by Ifè Oshun

Kanye West has been all over the news lately with various events including his bashing of gay bashers, the shooting of Suge Knight at his pre-VMA party, and of course the up-coming release of his extremely anticipated sophomore set, Late Registration.

Continuing along the lines of "higher education," the set grapples with a refreshingly diverse and wide ranging issues including illegal diamond trade in Sierra Leone, drugs in the black community, racism and his grandma.

Registration also builds on the aural tip with live instrumentation offering flavors of violin, viola, cello and French horn. Additional production guidance is offered by Jon Brion, producer of the soundtracks to quirky cinematic opuses such as "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" and "Magnolia."

The set promises to be an oasis for hip-hop music connoisseurs swimming in the current flood of "southern" fare.

Numerous cameo appearances include The Game, Brandy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Keyshia Cole, Consequence, Cam'Ron, Charlie Wilson, Nas, Common, Paul Wall, and more. A multitude of iconic artists are sampled on the set that boasts echoes of Curtis Mayfield ("Move On Up"), Etta James ("My Funny Valentine"), Bill Withers ("Rosie"), Natalie Cole ("Someone That I Used To Love"), and of course jazz/pop legend Shirley Bassey on the lead single "Diamonds Are Forever" (culled from the theme to the James Bond flick of the same name).

The tune's follow-up "Gold Digger," (featuring an obligatory Ray Charles impersonation from actor Jamie Foxx) is a current hit with a bullet on the charts, sitting pretty at No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Diamonds..." peaked at No. 21.

Dates for a Fall tour supporting Registration are being negotiated for possible shows in October and November.