Kanye West Registers Late, Learns Little

Forget Rolling Stone. They'll put anybody on the cover these days. If you're a rapper, you know you've "arrived" when Time puts you on its cover—where phenom Kanye West landed a couple of weeks ago. "Defying the rules of rap," Time declared, "Kanye West goes his own way." And by doing so, Kanye has created a sophomore effort, Late Registration, that is one of this year's most anticipated releases. How big is it? Island Def Jam initially shipped 1.6 million copies.

So is the hype about Kanye (pronounced Kahn-yay) justified, or were the 28-year-old Chicago artist's three Grammys for his first album (2004's The College Dropout) a fluke? And does he truly go "his own way"? The answer: sort of. West raises the bar for a genre mesmerized with booze, bling, bottoms and bullets by commenting on subjects such as social justice for the poor and dangers of drug abuse—not to mention a song about his grandmother. But make no mistake, several songs also fall into the familiar hip-hop rut of exalting excess. Overall, this odd mixture of subjects yields an album that is both remarkably fresh and disappointingly clichéd.

Unexpected Jewels
I've reviewed several hip-hop albums recently, and I confess I struggle to relate to the genre. As a thirtysomething guy from a small Iowa town, I know little (OK, nothing!) about pimpin' hos, smokin' dro and bustin' caps.

What surprised me with this album, though, was that Kanye actually talks about some things I connect with. "Roses" describes a hospital visit with his ailing grandmother. He asks a nurse, "I know it's past visiting hours/But can I please give her these flowers?" He wonders if she'll get the same care a rich person would receive ("You know the best medicine go to people that's paid"). I've never heard another rapper speak so tenderly of his grandmother, and it stirred memories of my own grandma's long hospital stays.

Even more unusual are songs that offer insightful social critique. "Crack Music" comments on that drug's destructive effect: "When our heroes and heroines got hooked on heroin/Crack raised the murder rate in D.C. and Maryland." "Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)" samples Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" and asks us to consider the exploitation involved mining "conflict diamonds." "People lose hands, legs, arms fo' real/Little was known on Sierra Leone/And how it connect to the diamonds we own. … I thought my Jesus piece was so harmless/'Til I seen a picture of a shorty armless." I think it's safe to say that exploitative mining practices in Africa is a topic that rarely pops up in rap music (or any other kind, for that matter).

Kanye also acknowledges God's presence. "Heard 'Em Say" depicts a battle between faith and despair. "And n-ggas gun clappin' and keep to squeezin'/And Gram keeps prayin' and keeps believin'/And Jesus, that one day you'll see Him/To then walk in His footsteps and try to be Him/The devil is alive, I feel him breathin'/Claiming money is the key, so keep on dreamin'."

Hedonism R Us
Unfortunately, just when Kanye seems serious about blazing a new trail, he careens off that path into vulgarity, substance abuse and sexual surplus.

A monologue by Bernie Mac impersonating a drunken teacher mocks Kanye's aspiration to return to college (one of the album's themes). "What do you got in that book bag at?/Always carrying that little book bag/ Nobody wanna see that/G--d--n fourth grader/Sit your a-- down!" Profanity (especially those of the f variety) flows liberally on Late Registration. Kanye is quite comfortable acknowledging God in one sentence and cursing the next.

And he's aware of that tension. "Touch the Sky" confesses, "I'm trying to right my wrongs/But it's funny how these same wrongs helped me write this song." "Addiction" begins with the question, "Why everything that's supposed to be bad make me feel so good?" At times, Kanye demonstrates an acute awareness of right and wrong, usually right before he capitulates to carnality.

Elsewhere, restraint gets chucked out the window. "Celebration" advises, "Grab a drink, grab a glass/After that, I'll grab your a--." And "Addiction" liberally mixes sex and drugs, concluding with Kanye suggesting a ménage à trois.

Class Dismissed
Time calls Kanye West a "class act." But you can only reach that conclusion by comparing his work to the ultaviolent fare of 50 Cent or the shameless sleaze marketed under R. Kelly's name. But I don't think grading Kanye on that kind of curve is the right way to evaluate his lyrics and influence. For me, Kanye's moments of conscience are torpedoed by his hedonism—even if his excesses are not quite as extreme as those of his chart-topping peers. In the final analysis, he still succumbs to hip-hop's status quo, which means he's not a "classmate" worth emulating. Mr. West would have to kill the obscenities and drop the glamorized references to illicit sex, dope and drinking before I could believe that he is actually learning something in his quest for higher education.