fella Records / Def Jam Recordings