Maps of Music

Late Registration (2005)

Where the lyrics of Late Registration take you, and where it was really made.

West had finished about 75 percent of the album by November 2004, but he was unsatisfied with it, and bringing in Jon Brion in March 2005 drastically changed the project's direction.

Key places

Main recording sessions in New York City (2005)

Recording site Sony Music Studios — Most of the recording sessions for Late Registration took place at Sony Music Studios in New York City, along with sessions at the Record Plant in Hollywood. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Hollywood sessions at the Record Plant (2005)

Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — The Record Plant in Hollywood, California hosted a large share of the album's recording sessions alongside Sony Music Studios in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Additional Hollywood sessions (2005)

Recording site Chalice Recording — Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood was one of the further studios where sessions for the album were held after the main sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Drive Slow recorded in Los Angeles (2005)

Recording site Los Angeles — The track Drive Slow, with Paul Wall and GLC, was recorded in Los Angeles after the rappers formed a friendship during a photo shoot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Late Registration: second studio album by Kanye West
• Released August 30, 2005 through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings
• Recorded over roughly a year at studios in Hollywood and New York City, in collaboration with Jon Brion
• Guest artists include Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, Brandy, Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z, and Nas
• Second of West's planned four education-themed studio albums, following The College Dropout (2004)

Background

• Moved away from the sped-up soul samples of The College Dropout toward a more elaborate, orchestral style with a 20-piece ensemble
• Creative inspiration from alternative acts Fiona Apple and Portishead
• Used instruments not usually linked to hip-hop, including celesta, harpsichord, and Chinese bells
• Themes include institutional racism, higher education, health care, and the blood diamond trade
• Other hip-hop artists widely imitated West's chipmunk soul sampling, and he feared his own dependence on the technique
• Had completed about 75 percent of the album by November 2004 but felt unsatisfied, which led to Brion joining in March 2005

Recording

• West spent approximately two million USD to produce the album
• Most sessions at Sony Music Studios in New York City and the Record Plant in Hollywood, California
• Further sessions at Chalice Recording Studios and Grandmaster Recording Studios in Hollywood
• Brion served as co-executive producer for several tracks
• West envisioned the recording as the creation of a film, with each song as a scene
• Heard Em Say was recorded quickly, with Adam Levine's hook added during a flight to Rome
• Gold Digger was originally produced and recorded at Ludacris's home in Atlanta, Georgia, for Shawnna's album Worth tha Weight
• Release was pushed from July 12 to August 16, 2005, then to August 30, 2005

Cover

• Artwork features West's Dropout Bear mascot at child size, standing between two large wooden doors
• Similar to the cover art of The College Dropout
• The booklet banner reads Tardus Subcriptio, translated as Late Registration
• Photography by Sarah A. Friedman and Kris Yiengst; art direction by Morning Breath, Inc
• The picture style was inspired by satirical painter John Currin, one of West's favorite artists

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Ye (born Kanye Omari West, June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
• Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago; began producing in the mid-1990s for Chicago-area artists.
• Signed to Roc-A-Fella Records as a recording artist after producing for Jay-Z's label.

Members

• Solo artist; formed the Go-Getters group with GLC, Timmy G, and Arrowstar (1999).

Career

• Debut The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005) earned critical acclaim.
• Released eleven US Billboard 200 number-one albums; five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.
• Known for stylistic shifts from chamber pop to electropop, gospel, and industrial rap.
• Founded GOOD Music label; ventured into fashion with Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Adidas (Yeezy).
• Has 24 Grammy Awards and sold an estimated 160 million records.
• Faced major controversy for antisemitic statements from 2022 and later expressed remorse.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: universal acclaim, with a weighted average of 85 out of 100 from 31 critic scores
• Reviewers generally regarded it as far superior to The College Dropout
• Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield called it an undeniable triumph throughout, saying it made the debut sound like a rough draft
• The Guardian's Alexis Petridis highlighted West's topicality and subversive studio production
• AllMusic's Andy Kellman said the production had moved to a more traditionally musical touch contributed by Brion
• Pitchfork's Sean Fennessey described it as an expansive, imperfect masterpiece
• The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin found it less successful than The College Dropout, calling it a brilliant first draft
• The New York Times' Jon Pareles felt West's elevated status undermined the underdog quality of his debut

Reappraisal

• Named to 2005 year-end best album lists by Spin, Time, and USA Today; Rolling Stone also gave it this accolade
• Finished at number one in The Village Voice's 2005 Pazz & Jop poll with 2,525 points, the narrowest margin in the poll's history
• Ranked 117th on Rolling Stone's 2020 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
• Appeared on decade-end lists by MSN Music, PopMatters, Pitchfork, and others

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 860,000 copies in the first week
• Reached the top 10 in nine other countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland
• Won Best Rap Album at the 2006 Grammy Awards from eight nominations
• RIAA certified five-times platinum on July 21, 2022 for 5,000,000 units
• UK Albums Chart number two; BPI triple platinum for 900,000 units

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The rapper heard and liked Brion's score while watching the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Michel Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, played live drums on the original version of Diamonds from Sierra Leone and later directed the first music video for Heard Em Say
• Jamie Foxx sang an interpolation of Ray Charles's I Got a Woman on Gold Digger after West saw his portrayal of Charles in the 2004 film Ray
• Patti LaBelle sang on Roses, but was not credited because the album's liner notes had already been printed
• West, Brion, and the harpsichord used for the percussion on Diamonds from Sierra Leone had to wait two weeks to rent
• West mixed Diamonds from Sierra Leone about 14 times before he felt comfortable premiering it

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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