Late Registration by Kanye West

Late Registration, Kanye West's second album, arrived on Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam on August 30, 2005, and it's the sound of a producer refusing to repeat himself. The sped-up soul samples that powered The College Dropout are pushed aside; in their place West and co-conspirator Jon Brion, over a year of sessions in Hollywood and New York, build lush, orchestral backdrops with a 20-piece ensemble, strings, harpsichord, celesta and even Chinese bells, taking cues from Fiona Apple and Portishead.

West spins stories and takes aim at the blood diamond trade, the health care system, college and racism built into American institutions, with Jay-Z, Nas, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Adam Levine, Brandy and Jamie Foxx dropping by. "Gold Digger" went all the way to the top of the Hot 100, "Touch the Sky" and "Heard 'Em Say" were hits too, the album sold 860,000 copies in its first week, and it won the Grammy for Best Rap Album.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.