10 Things You Didn't Know About Kanye West's 'Late Registration'
We dug up some details about Yeezy's sophomore album that may have escaped you.
Image via Def Jam
Today is the anniversary of Kanye West's Late Registration. On the album, Kanye expanded his production style beyond sped-up soul samples, teamed with producer Jon Brion to create sounds never before heard in hip-hop, and improved his dexterity as a rapper.
The record featured some of Kanye's best material to date, including hit singles "Diamonds" and "Gold Digger.” It also proved that Kanye's ambitions were grander than his oft mentioned ego. ‘Ye didn’t just avoid the sophomore slump, he hurdled to even greater heights. While it’s a multi-platinum album that you've definitely played countless time, we’re willing to bet there’s lots of things you don't know about the album. Read on and remember, it’s a celebration bitches!
M.I.A. was supposed to be on “Drive Slow”
According to a number of sources, M.I.A. was originally supposed to be featured on “Drive Slow.” Maya turned down the opportunity due to a busy schedule. The song wound up featuring GLC and Paul Wall. Although Yeezy and Maya have never collaborated in an official capacity, he did sample her vocals for T.I.’s “Swagga Like Us,” which they later performed together at the 2009 Grammys.
The album put Kanye $600,000 in debt
According to some estimates, the making of Late Registration cost upwards of $2 million dollars. Although those numbers aren’t confirmed, Kanye did tell MTV exactly how much it cost him out of his own pocket saying, “I put my money [into Late Registration]. I'm $600,000 in the hole right now on that album.” Shit, with debt like that you’d think he actually spent four years in college. ZING!
“Gold Digger” was meant for Shawnna
According to Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds, “Gold Digger” wasn’t meant to be a Kanye West song. It was originally created for Shawnna's 2004 debut album Worth Tha Weight. For whatever reason, she passed on the beat and Kanye rewrote the hook (which originally went “I ain’t saying I’m a gold digger/But I ain’t messing with no broke nigga”) from a female perspective to a male one. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for 10 weeks. It remains Kanye’s biggest hit to date.
Movie director Michel Gondry played drums on “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”
One of the reasons Kanye wanted to work with Jon Brion was because he was so impressed by Brion’s score to the film, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. (Apparently, so was Jay Electronica, who rapped over Brion’s score on “Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge).”) The film was directed by Michel Gondry, who ended up playing a role on the Kanye’s album, as well.
According to MTV, Gondry happened to be in the studio on a day when Brion was setting up a drum kit and he ended up playing live drums on “Diamonds From Sierra Leone.” Furthermore, Gondry would go on to direct one of the music videos for the album's single, “Heard 'Em Say.”
Kanye was competing with Common’s ‘Be’
While writing a cover story about Kanye, Common, and John Legend for VIBE back in 2005, Complex’s Editor-in-Chief Noah Callahan-Bever observed something interesting in the studio with Kanye: He kept a piece of paper with side-by-side track listings. Kanye later admitted that he did it “so that he can be sure that his LP hangs song-for-song with Common’s [Be].”
That might sound a bit odd since they’re both on the same team, but considering that Kanye produced most of Be and the best players always say "your only competition is yourself," it totally makes sense.
Rick Rubin hooked Kanye up with Jon Brion and Adam Levine
As if he wasn’t involved with enough classic albums, it turns out Rick Rubin had a hand in ‘Ye’s sophomore set—albeit a much smaller one than usual. Much of the hype surrounding Late Registration was about how Kanye was working with Jon Brion, a producer who had no background in hip-hop and was best known for producing movie scores and Fiona Apple records. Maroon 5’s Adam Levine was another unlikely collaborator. And how did ‘Ye get in touch with both Brion and Levine? Through a mutual friend, Rick Rubin.
Kanye tried to make “Crack Music” without the n-word
Kanye elaborated on his feelings about the word to Time, explaining, "Take the word nigga. I don't like the word, and I made an attempt to change it on this new song 'Crack Music.' I tried saying, ‘This is crack music, homey,' but it just didn't have the same impact." Game’s five-word cameo could have been so different.
Portishead was a huge influence on the album
According to Rolling Stone, British trip-hop group Portishead was a huge influence on Kanye. Not only was he a big fan of their album classic debut, Dummy, but he was also a fan of their live album, Roseland NYC Live. It’s also a likely reason why after Late Registration dropped, Kanye followed it up with a live album of his own, Late Orchestration.
Orchestra members laughed while making “Celebration”
One of the album’s distinct characteristics has always been it’s use of live instrumentation and large orchestras. In fact, at one point, the album was delayed two weeks because Kanye and Brion had to wait to rent a harpsichord to play on one song. While recording “Celebration” with a 20 piece band, the musicians reportedly found it difficult to concentrate while Kanye spit his humorous lyrics about grabbing asses and having a "well-endowed" son.
Kanye mixed “Diamonds” 14 times
According to Jay-Z, Kanye mixed “Diamonds” about 14 times before he was comfortable enough to release it. It might sound like he was being obsessive, but that's nothing compared to the early 80 mixes "Stronger" went through on the next album. When you're a perfectionist, the results don’t lie.