I can't understand how Late Registration doesn't hold up for you. It is easily Kanye's most solid piece of work before MBDTF. Even the best songs on Graduation are only as good as the entirety of LR, which has a consistent, yet highly characteristic sound, with some of the best sampling in hip hop. While it may sound a bit like a continuation of College Dropout, it's no doubt a major improvement in every category. I think a lot of fans would agree that LR was one of Ye's most important albums.
Asked by
louisvuittondondraper
Well, I actually did try to make the point that Late Registration was an important album. I think it’s much more important than it is good. That’s not to say I think it’s bad, I suppose. (I noted on that top ten Kanye songs post that I really like the first three songs plus “We Major” and “Gone”, which is almost half the album by volume.)
Not to get into it prematurely, but it’s definitely not my least-favorite of his albums. I just like it a lot less than Graduation. If I were giving it a letter grade, I’d give it a B+.
I’ll also have to respectfully disagree with you about the peaks on Late Registration versus those on Graduation. I’m working on writing more about that, but I think it’s far from close. Late Registration’s opening salvo is awesome, one of Kanye’s best moments. The rest of the album is uneven, unfocused, and almost fails to hold up. “Crack Music”, “Drive Slow” (besides Paul Wall’s verse), and “Bring Me Down” are not very good or interesting anymore. And I saw that many people cited “Addiction” as one of their favorite songs, but I just don’t see it. I’d put it in throw away pile. Are listeners really supposed to prefer “Addiction” to The Weeknd and Drake (or “Blame Game” and “Hell Of A Life”)? It’s just oddly toothless to me.
