Kanye West is an American rapper, songwriter and producer. Kanye, now known as “Ye,” is best known for his experimental music that changed the rap game for many years to come. He dropped his masterpiece “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in Fall of 2010.
This album came out at a very controversial time in the rapper’s life. West has always been known to say what’s on his mind, and that isn’t always the best decision. During the 2009 VMAs, a drunk West went on stage after singer Taylor Swift was awarded the best music video of the year. He proceeded to take the microphone from Swift and say that while Taylor’s video was great, Beyoncé’s was better and that it was one of the greatest music videos of all time. Some believe that this is the incident that shot Swift into superstardom as it really got her name out there for more people, but that’s a conversation for another time. This obviously got Kanye into a bunch of heat and sort of made him into the artist he is today.
After the infamous 2009 MVAs incident, Kanye then set out to prove the world wrong and create one of the greatest rap albums of all time. Ye would then leave the country for a while studying fashion and other things like that before finding his temporary home in Hawaii, where the album would be made. West was already one of the biggest artists in the world at the time; however, after the incident, people were doubting that he would drop another classic like his previous four. The rapper estimated that around 5,000 hours were put into the song, “POWER” with just as much effort going into the other songs.
The album only has 13 songs with the last one being a skit, so technically 12 actual songs. This album is nothing short of fantastic from beginning to end and is a definite standout in his impressive discography. In fact, many people not only think this is West’s best album, but the best hip-hop album ever made. The album opens with the title track “Dark Fantasy” which features Nicki Minaj doing the intro for the song. It then goes into one of the best songs on the album titled “Gorgeous” which features Kid Cudi and Raekwon. This song uses a guitar sample and distorts their voices perfectly. The tracklist is obviously very strong; however, the two tracks that stand out the most are “Devil In A New Dress” featuring Rick Ross and “Runaway” featuring Pusha T. These are not only some of the best songs on the album, but some of Kanye’s best songs overall. This leads to another one of the reasons this album is so good. The features are unbelievable with rappers such as JAY-Z, Nicki Minaj and the ones listed above. There are great features from people such as John Legend and Bon Iver who aren’t typically in rap songs.
One of the standout things about this album is how complex each song is and that each song was crafted slowly. Kanye’s work ethic made this album what it is today and truly turned it into an unforgettable listen. His production is so impressive, making each song what it is. Kanye was determined to create something that wouldn’t be forgotten and would inspire many generations to come. Another thing that stands out in this album is its marketing. Obviously, when a rapper of Kanye’s status drops, a lot of people will know, but Ye did things that are much different than the previous rappers and changed the game forever.
One of the most creative things that Ye did was give the album five different covers, which goes to show his thought process when creating his masterpiece. One of the most significant albums has a ballerina on the cover, and it is used to symbolize how the people see beauty. Many of the alternate covers are not used as frequently, but it’s still impressive to be able to create so many different narratives for one album. The other thing he did was release a movie with his album titled “Runaway: The Film.” At the time, this was unheard of. Kanye has inspired many generations to come, and it shows in today’s music game. While the rapper hasn’t dropped an actual project in two years, he is still dropping music and planning on dropping a new album very soon. Who knows if it’ll actually happen, though, because Ye is infamous for not dropping albums when he’s supposed to.
In the final analysis, this album is inconceivable and truly is one of the greatest albums ever dropped. This album deserves a 5/5 stars as it starts off hot and doesn’t miss a beat. Not only does it stand out in Kanye’s discography, but also in music as a whole.
