SachinStyle

In his fifth studio album, Kanye West dives even deeper into the twisted, emotionally bruised, narcissistic soul the media can’t seem to get enough of. West’s The College Dropout was an exhilarating breath of fresh air for a genre in decline. His second album, Late Registration, was arguably the rap album of the decade.The school theme came to a conclusion with the suave Graduation. After losing his mother and being dumped by his fiancee, Kanye showed us his sensitive side in 808s & Heartbreak. But no previous album of his comes close to the brutal honesty and blatant douchebaggery of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It’s his best effort yet, naturally.

In 2010, Kanye West infamously interrupted Taylor Swift’s VMA acceptance speech, marking the high point of his career not as a musician, but as the topic of conversation. He famously joined Twitter, and thus became the subject of an Internet meme involving New Yorker cartoons. Retired idiot George W. Bush even recalled Kanye’s statement that he didn’t care about black people as the low point of his fraudulent presidency. Even without My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it was one hell of a year for Kanye West. But with the album’s release, that year becomes something else entirely.

Yeezy’s dark, twisted fantasy begins with a song fittingly titled “Dark Fantasy.” He recalls his humble beginnings in the album’s opening line: “I fantasized ‘bout this back in Chicago.” The track features a signature Kanye West sample in the form of Mike Oldfield’s “In High Places,” which, in combination with West’s smooth verses, sets the tone for the rest of the album. We continue on to “Gorgeous,” where in the company of Kid Cudi and Raekwon, he asks, “Is hip-hop just a euphemism for a new religion? / The soul music for the slaves that the youth is missing?” Lyrically, “Gorgeous” is probably the best this album has to offer. It’s a wonderfully traditional rap number with a killer beat. What more could you want?

Next, the hit single “Power” offers a look at West’s undeniable power complex. You’ve probably heard it by now, so you know what I mean. The interlude to the uber-pop Michael Jackson tribute “All of the Lights” is a beautiful cello solo, while the song itself is a loving farewell to the King of Pop, featuring the likes of Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Fergie, Alicia Keys, and Elton-fucking-John. Emotionally, it’s one of the high points of the fantasy.

Where the first third of the album is upbeat and organized, the rest of it goes to deeper, darker, chaotic places:

• “Monster” — a song in which everyone does nothing but boast about how great they are. Features a stunning verse from the exploding force that is Nicki Minaj.
• “So Appalled” — Jay-Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz and RZA swing out at haters in this slow, dark piece which, as far as I know, doesn’t feature Yeezy at all. Jay-Z pops up with one of my favorite lines in the album (which is taken from one of my favorite films): “Dark Knight feelin’ / Die and be a hero / Or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
• “Devil in a New Dress” — West and Rick Ross cover religion, morality and life in this heavy-handed track with a killer sample.
• “Runaway” — The other single, “Runaway” is an 808s & Heartbreak-y study of Kanye’s contradicting behavior with women. And the best part is, it’s a non-apology for such behavior: “See I could have me a good girl / And still be addicted to them hood rats / And I just blame everything on you / At least you know that’s what I’m good at.” Up-and-coming Pusha T adds, “24-7, 365 / Pussy stays on my mind / I did it, alright alright, I admit it / Now pick your next move, you could leave or live with it.” It’s obnoxious and offending, but man, does it sound good. The extended, electronic moaning Kanye subjects us to at the end of the song communicates an astonishing amount of emotion, while the simple piano beat behind it all communicates a certain lack of emotion. Like I said, contradiction.
• “Hell of a Life” — Functioning as a detailed glimpse at West’s way of life, he spends the better part of the song fantasizing about marrying a porn star. “No more drugs for me / Pussy and religion is all I need.” And the chorus, where he sings to the tune of “Iron Man,” goes as hard as anything I’ve ever heard. Dark, twisted, and disturbing.
• “Blame Game” — Running nearly eight minutes, “Blame Game,” which features John Legend, is West’s attempt at a break-up song. Only when all is said and done, it’s a sprawling, sexist, explicit mess that begs to be listened to. The final two minutes feature Chris Rock—yeah, the comedian—saying things that must be heard to be believed. Shocking and beautiful.
• “Lost in the World” — Featuring Bon Iver in the chorus, Yeezy bids us farewell with this melodic, perfectly produced number which, guaranteed, will make you feel sorry for the guy. It seamlessly transitions into a perfectly placed sample of Gil Scott-Heron’s famous speech, “Who Will Survive in America?”. The speech, along with the album, ends with applause.

And rightly so. Each song in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy features a facet of the man’s complex personality, effortlessly translated into sweet music. Sure, Kanye West is an asshole, but he’s an asshole with genuine musical talent. No one can deny that. His understanding of the balance between all aspects of a song can be easily seen in his ever-growing body of work. And when his fifth addition to that body of work is his best, it says a lot about West’s potential to constantly outdo himself.

I’ma let you finish, but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of the best albums of all time. Of all time.