Kanye West. Those words always conjure a reaction. He makes you have an opinion. Why? He’s so loud. He’s brash, crass, and blunt. But hey, tasteful discretion was the name of Ron Burgundy’s game, not Kanye’s. He makes you listen. And when it comes to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, you’d be doing yourself a serious disservice to not listen.
Understand something, the album is what the title says it is: Beautiful, dark, and twisted. It’s grand in scale (There’s 13 tracks and a thirty-five minute movie that accompanies the album that West, himself, directed. Some do music videos. West does music movies). From College Dropout to Late Registration to Graduation to 808s & Heartbreak, he’s never held back. And, thankfully, he doesn’t stop now.
Forever speaking exactly what’s on his mind is what West has always done. Sometimes to a fault, yes, but no one can accuse Kanye of a lack of conviction. He feels. He takes risks. Pushing the boundaries of hip-hop and, sometimes, traditional song structure in general, he’s not always verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus on this album. Still, it plays without a hitch. Complete with a laundry list of music industry all-stars (Elton John, RZA, Jay-Z, John Legend, Raekwon, Kid Cudi, Bon Iver and I could keep going), you can get lost in the album’s magnitude.
The album soars at times, bringing you with it. Lyrically, West has never been more on point. There’s a smoothness to his raps now that wasn’t always there. He’ll "never take work off,” as he said in "Runaway." He's a perfectionist who was on a rampage for redemption. That’s what this album was born out of: A constant desire to prove himself and to be seen as, not just great, but the greatest. Kanye’s always aimed for epic. If he hadn’t succeeded before, he has now.
On "Blame Game," he says...
“Things used to be, now they not
Anything but us is who we are
Disguising ourselves as secret lovers
We become public enemies.
We walk away like strangers in the street
Gone for eternity, we erased one another
So far from where we came, with so much of everything
How do we leave with nothing?
Lack of visual empathy
Equates the meaning of L-O-V-E
Hatred and attitude tear us entirely.”
Our hearts can be hard, and we lack honesty at times. Again, Kanye feels. He wants us to, too.
Comments
This review put into words the scramble of emotions that I felt when I committed an entire crisp December night to driving around while listening to this album.
A tank of gas lost, but a world of perspective gained, and here a month later, you put that night into words. Brilliant, I could not agree more.
tEaM tAyLoR!!!!!! <3
JK. Great review. He changed the game again. I'm glad you didn't say that the the vocoder solo at the end of runaway was excessive. Cause it's not.
All of the lights should be the biggest song of 2011. I'll be disappointed if it's not. Can't believe it's not huge already.
This well written review pushes beyond the norm that the reader has become accustomed to. The author clearly blends information and wit to make for an enjoyable read. Mr. Parker should be commended for a job well done. One can only hope that future reviews will come sooner than later.
Great review I would say that you have managed to put the genius of this album and artist into words. A perfectly written review that touches all the bases and highlights what I believe to be the best elements. I look forward to reading some more of your reviews in the future. DP
Enjoyed reading what Tyler Parker wrote!
Enjoyed reading what Tyler Parker wrote!
As a lover of College Dropout, disappointed listener of Late Registration, and altogether apathetic to all the rest, I'm thinking maybe I should snap out of it and check this one out.
Thanks for the insightful review.
Tyler gets to the heart of what Kanye West was really saying in this review. Great job. Can't wait for your next review!
Thanks everybody! Very nice of you.
i would like a review on the cat double back flip and i video of you doing the robot in taco bueno... thanks...
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