Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Rap – Released November 22, 2010 – 14 songs, 75 mins
LUNDI’s album drop:
So guys here’s the different direction: Phoebe Bridgers rewrote her whole album to make it sadder and I need to know if you guys still like it…. Jkjkjk. The different direction I’m going in is actually choosing an album we all know and love. Listening to The Slow Rush this week got me thinking about those kind of albums but I wanted to choose one we haven’t really dug into together so we can share our thoughts on a classic. Hopefully this also keep s rap off the radar for a few weeks lol. My pick for this week is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West.
REID
I was a late bloomer to this album. I had always heard the hits but it wasn’t until maybe a year ago that I downloaded and listened from start to finish to truly appreciate its brilliance.
It kicks off with Dark Fantasy where the question is posed ‘Can we get much higher?’. My opinion? I think Kanye peaked here. Or he at least held a very high and steady precedent leading up to and including this one until the drop off with Yeezus (sorry, not sorry). The song itself gives me intro/interlude vibes at first but then the beat kicks in and Kanye destroys. Gorgeous is another killer rap track. I don’t know the correct word for the effect but Ye’s ‘slightly muzzled’ voice adds a sick layer. This one will always remind me of that car ride in Miami with Duncan driving Roz’s car, Roz hung over in the passenger seat and us Stephens in the back. And then me trying to figure out the name of the song for about two years later. Power and All of the Lights are INSTANT.FUCKING.CLASSICS. Incredible mixes backed by Kanye’s genius. And hey, let’s just add in the hottest female artist in the game (at the time) in Rihanna in AOTL. Great pump up jams, will be hearing both for decades. Let’s just roll right into a jam with Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver why don’t we? Monster falls in line with the former two as a timeless classic. Personally not a fan of Nicki but can’t win them all. So Appalled has its moments but isn’t one I listen to often. Can’t move on without mentioning Jay-Z, Pusha T and Rza’s contributions on this one. Devil in a New Dress is another Rick Ross collaboration. Another super creative jam but it drags on a little long for me. It was a tough choice but Runaway is my favourite on the album. It’s simply amazing. The build-up and pay-off is special. It will forever remind me of ‘dump rack’ night in Halifax when me and Roz watched the video in his apartment. I think the chorus has ‘trending social media’ video written all over it but let’s be honest, I’m not really one of those people. Hell of a Life and Blame Game are two more beauties with so much creativity and so much to love overall. But both drag on a little long for me, again. I love the idea of Lost in the World with Bon Iver. Adds a new creative layer to the album. Who Will Survive in America is what it is (haha). In Kanye fashion, he finishes up the album with opinions on topics important to him.
What more can I say? This 13 track album absolutely bangs. Kanye is at the top of his game. The mixes and the rhymes together are an incredible combination. Pitchfork gave this a 10 and I support it. Shout out to the idea of reviewing known albums. I definitely enjoyed listening to this one the last couple of weeks.
Overall Rating – 9.5/10
Favourite Song – Runaway
ROZ
For this week’s review, I decided to break my usual mold and try something different. Lundi picked a universally loved album, both critically and within our friend group, so I didn’t feel the need to sum it all up in a concise, essay style format. Instead, I decided to let my thoughts flow freely and write down anything and everything I enjoyed as it popped up. A little informal, a little untamed, but still a very fun experience. And without further delay, my review of the acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy…….
Dark Fantasy
· Can we get much higher? One of the many memorable lyrics of Kanye.
· The sample selection and drum breaks are skillfully picked as always.
· Like much of this album there will be focus on the wordplay, as it is amazing – a few favorites:
· So much head I woke up in sleepy hollow. Damn.
· Sex is on fire; I am the King of Leon-a Lewis. Oh god damn.
· Too many Urkel’s on your team that’s why you’re Winslow. Now that’s fire.
Gorgeous
· My boy Cudi. Always nice to have him in the mix.
· Interesting distortion technique used on this one complimented by a wailing guitar backdrop.
· Putting institutional racism on blast with his lyricism. Fuck yeah.
Power
· Had this one on nonstop back in the day when it first came out. So catchy.
· Kanye is being very specific on where exactly his ass can be kissed.
· Banger.
All of the Lights
· Cudi, Rihanna, what else could you need?
· Orchestra intro, strings, and piano makes me wonder if he did it with session musicians.
· Overall, another classic hit from this album. One of the more mainstream popular I’d imagine.
Monster
· Arrrrrrrrrrhhhrrrrrrrrhhh shoot the lights out!
· This song is a heavy hitter, Jay Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver. What a crew.
· Ever had sex with a pharaoh? Ahhhhh putdapussy in a sarcophagus. Lol.
· I could just spit out Kanye lyrics all day. Man, I love his crazy ass. That is all.
So Appalled
· Swizz Beats rapping “Donald Trump taking dolla’s from y’all”; So ahead of its time but also extremely ironic considering Kanye’s political standing these days. Oh Ye….
· This one is chock full of guest spots as well, a lot of different rap styles, all flowing naturally into each other. This one hits real hard.
· Pretty cool to have Ye on the mixer board, focusing on the production side and letting all his buds go wild on the track. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that he was a producer before he was a rapper (for Jay-Z of all people), so it really is nice to watch him shine in this way as well.
Devil in A New Dress
· This one really reminds me of his older stuff. Late Registration, Graduation (my personal favorite). Really has that old school Kanye vibe which does not fail in giving me the best nostalgic feelings.
· Rick Ross coming in the end to add his own lemon pepper spice to it. Amid all his controversy, I always really did enjoy his flow (Huh).
Runaway
· Not much I can say about this track that hasn’t already been said.
· That singular piano note is iconic – it’s crazy how simple yet catchy it is. It also turns out to be my go-to whenever I find myself around a piano after a couple beers, being the modern-day Mozart I am (yes, I fuck it up).
· Lookatlookatlookatlookatlookatcha. 3:13 onward, my favorite part for sure. Kanye really seems to be riffing impromptu. Soooo dope.
Hell of A Life
· Oh yeah, the grimiest of the grime on this beat. Filthy bassline.
· Never in ya wildest never in ya wildest.
· Listening to Kanye go on about the pornstar he’s gonna marry makes me half terrified and half curious about how his life is about to go post-Kardashian.
· Breakdown with the tube effects, gospel background, 808 hits. Love the energy switch up. I wish this is as “gospel-inspired” as he stayed, however his progression through TLOP up to Jesus Is King tragically says otherwise.
Blame Game
· A slowdown in tempo – a nice breather track.
· Probably on the lower rung of the ladder in my rankings but it is by no means a bad song. Just a little more scattered and drags out a bit too much.
· All is forgiven once Chris Rock's bit kicks in. Hilarious cameo.
Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America
· My favorite track(s) from the album.
· Something about vocoder/heavily autotuned harmony really gets me going. Especially here, thank you for your service Justin Vernon.
· Old school 808 & Heartbreak type beat, nostalgia vibes at an all-time high.
· This track has it all – tight rhymes, a heavy bass kick, great drum break groove, buzzing/bellowing synths, strong message behind it. Just awesome.
Enjoyable from start to finish and coming in at #3 on my personal “Top Kanye West albums” list, MBDTF has everything – I’ll be picking this one up on vinyl in the near future.
Overall Rating – 9.5/10
Favourite Song – Lost in the World
LUNDI
Let’s get straight to it. Is there a bad song on this album? Nope. I’d even go as far as to say every song is GREAT. It’s pretty much a flawless album as far as I’m concerned, especially considering the genre.
Banger after banger after banger. Kanye’s production skills shine through with immaculate beats rapped over by yeezus himself as well as countless premium features.
As with RAM this album came out during my university years. I can still vividly remember touching down in Las Vegas listening to All of the Lights and I’ve definitely drunkenly rapped Monster with my res boys probably a 1000 times. This one holds a special place.
Random thoughts: Gorgeous in Miami will also live on forever. RIP Duncan. So Appalled might be the greatest feature song ever. Every verse is killed. Devil in a Dress is a small blip for me as I don’t love the last two minutes. Bit too long of an instrumental and I can take or leave Rick Ross.
Here’s a question: Is there a song out there that’s more recognizable as soon as the first note hits as Runaway? That single piano cord and I’m hooked. In the end though this song also runs a bit too long for me when considering the album as a whole.
Random thoughts #2: absolutely love Hell of a Life. Very very cool beat. John Legend and Chris Rock in a song sandwiching some great bars somehow works. Love the comedic ending especially on Blame Game. I definitely had no clue who Bon Iver was in 2010 and I love that he ends his album with applause.
How did I let this happen: I don’t want to let this go without mentioning Power and Dark Fantasy. It just puts more emphases on how good this album is. I can write a full review without talking about them and they’re both iconic.
Simply put this album is perfect minus a few extended songs I wish were shorter. It’s Kanye’s best album and this was a treat to look back on.
Overall Rating – 9.8/10
Favourite Song – Don’t make me pick…. But if I must today it’s Runaway. I just love it.