LANHAM, Md. — Kanye West is certain his "Late Registration" will ace the sales test when it's released Tuesday. What he wants to know is whether it will stand the test of time.

The never-shy producer/rapper says his newest album is superior to last year's Grammy-winning debut, "The College Dropout," and stacks up well against other classic albums.

"Music hasn't been taken this far in years — since Stevie (Wonder) did it. Since Prince did it," says West, 27, who enlisted Fiona Apple producer Jon Brion to help him go in a different direction.

"I'm not trying to compete with what's out there now. I'm really trying to compete with 'Innervisions' and 'Songs in the Key of Life.' It sounds musically blasphemous to say something like that, but why not set that as your bar?"

West has had a good year. He won three Grammys and delivered a show-stopping "Jesus Walks" on the awards program, and he produced two of 2005's most acclaimed albums — John Legend's "Get Lifted" and Common's "Be." But the real question was what he would do for an encore to "Dropout."

On "Registration," he talks about everything from politics to partying, and guest artists include Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, The Game, Brandy, Nas, Cam'Ron and Jay-Z.

His most daring move was bringing in multi-instrumentalist Brion, who had scored such movies as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Punch-Drunk Love." West, who came to prominence four years ago with Jay-Z's groundbreaking "The Blueprint," was seeking a new plateau in production.

"Picture me, someone who likes cinematic-sounding stuff, having someone who actually scores movies to help produce the album," West says.

Brion says that although some might find their pairing odd, he and West share a seriousness about making records and "a total obsession with lyrics." Brion's skill with orchestras and with such instruments as vibraphones and marimbas gave West a broader spectrum of sounds to work with.

West showed a lot of courage, Brion says, by stepping out on an artistic ledge.

"If ever there was a time not to ... (mess) with the formula, this would be it," Brion says. "But he's fearless. A lot of people have a governor on themselves, usually peer pressure or fear of not being liked. This is a guy that is truly living by his tastes and his beliefs."

The result is "only the future of music itself," West says, laughing. "Only a Dr. Dre or a Pharrell (Williams) could even fathom accomplishing something like this, and they do it in their own way."

West, who likens himself to the Philadelphia Eagles' brash Terrell Owens, makes no apologies for talking smack.

"Are you supposed to be humble?" he says. "Honestly. If you've got a whole crowd of people singing your song and you've got one critic saying this song is OK, well, you know you're right."