Back before Kanye West was seen as a drama queen diva, before the he was depressed, before he took a giant dump on Taylor Swift in the name of Beyonce, Kanye was a somewhat humble rapper whose cockiness wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a high-profile rapper.
West's cockiness probably stemmed from his critical acclaim. His albums have all been highly praised, but Late Registration has been the greatest triumph of his career. It was the first rap album I felt the need to go out and buy after illegally downloaded it. Usually, sophomore albums get lost in the haze of the artist taking creative control, but not Kanye. Not Late Registration. If anything, the second album was so thoroughly crafted with more passion and desire to be "the greatest" that it made the first album seem like a rough draft. He took every folly from the first album, eradicated them and spit out on of this generations greatest rap albums.
Late Registration established Kanye as a lyricist, and not just a rapper who could rhyme two words and use metaphors like Lil Wayne. Anyone can do that. Kanye often has such lyrical depth, he makes his contemporaries look like mere pop stars. His music had a message that was more than just money, power and sex, though those themes did make appearances. "I thought my Jesus piece was so harmless, until I saw a picture of a shorty armless," he rapped on Jay-Z assisted "Diamonds" track which blasts the diamond industry while admitting to having an uncontrollable lust for the jewels. Perhaps the greatest story told on the album was "Roses," where Kanye detailed a battle with cancer and the demons of being a celebrity in a time of conflict.
The honors of the best line of the album goes out to the Brandy feature on the album where West raps, "There'll always be haters. That's the way it is. Hater niggas marry hater bitches and have hater kids."
It's just that! That voluble rap style that seems like he could just rap on and on for days that makes this album so perfect. By the time you've finished all 21 tracks on the album, you can't say that Kanye West isn't a fucking genius, no matter how much you hate him.
Truly a great album to introduce anyone to hip-hop.
Truly a great album to really understand Kanye West.
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