West said that he appreciated the broader palette Jon Brion brought to his music. He had been in pursuit of a more enriching sound for "Late Registration". With the assistance of Brion, West widens his musical vision and expands the sound of his hip-hop production beyond his usual sped-up soul samples. Brion integrated an unprecedented third element into West's hit-making combination of soulful hooks and rhythm tracks. He supplemented a thematic, orchestral feeling to the record, elevating West's signature sound to take on a more polished package. With its layered arrangements and meticulous attention to songwriting, Brion's involvement is evident on "Heard 'Em Say" and throughout the album, and together the two of them managed to craft sophisticated, baroque hip-hop. Their collaborative work involved building melodies with synths, guitars, and other live instruments around looped samples and drum programming. West developed the beats and melodies for the record, and then he and Brion would brainstorm on instrumental colors. Brion would then arrange the music to move analogously with the rhymes, pushes the musicality of hip-hop uncharted territory. Rather than simple and direct, West took a more complex, subtle approach to his when it came to composing "Heard 'Em Say." He equipped the track with session musicians, strengthening hooks while descending into winding, progressive orchestral passages. It allows grooves with the space to breath and stretch in ways raps songs don't typically permit. This musical trait would become a hallmark of West's subsequent works, most prominently on the studio albums "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (2009) and "Cruel Summer" (2012).