Sophomore slump? Kanye West [ tickets ] never heard of it. His second album, "Late Registration," is another surge of hipster hip-hop with a brain.

Between his signature snaky '70s samples, West questions the origins of AIDS, addiction, poverty and the endless quest for bling. The one thing he never doubts is his own skill.

This time, the suddenly everywhere rapper has invited such distinctly non-hip-hop musicians as producer Jon Brion and Maroon 5's Adam Levine to the party. And while Levine's cameo is OK and Brion's behind-the-boards work interesting, it's the more conventional guests that truly get Kanye to the top of his game.

More rap than hip-hop, "We Major," featuring NAS, sees Kanye go RZA-style with a sample of Orange Krush's "Action," while holding his own on the mic. And while the self-affirming "Touch the Sky," featuring Lupe Fiasco, should be a hit, the real nugget here is "Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)" featuring Jay-Z--a track that's been thumping out of the backs of Escalades and dance-club PAs for months now.

Like OutKast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," "Late Registration" takes on hip-hop on its own terms. And here, Kanye West proves he's more than just another producer turned MC.