Let’s be honest, most people have developed a love-hate connection with the cocky, egotistical Kanye West. His oddball tweets, his strong political views, and his general air of superiority are enough to either pull you in or push you away. But, when it comes to his latest musical effort, you quickly realize that this isn’t the same resourceful prodigy who made The College Dropout or even the wounded soul behind 808s and Heartbreak. Instead, My Beautiful DarkTwisted Fantasy track list evolves from certain highlights from his previous work and expands into something less than sane, and it works.
The album is saturated with an all-star lineup on West’s formidable fifth effort. The lavish LP deploys a plethora of talents from the indie backwoods (Bon Iver), the pop legend (Elton John) and many other artists. Comedian Chris Rock is hysterically foul-mouthed at the end of “Blame Game,” where he rants about how his woman has changed for the better, all because “Yeezy” taught her.
Few artists could get away with this level of genre blending, unique composition and hip-hop artistry. West does it completely, convincing audiences to listen closely to his stories and their deep characters. Nicki Minaj is the first voice on the grand intro. The schizophrenic tones in her voice are the perfect match to the ominous track that she is reading on, therefore enticing you to enter West’s dark fantasy.
“Gorgeous” with Kid Cudi and the Raekwon is an electric guitar driven track that’s the perfect fit for West and Rae to create magic on. My favorite track on the album is “Devil in a New Dress” featuring Rick Ross, which samples Smokey Robinson’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” The track is so ill, it makes you want to fill a snifter with your favorite brandy and just sit back, listen and reflect.
West has raised the bar for an entire generation with this album and demonstrated he has a superb capacity and knowledge of crafting music that is unrivaled by anyone who calls themselves a rapper. The beats are unforgettable and his choice and use of guest artists is second to none. This is a huge leap in showing his maturity as an artist and as a man. Without a doubt, this album is a must-have in your collection. What are you waiting for?
–lynnette “lboogie” pope
