My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Review

The Following post is VERY long. I tried my best to keep it short but there was so much that I wanted to cover. Sorry for such a long read and it might help to break it down into segments. Happy reading.

First off, I would like to apologize to all of you who have been waiting on this very delayed review. There were a lot of reasons I held off on reviewing this album until now.
   One of those reasons was the fact that I was extreeemely disappointed by Kanye's decision to use nearly all of the songs from the album in the film "Runaway". While I loved the film and felt that each track accompanied each scene perfectly, it left no room for surprise when I actually got the album. It was like I opened my Christmas presents on the 20th, then re-wrapped them, just to open them again on the 25th. Of course the same excitement and surprise isn't going to be there.
   Another reason I was disappointed was the fact that the tracks, "So Appalled", "Devil In a New Dress", and "Monster" were released via Kanyewest.com for G.O.O.D Fridays. If I would have known that these tracks were going to be on the album I would've waited to hear the full, mastered version. Maybe it's just the music lover in me but I absolutely hate hearing music that isn't ready yet. You wouldn't pull a turkey out of the oven halfway through cooking it and serve it would you? So why do that with music? Why ruin the final experience for people like me? Okay, enough whining.
   The last and final reason that I've been so delayed in reviewing this album is the fact that I had to take time to marinate on not just the songs, but the album as a whole. After getting over the disappointment of having heard damn near the whole album, I had to listen to the lyrics, the instruments, the production, the quality, the choice of features, the breaks in songs, and just how the album flowed together as a whole. With Kanye being one of my favorite artists, and this album being so highly praised by everyone, I wanted to get the opinions of others, as well as allow my own opinions time to change and set in. I feel that after around two months of listening to this album, I finally have had enough time to thoroughly dissect and analyze nearly every fiber of Kanye's latest offering.


   I'd like to start by saying that I feel like this album is Kanye's most human, relatable, and one of his most vulnerable albums since College Dropout. Sure 808's was an excellent album and touched on all of these bases as well, I just feel like that album wasn't widely accepted by the general public. I feel like Kanye covered all of the highs and lows that occur in life, whether you are a multi-platinum multi-millionaire, a college student, or someone working a dead-end 9-5 Monday through Friday, you can relate to at least 90% of this album.
  The opening track "Dark Fantasy" opens with Nicki Minaj, this time with her English accent, guiding us through the thick, murky synth sounds that serve as the base of this ever ascending jet. The mixture of the soulful sample that asks, "Can we get much higher?" with the half-angel-half-robot voice that belts out the rest of the chorus, "so high" snatches the listener by the back of the shirt before bursting into high gear. Just when you start to gasp for air the beat quickly switches from vertical, to lateral movement with a boomptity-boop tickle of piano keys that serves as a great platform for Mr. West to display his new array of lyrical gymnastics that he's obviously brushed up on since going into hibernation. It's at this point the sign to take off your seatbelt and put on your Wayfarers lights up. Kanye has grown from the little brother "hey hey look at me!" rapper that used to crave the respect of his peers. He now drops clever lines like, ".. That's me the first year that I blow/ How you say broke in Spanish? Me no hablo" or "So much head, wokeup in Sleepy Hollow" as if they come naturally and doesn't even look back to see if the listener got what he just said. As soon as you get comfortable with the tempo and rate and which the jet is moving, you're once again advised to fasten your seatbelt before being whisked yet again to a higher altitude. Just before you think you really can't get any higher, you're zoomed into space at warp speed.
  I really loved the plethora of sounds that Kanye played with this time around. "Gorgeous" sounds like a song you would hear on an old episode of "Foxy Brown" or "Shaft". With this song we find Kanye in the roll he's best known for, the smartass "I'm gonna talk my shit and you're gonna like it" guy that you love to hate. It's songs like these that reflect Kanye's upbringing and how much having two parents that were heavily involved with the Black Panther movement influences how he views government today.  "Face it , Jerome get more time than Brandon/And at the airport they check all through my bag and tell me that it's random..." "I treat the cash, they way the government treats AIDS, I won't be satisfied 'till all my niggas get it. Get it?" That's what I love about Kanye. The fact that you will never shut him up, and no matter how much you hate him, he still wins because you'll still bob your head to his beats and no matter now self-absorbed he or his lyrics may be, he presents them in such witty ways that you can't help but go with it.
  I felt like "Power" was the perfect track for Kanye to resurface with. It's bold, and commands your attention from the jump. From the opening handclaps and chants, to the sounding of the alarm, to the addition of the electric guitar, all topped off by the thrashing of the drums, the song comes through the speakers and gives your eardrums a beating that is rivaled only by Chris Brown. This song, to me, was Kanye's journal while he was in quarantine from the media. He goes through all of the things that have happened and gives a big "fuck you!" to everyone from the entire cast of SNL to his critics. This is where Kanye is most at home. He knows you hate him, he knows he's "controversial", and he simply doesn't give a fuck. If NWA went to Fashion Week and owned furs, they would be Kanye West.
  One of the things I like most about this album is the fact that Kanye really took his time with the music and the beats that went into it. For example, "All of The Lights" has a beautiful violin and drum duo that leads up to the actual song. The harmony of the subtle violin chords dancing along the strong notes played by the piano almost makes you forget you're even listening to a "Hip-Hop" CD. On this particular song we find Kanye playing Maestro to a vocal orchestra that includes Rhianna, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Elton John, John Legend, Fergie, The-Dream, Tony Williams, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, and La Roux's Elly Jackson. And the best part is, none of it sounds forced. Everyone's voices along with Ye's triumphant trumpets and boastful drums lend to the over the top sound of the song.
  Tracks like "Monster" and "So Appalled" find Kanye jockeying for position to body a song better than some of today's most prominent figures in Hip-Hop. From battling with the ever-cool Jay-Z and the schizophrenic Nicki Minaj on "Monster" to cyphering with the underrated Pusha T, as well as the up and coming CyHi Da Prynce, and Jay-Z (again), Kanye more than holds his own. It's great for fans such as myself to really see an artist come into his own. Kanye used to always get bodied by guest rappers on his songs (i.e. "Never Let Me Down"). We had a glimpse of what was to come once Kanye bodied Jay on "Run This Town", and now we find him trading punches with the Big Homie like it's nothing. Fuckin' Ridiculous.

  "Devil In a New Dress" is probably my second favorite song on the album. I've been a sucker for soul samples ever since Jay-Z's "Blueprint" (the first one) and ironically enough, this beat (which I consider to be the best beat on the album) wasn't produced by Kanye. I love the unorthodox flow of the song. It almost sounds like a straight freestyle with a quickly thought up chorus every now and then to call it a "song". Also, what I talked about earlier with Kanye taking his time with the beat, this is my favorite example. There are so many layers of sounds going on in this song that I feel like the average person doesn't really listen to or appreciate. You can go ahead and skip ahead to the next paragraph if you'd like cause shit is about to get real particular and slowed down.  At the 2:46 mark you hear the piano come in and there's about a 8 second break right before the electric guitar comes crashing in, and while that's going on you have the electric organ just simmering in the background while the guitar continues to pick up intensity. That little 20 second gap is so crazy to me. That's what I listen to music for. Those small gaps in time where you can hear the thought and time put in to perfectly layer sounds and have them mesh so well together. And the fact that he saved that segment for such a brash and bullying voice like Rick Ross to rap on... The juxtaposition of a soft elegant beat with Rick Ross' brash and brazen voice is absolute ear candy. Production and engineering at it's best.

  I felt like "Runaway" was out of place on this album, and I particularly have never cared for the song so I'm gonna skip that one.

  "Hell of A Life" is the "Twisted" part of the "Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" that Kanye is taking us through. If I were a pornstar this is the music that I'd fuck to. This is straight dirty, nasty, Madonna type music. From lyrics like "make a nun cum, make her cremate" to the even more taboo chorus that exclaims, "Pussy and Religion is all I need" this album truly ventures into the dark and twisted side of Kanye's mind more than any album before. It's almost hard to believe that this is the same guy that made songs like "Jesus Walks" and "Hey Mama". Every time I listen to this song I feel like I need to go into a Catholic church and confess.

  My favorite song on this album is definitely "Blame Game". I feel like this song beautifully narrates the tragedy that happens when a relationship has ended but you're still trying to glue the pieces back together. This song finds Kanye more vulnerable than I can recall in recent memory. The second verse demonstrates this more than my words ever could:

You wasn't perfect but you made life worth it

Stick around some real feelings might surface

It's been a long time since I spoke to you

In the bathroom grippin' you up, fuckin' and chokin' you

What the Hell was I supposed to do?

I know you ain't gettin' this type of dick from that local dude

And if you are I hope you have a good time, cause I'll definitely be havin' mine

And you ain't finna' see a..

Mogul get emotional

Everytime I hear about other niggas that's strokin' you

Lie and say I hit you

Sittin' and consolin' you

Rubbin' my name through the mud, who's provokin' you?

You should be grateful a nigga like me ever noticed you

Now you're noticeable and can't nobody get control of you

1AM and can't nobody get a hold of you

Callin' your brother's phone like "What was I supposed to do?"

Even though I knew, he never told the truth

He was just gon' say whatever that you told him to

At a certain point I had to stop askin' questions

Y'all got dirt on eachother like mud wrestlers

I heard he bought some coke with my money

That ain't right girl

You gettin' blackmailed 

for that whitegirl

You always said, "Yeezy I ain't your right girl, you'll probably find one of them "I like art" type girls"

All of the Lights, she was caught in the hype girl

And I was satisfied being in love with a lie

Who to blame? You to blame? Me to blame? For the pain?

It be pourin' everytime when it rains.

Let's play the Blame Game

The pain and sincerity in Kanye's voice when he sings "I can't love you this much" makes him human. Yes he may own furs, ride in a Maybach, and hasn't seen the words "insufficient funds" in a few years, but Kanye West is still human. No human is impervious to heartbreak. Beautiful.

  

  "Lost in the World" captures another facet of Kanye's genius. Not only does he sample, but he samples things that most Hip-Hop producers don't even know exist. For example, he uses Bon Iver's "Woods" to constuct an beautiful song that has a tribal and triumphant sound to it that brings you to the top of the mountain that Kanye's been climbing this whole time. The plane has finally landed. Thank you for flying G.O.O.D Music West.

Overall I'd say Kanye's album is a true music lover's dream. the plethora or sounds and styles that Kanye experiments with on this album would go wrong 9 time out of 10 if ever attempted by any other rapper artist. My only quip with this album is "Runaway" but I don't think that minor blemish is enough to discredit such a great work of art and craftsmanship. Thank you Kanye for once again proving that G.O.O.D music still exists.