reviewing kanye west’s ‘my beautiful dark twisted fantasy’
below is a track-by-track commentary on kanye’s latest. i wrote it on my blackberry on an airplane 32,000 feet in the air while listening to the album in its entirety for the first time. kanye west is the most important rapper of the last 10 years and the most important rapper/producer of all of hip-hop.
1) Dark Fantasy
Nicki Minaj’s english accent is pretty bad. This is the 2nd most anthemic song on an album of anthems. Subtle anthemic swag. Trumpets. Pianos. Beat is dripping 90s rap. Songs from the Runaway video now can’t escape its imagery - which I think is dope. ‘bravery in bravado’. Headless horseman motif - here kanye and oral sex, there convertibles and Pusha T. Celine Dion is ugly. “The plan was to drink until the pain over/ but what’s worse the pain or the hangover” - the stuff 90s aol personal profile favorite quotes are made of. Themes: stunting, drinking, hope.
2) Gorgeous feat KiD CuDi & Raekwon
I haven’t listened to a lot of Cudi in my life, recent album included, but dude’s whole thing works on this song. Kanye’s choice of lo-fi vocal aesthetic on such a big budget album is an interesting choice though not surprising. He isn’t just a pop musician who moves units, he’s someone who moves pop music forward as an artform. Subject matter here is pretty serious at times. Kanye was the first dude to casually talk about serious racial dynamics over pop records made for a mass audience. (GOOD LOOKING OUT, DOG). “What’s a black beatle anyway? A fucking roach?”. Middle american teens: meet Raekwon. Cheesy guitars at the end FTW.
3) POWER
Serious ‘jesus walks’ vibez. Triumphant swag. Shoutout ‘King Crimson’. The guitar underbelly of this joint is dope. “My furs is mongolian”. Then there’s the whole suicide outro aka vulnerable swag a la The-Dream on ‘Mr. Yeah’. This songs about not being a role model.
4) All of the Lights (Interlude)
Pretty strings on a rap album’s like Raekwon on a pop album. Classiest rap interlude ever.
5) All of the Lights
Yes! Regal swag! These drums are nuts! DJ Toomp is godbody! I see fireworks. “MJ gone…” - a community yearns for its lost mega super pop star but gains a new one. Talking about slapping your girl on a record w Rhianna is weird but rappers don’t care. Does she? Kanye’s obsession with “lights” continues. This song’s so good. Meeting your daughter at a Borders because of public visitation rights sounds real sad. Maybe he learned his lesson. Oh, whattup BoneThugsesque bridge. Even Fergie trying to sound like MIA like that time Gaga did that for a Wale track is somewhat bearable in this context. These drums!
6) Monster feat Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj
Rick Ross calling himself a “fat motherfucker” is always funny. Then wait for the ‘pussy/sarcophagus’ joint… YEAH! Jay talking about how other monsters acknowledge his inclusion in the club is so illuminati. Hope he wasn’t talkin about Peedi Peedi “milling about, spilling feelings”. These understated drums are boss. Nicki’s cool ‘electro’ style vocal effects feel like cheating. Then at the end you’re kinda like ‘wait I think kanye’s verse before the ‘pussy/sarcophagus’ joint might have been the best verse’. Bon Iver splits duty w Kanye on vocal effects that occasionally remind us about how much iller this record is than 808s. This record is about being cool.
7) So Appaled feat Jay-Z, Pusha T, CyHi the Prince, Swizz Beatz and The RZA
Swizzy is ultra-income art-rap too. Amidst the chatter of stunting yeezy sounds like he was lonely in a hotel room maybe one time too many this year. Re-dick-a-luss. Rap business 101: these youngins need to stop burning their bridges and ruining relationships. ‘Bobby Brown jaw’ is the official medical name of that condition. Everyone knows god has a Zune, CyHi… I think I’m getting into jokes here because I’m a little bored towards the end. Maybe having two of the three best rappers in the game opening for two proteges wasn’t a good move. RZA’s insane voice is somewhat of a concession. This song is about nothing.
8) Devil in a New Dress feat Rick Ross
Vintage Kanye production is still great. “dior homme/ not dior homie”. versace swagger: miami/italy: “the crib scarface/ couldn’t be more tony”. [updated] Rick Ross, it turns out, did work with Kanye before the accident on “Doing My Job” which eventually ended up going to T.I. in 2001/2002. Does Ross have the trap in Melbourne, Australia mailing him money? “making love to the angel of death” sounds complicated. guitars are back.
*Update: Actually produced by Bink!. Feels so Kanye tho!
9) Runaway feat Pusha T
This song as ‘piano vs. mpc’ sums up the whole regal boom-bap thing the album has going on. beautiful. dark. kanye can sing without autotune = he just likes the way it sounds? I can identify with summing up my previous relationship failures w women to just being “not too good at that shit”. ‘say goodnight to the bad guy” vibez. distortion undermines vulnerability.
10) Hell of a Life
This beat is a dream. Porn star as ‘hooker with a heart of gold’ type to kanye’s tragic hero. Spirituality/sex > Drugs. Ending a verse with nonsense like ‘bang, bang, bang, bang’ is a page from our book. ‘Oscar day/ oscar de la rente’. Dudes fashion related wordplay game is proper. This little ‘fuck with the lights on’ bit should be its own joint. Synths and string-sounding-arpeggio-type synths at the end are buck. This song is about women and love.
11) Blame Game feat John Legend
A beat so beautiful the words almost tarnish it. Strings. This song doesn’t sound like a broke lovers quarrel. As an artist myself I’d surmise these vocal effects on kanye’s verse stand to undermine vulnerability again and make rapping about a very specific person and very specific events slightly easier to listen to. I forgot Chris Rock existed and is hella funny. “yeezy re-upholstered my pussy”. shoutsout twista and the source magazine? More Aphex Twin sampling in hip-hop please. Lushlife sent us a dope Squarepusher sampling track we didn’t have time to include on Sit Down, Man. This song is about a specific woman and love.
12) Lost in the World feat Bon Iver
Bon Iver must feel so ill right now. These drums, these drums. This song is about a woman who represents several dualities and thus is appealing for the sense of adventure that comes along with her. The endpiece is ill.
13) Who Will Survive in America
A politically vocal artist like Kanye couldn’t leave the audience with such little chatter of race dynamics in america on arguably his masterpiece. Gil scott-heron is the dude. Ending w this changes the whole feel of the album. It makes it about a lot more under the surface. You got to close on a meaningful tip, thun.
This album is 9 mangoes on a scale of 10 mangoes. Along with Rick Ross and The-Dream’s output this year, this album represents the best of music in 2010. All music. As I’ve only listened to the album in its entirety a couple times, i can’t figure out what order that top 3 would be in. Nonetheless, here are some swag bullet points:
- artwork’s been awesome and accompanying runaway imagery lingers in memory w listening
- kanye kind of nails the ultra-income rap thing Jay kind of tried to do with Kingdome Come
- regal boom-bap
- sonic versace swagger.
- dualities
