Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010, Def Jam)
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So... I guess there really isn't much to say about this album that you haven't already heard. Blah blah Kanye meltdown blah blah Taylor Swift. But there is another story to this album. This is the story of Kanye's rebirth from a villain to almost a tragic figure. Through his use of twitter, surprisingly ambitious music video for "Runaway", and releasing of free songs every week on Friday, Kanye has managed to somewhat recover a positive image in the media.
The story of the creation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is almost as interesting. Kanye stowed away to Hawaii where he brought in virtually every notable artist at some point to work on either his new album or a track for G.O.O.D. Friday. Everyone from Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, and Mos Def, to producers like Pete Rock and Q-Tip, to oddly enough, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. Needless to say, Kanye made this album and its creation almost into his own little sandbox, utilizing any toys he could get his hand on.
And it certainly shows. Mr. West's new album is overtly ambitious and contains possibly his best production (which is saying a lot, considering that I believe he is currently the best hip-hop producer on the planet, and has been for years). While there are times when his lyrics fail to match this level as well as some strange features, this album is still one of the best of the year.
Track 1: Dark Fantasy
OK Nikki, what is up with the British accent? Just wondering. Kanye pulls out a classic sample on this one. How many people do you think had even heard of Mike Oldfield before they heard this song (not me)? This is about as classic Kanye beat wise as you can get. He used to be so into samples. I really like how he uses the keys in this song as well. Lyrcism is just fine, maybe not his best effort though. The probably with this album is that Kanye brought it so hard on the beats and production that it's virtually impossible for him to create lyrics that live up to the music.
"So much head I woke up in sleepy hollow" Man does Kanye love rapping about oral sex.
Verdict: 9/10
Track 2: Gorgeous
This beat gets stuck in my head every time I listen to this album. Kid Cudi just kind of does his "I think I can sing" thing on the chorus. The effects on both Kanye and Raekwon's part isn't necessarily needed. Kind of brings the song down a little. It sounds like they are rapping through the phone. I guess it's possible that Raekwon couldn't make it out to Hawaii, so maybe that explains it. In the end, "Gorgeous" has a cool beat and features two of my five current favorite hip-hop artists, so it's still pretty good.
Verdict: 9/10
Track 3 POWER
What can be said about "Power" that hasn't been in the last 6 months? Awesome King Crimson sample. Big time "Fuck You" lyrics. Pretty much an all around package of Kanye being Kanye. If it hadn't been floating around for a long time, this song would probably seem a lot more epic and powerful. Even given that, it is still a masterpiece.
"You got the power to let power go?"
Verdict: 10/10
Track 4: All of the Lights (Introduction)
Usually I would just skip an interlude or introduction track, but this one is actually good. The violin and keys are beautifully done. It's an intro that actually serves a purpose, and serves it well.
Verdict: 9/10
Track 5: All of the Lights
This song should be called "Kanye gets all his favorite vocalists and throws them all into one song" here is a list of collaborators on this song:
- Rihanna
- Elton John
- Fergie
- John Legend
- The-Dream
- Ryan Leslie
- Tony Williams
- Charlie Wilson
- Elly Jackson (of La Roux)
- Alicia Keys
- Kid Cudi
Let's face it, you can really only pick out a couple of them, but still, pretty damn crazy. Kanye only plays a relatively small part in this one, but you barely notice because of how much is going on. This song should be an absolute mess (and to be honest, kind of is) but works because it is held together by possibly the best beat on this album (which is saying a lot). The drums on this song are immaculate, and the horns just give it the verbose feeling of being larger than life.
Verdict: 10/10
Track 6: Monster
We are now waste deep in the "these songs have a bunch of features" zone. Monster has a vicious beat. Kanye really did his homework on the drums for this album. Rick Ross's verse is ok. Kanye is ok. Jay-Z's is actually kind of horrible. Then we have Nikki Minaj. Where do we even start on this one? I know the whole pitch and tone change while rapping is kind of becoming her thing, and usually I kind of find it annoying, but it makes perfect sense in this song. It's pretty stunning that in a song with Kanye and Jay on it, it is Nikki Minaj that stands out the most. Another feature from Justin Vernon, who shows up on this album more than anyone not named Kanye West.
Verdict: 9/10
Track 7: So Appalled
There you go Kanye. Much better lyrics than his monster verse. I might as well stop talking about the production on this album, cause it's all amazing. Jay-Z's part in this song is also a large improvement from his Monster verse. Let's talk about Pusha T. As we will see again later in Runaway, he really brought it on his features this album. It's nice to see that he signed to Kanye's label as well. Hopefully that means he will get more quality features on future albums. Even relative unknown Cyhi Da Prince has a pretty quality verse. This song would be pretty much perfect if it was for The RZA's feature just being him yelling at the end. Still one of the best on here though. Maybe the only track where the lyricism out-paces the production.
Verdict: 10/10
Track 8: Devil In a New Dress
This is the only song on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that I don't find amazing. The beat isn't necessarily bad, just too laid back. The sample that Kanye uses is also surprisingly bland. Rick Ross is featured on this track as well. While I can tolerate his about 30 second feature on "Monster", he gets a much longer time frame on this one. I'm not that big of a Rick Ross fan, so it feels like a waste.
Verdict: 6/10
Track 9: Runaway
This could possibly be Kanye's magnum opus. The elongated piano intro makes you impatient for the beat to drop. Kanye pretty much admits his follies on this song, while at the same time attempting to get revenge on his haters in the chorus. It's a surprisingly deep emotional song. Pusha T drops possibly my favorite verses on this whole album on his feature. I'm glad that Kanye put the vocal samples that he used at the VMA's onto the album version of this song. It helps it stay focused, which can be hard for a 9 minute long song. I'm sure there are people out there that think the outro part of this song isn't needed, but I beg to differ. The instrumental mix that he uses is great. Let's face it, I'm a sucker for anything with a string section. An epic track.
Verdict 10/10
Track 10: Hell of a Life
Nasty beat. Nasty song. Usually I'm not really into songs like this, that are just about sex, but this one is so lighthearted that I ended up liking it a lot. The beat really makes me forgive a lot of the lyricism. This is a song that Kanye really hasn't done before (unless maybe you count "Drunk and Hot Girls", from Graduation) and that at least gives the song a level of freshness, even if its content is incredibly cliche at this point.
Verdict: 9/10
Track 11: Blame Game
I like this song so much that I'm willing to forgive the atrocious outro. My suggestion: just listen to the first five minutes of this song, and appreciate how amazing it is. Anything after five minutes just cover your ears and hit the skip button. This song has a lot of emotional connotation to it. I mean even if it's extreme, anyone who has ever been through a break up can probably at least sort of relate to the feelings conveyed in this song.
"You weren't perfect but you made life worth it
Stick around some real feelings might surface"
Verdict: 10/10
Track 12: Lost In The World
There isn't many albums that I think end stronger than how they began. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of them. Well, to be honest, there is only really one slip up on this album, so it's more like the whole thing is strong. The third Justin Vernon feature. At this point Kanye finally gives up and samples one of his songs ("Woods" from the Blood Bank EP). This fact alone pretty much makes this song a 10. But it's actually one of, if not the best song, on the album. The added vocals and drums over the sample are just perfect. Once the beat drops it's just pure awesome for the rest of the song.
Track 10/10
Track 13: Who Will Survive In America
The outro features the great Gil Scott-Heron (the vocal's come from his song "Comment no. 1") Although it maybe doesn't serve a purpose musically, Gil Scott-Heron drops some amazing knowledge, so I can't hate on it. The applause at the end certainly are in order.
Verdict: 8/10
Cohesiveness Score: 9/10
It is hard to convey a theme in hip-hop albums, but Kanye did a pretty good job here.
Final Score: 128/140 = 9.1
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's Three Stars:
3. Pusha T
2. Justin Vernon
1. Kanye West
Final Thoughts:
Is this the album of the year? Possibly yes. Is it one of the best five albums released this year? Certainly.
We are now waste deep in the "these songs have a bunch of features" zone. Monster has a vicious beat. Kanye really did his homework on the drums for this album. Rick Ross's verse is ok. Kanye is ok. Jay-Z's is actually kind of horrible. Then we have Nikki Minaj. Where do we even start on this one? I know the whole pitch and tone change while rapping is kind of becoming her thing, and usually I kind of find it annoying, but it makes perfect sense in this song. It's pretty stunning that in a song with Kanye and Jay on it, it is Nikki Minaj that stands out the most. Another feature from Justin Vernon, who shows up on this album more than anyone not named Kanye West.
Verdict: 9/10
Track 7: So Appalled
There you go Kanye. Much better lyrics than his monster verse. I might as well stop talking about the production on this album, cause it's all amazing. Jay-Z's part in this song is also a large improvement from his Monster verse. Let's talk about Pusha T. As we will see again later in Runaway, he really brought it on his features this album. It's nice to see that he signed to Kanye's label as well. Hopefully that means he will get more quality features on future albums. Even relative unknown Cyhi Da Prince has a pretty quality verse. This song would be pretty much perfect if it was for The RZA's feature just being him yelling at the end. Still one of the best on here though. Maybe the only track where the lyricism out-paces the production.
Verdict: 10/10
Track 8: Devil In a New Dress
This is the only song on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that I don't find amazing. The beat isn't necessarily bad, just too laid back. The sample that Kanye uses is also surprisingly bland. Rick Ross is featured on this track as well. While I can tolerate his about 30 second feature on "Monster", he gets a much longer time frame on this one. I'm not that big of a Rick Ross fan, so it feels like a waste.
Verdict: 6/10
Track 9: Runaway
This could possibly be Kanye's magnum opus. The elongated piano intro makes you impatient for the beat to drop. Kanye pretty much admits his follies on this song, while at the same time attempting to get revenge on his haters in the chorus. It's a surprisingly deep emotional song. Pusha T drops possibly my favorite verses on this whole album on his feature. I'm glad that Kanye put the vocal samples that he used at the VMA's onto the album version of this song. It helps it stay focused, which can be hard for a 9 minute long song. I'm sure there are people out there that think the outro part of this song isn't needed, but I beg to differ. The instrumental mix that he uses is great. Let's face it, I'm a sucker for anything with a string section. An epic track.
Verdict 10/10
Track 10: Hell of a Life
Nasty beat. Nasty song. Usually I'm not really into songs like this, that are just about sex, but this one is so lighthearted that I ended up liking it a lot. The beat really makes me forgive a lot of the lyricism. This is a song that Kanye really hasn't done before (unless maybe you count "Drunk and Hot Girls", from Graduation) and that at least gives the song a level of freshness, even if its content is incredibly cliche at this point.
Verdict: 9/10
Track 11: Blame Game
I like this song so much that I'm willing to forgive the atrocious outro. My suggestion: just listen to the first five minutes of this song, and appreciate how amazing it is. Anything after five minutes just cover your ears and hit the skip button. This song has a lot of emotional connotation to it. I mean even if it's extreme, anyone who has ever been through a break up can probably at least sort of relate to the feelings conveyed in this song.
"You weren't perfect but you made life worth it
Stick around some real feelings might surface"
Verdict: 10/10
Track 12: Lost In The World
There isn't many albums that I think end stronger than how they began. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of them. Well, to be honest, there is only really one slip up on this album, so it's more like the whole thing is strong. The third Justin Vernon feature. At this point Kanye finally gives up and samples one of his songs ("Woods" from the Blood Bank EP). This fact alone pretty much makes this song a 10. But it's actually one of, if not the best song, on the album. The added vocals and drums over the sample are just perfect. Once the beat drops it's just pure awesome for the rest of the song.
Track 10/10
Track 13: Who Will Survive In America
The outro features the great Gil Scott-Heron (the vocal's come from his song "Comment no. 1") Although it maybe doesn't serve a purpose musically, Gil Scott-Heron drops some amazing knowledge, so I can't hate on it. The applause at the end certainly are in order.
Verdict: 8/10
Cohesiveness Score: 9/10
It is hard to convey a theme in hip-hop albums, but Kanye did a pretty good job here.
Final Score: 128/140 = 9.1
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's Three Stars:
3. Pusha T
2. Justin Vernon
1. Kanye West
Final Thoughts:
Is this the album of the year? Possibly yes. Is it one of the best five albums released this year? Certainly.
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