Review: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Fearless.

That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of Kanye West—he’s fearless. Kanye West is the same man who had the gall to want to rap when he was merely a producer. Kanye West bucked the trend of rappers wearing the same outfit when he came on the scene wearing pink Polo’s. Kanye West challenged the homophobic rap world to put an end to careless and senseless hatred against gays. Kanye West had the audacity to sing for an entire CD, with the use of Autotune none the less. Kanye West stood toe-to-toe with industry thugs like 50 Cent and Suge Knight in the court room and on the charts. Kanye West had the nerve to challenge former President George W. Bush on his slow call to action to the suffering people of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Kanye West also played career Russian roulette with the kind folks at MTV and NBC.

Kanye West is fearless.

Kanye’s fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is also fearless. Almost a year ago it was reported that Kanye West enlisted Hip-Hop’s greatest producers such as Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Q-Tip, Madlib, and RZA to construct beats for his album. As usual in the music business, things that are talked about rarely come to fruition. RZA is the only producer of the bunch to actually make it on to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and thank God that he did.

Kanye West and No I.D. spruce up RZA’s track titled Dark Fantasy that perfectly sets off the entire album. Dark Fantasy contains that classic eerie Wu-Tang Clan sound that influenced Kanye West’s style of production. Mr. West jumps from being arrogant to introspective on Dark Fantasy as he rhymes, “The plan was to drink until the pain over/But what’s worse, the pain or the hangover?”

Another member of the Wu-Tang Clan pops up on MBDTF when Raekwon guests on the dark and funky Gorgeous. G.O.O.D Music artist Kid Cudi delivers the chorus while Ye and Rae spit the rhymes--surprisingly Kanye gets the best of the Chef.

“My guy said I need a different approach/’Cause people is looking at me like I’m sniffing coke/It’s not funny anymore try different jokes/Tell ‘em hug and kiss my ass, X and O/And kiss the ring while they at it/Do my thing while I got it/Play strings for the dramatic/Ending of the wack sh*t/Act like I ain’t had a belt and two classics/I ain’t got it, I’m coming after whoever who has it/I’m coming after whoever, who has it/You blowin’ up, that’s good, fantastic…”

The middle of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a collage of songs previously released on KanyeWest.com during Kanye’s G.O.O.D Friday series. The album’s first single Power produced by S1 takes the dark and sinister sound of the album to a raucous level. Power perfectly sets the table for the posse cuts Monster and So Appalled which both feature hot appearances by Kanye’s big brother, Jay-Z.

Devil in a New Dress produced by Bink! is an amazing song that's tailor-made for Kanye West. The lyrics give the listener a glimpse into Kanye’s paranoia about the opposite sex.

“Put your hands to the constellations/The way you look should be a sin, you’re my sensation/I know we’re preaching to the congregation/We love Jesus, but she done learned a lot from Satan.”

Kanye’s women issues reappear several times throughout MBDTF. On the second single Runaway Mr. West owns his faults and accepts responsibility for his actions.

"I always find, yeah I always find something wrong/You've been putting up with my sh*t for way too long/I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most/So I think it's time for us to have a toast/Let's have a toast for the douche bags/Let's have a toast for the assholes/Let's have a toast for the scumbags/Everyone of them that I know/Let's have a toast for the jerk offs/That'll never take work off/Baby I got a plan/Runaway as fast as you can."

On Hell of a Life Kanye falls in love with a porn star and chastises the holier than thou critics who look down upon his taboo relationship. Kanye sings the chorus of Hell of a Life with a dash of Autotune and smidgen of the melody from Black Sabbath’s Iron Man, “Have you lost your mind/Tell me where you think we crossed the line/No more drugs for me/P*ssy and religion is all I need/Grab my hand and baby we’ll live a hell of a life.”

The shining moment of Kanye West’s fifth release is Blame Game featuring John Legend and comedian Chris Rock. This track could be the most beautiful rap song I’ve ever heard sans Chris Rock’s hilariously vulgar comedy routine to close out the song. Blame Game is a not so subtle shot and Kanye’s ex-girlfriend Amber Rose with every one of Kanye’s feelings being laid out on the table.

Rarely do rappers show their vulnerable, insecure, and sensitive side to the rest of the world which is what makes Blame Game so special. To use a dated term, Kanye keeps it real.

“What the hell was I supposed to do/I know you ain’t getting this type of d*ck from that local dude/And if you are I hope you have a good time/’Cause I’ll definitely be having mine/And you ain’t finna see a mogul get a emotional/Every time I hear about other n*ggas is stroking you….”

On the bridge of the song Kanye West sings with a passion that anyone that has ever been in love with the wrong person can relate to. What sounds like a statement turns out to be a question and you get the feeling that Ye is questioning himself, his ex, and the man upstairs for not having control of his own emotions.

“I can’t love you this much, I can’t love you this much/I can’t love you this much, I can’t love you this much/I can’t love you this much, no I can’t love you this much/I can’t love you this much, I can’t love you this much…”

Those that push the boundaries of the culture are the ones who will live on forever. We remember Run-DMC putting rock guitars over hard drum beats. We remember Rakim creating the calm and slow flow. We remember N.W.A taking street stories to another level. Kanye West also pushes the music to a place that it’s never been before. The sound of the album and the honesty of the lyrics is unlike anything I've heard before.

Two songs on the album don’t do a whole lot for me. All of the Lights and Lost in the World are a little too busy and lyrically lacking for my blood but they aren’t terrible songs. Everything else is perfect.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sounds like a little bit of College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808’s & Heartbreak tossed into a blender. The album has the humor of College Dropout, the clean production of Late Registration, the synthy-sound of Graduation, and the melodic choruses of 808’s & Heartbreak. It’s the best of all of those albums sonically with completely new rhymes.

At some point in time Kanye West’s name is going to have to be tossed in as one of the top 10 rappers of all-time. I know he doesn’t write all of his own rhymes, I know some of his rhymes are corny, and I know he’s a better producer than he is an emcee. But how many of your top 10 favorite emcees have three classic albums?

Here’s a toast to the douche bags.