My Beautiful Dark Twisted Review
Can we get much higher?
I was prompted by @BecomingCritter on Twitter to write about my favorite album.
I found that super exciting but also challenging: I don’t know what my favorite album is, it changes every day!
I settled on the album with the most interesting story and the one that’s been a favorite for the longest now: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West.
(I’ll shorten it to MBDTF in the rest of this post).
Let's start with some context. In 2008, Kanye West was a superstar. He was on top of the charts and everyone knew him. But not everyone liked him. Being prone to controversy, the rapper was a special target for paparazzi.
His fourth album, 808s & Heartbreaks, had not been very well received by his fanbase. Indeed, Kanye West was famous for his soulful and sample-heavy hip hop. But on 808s & Heartbreaks, he switched to auto-tuned crooning and tortured lyrics. This was very weird for a rapper at the time.
What happened? Well, West's life had taken a dark turn in the previous year. His mother died after getting plastic surgery, and he broke up with his fiancée.
Personal troubles + mixed critics + constant media attention = not a good balance. The artist became paranoid and started to act more and more impulsively.
The tipping point was on September 13, 2009, the night of the MTV Video Music Awards.
Taylor Swift, already America’s Sweetheart, won the award for Best Female Video. But Kanye West (possibly inebriated) rushed on stage, interrupted Taylor’s speech, and said that Beyoncé should have won the award, before flipping off the crowd.
That was too much for the media. They released everything they could on the rapper.
Scarred by the event and wanting to stay low for a while, Kanye cancelled his upcoming tour and left for Hawaii. There, he built a studio and invited a wide range of guests to work on his new album. For months, they did nothing but play basketball and make music (read this amazing piece by Complex for the full story).
On November 22, 2010, West returned and released MBDTF, his most ambitious work to date.
Saying that MBDTF is bombastic is a euphemism. It is the most maximal album I know. It's clipping, over-compressed, and quite long, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
MBDTF is a tour de force from the Chicago artist. The album is a feast for the ears with enough to eat for everyone. There's poetry and braggadocio, classical music and auto-tune, sad moments and triumphant parts, Gil-Scott Heron and Black Sabbath, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver.
It’s also Kanye West’s revenge. After the industry left him crushed and vulnerable, he replied with what he does best: music.
Yet, MBDTF is not only an angry “fuck you” rap album. It’s an intricate work of art, a genuine display of West’s skills. If you dissect it, you’ll find a critique of contemporary media, stardom, and systemic discrimination. It's a rap album for art students.
Here are some of the lyrics from “Gorgeous”:
Penitentiary chances, the devil dances And eventually answers to the call of autumn All them fallin' for the love of ballin' Got caught with thirty rocks, the cop look like Alec Baldwin Inter-century anthems based off inner-city tantrums Based off the way we was branded Face it, Jerome get more time than Brandon And at the airport, they check all through my bag And tell me that it's random
"Power":
I just needed time alone with my own thoughts Got treasures in my mind, but couldn't open up my own vault My childlike creativity, purity, and honesty Is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts Reality is catching up with me Taking my inner child, I'm fighting for custody With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
But there’s also greatness beyond the lyrical themes. You can find mind-shattering moments in the music, like when Kanye makes the echo from the words “so exciting” gradually turn into “suicide” in POWER (3:17), or when his auto-tuned and distorted voice transforms into an instrument in Runaway (6:00).
With MBDTF, the artist pushes the boundaries not only of hip hop but of popular music in general. He’s not afraid to try things and he doesn’t care about what you think.
And he also makes others shine! Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross arguably have the best verses of their careers on “Monster” and “Devil in a New Dress” respectively, and Bon Iver’s “Woods” is taken to a new level by West’s touch.
As I said before, there’s a little bit for everyone in MBDTF. You may like “Monster” or “Dark Fantasy” because they make you feel invincible. You may like “Runaway” or “Blame Game” because they get you in your feelings. Or you may like “All of the Lights” or “Lost in the World”, because the gorgeous synths, strings, and horns take you to a higher plane of consciousness.
But for me, the whole is greater than its parts. This album is the story of a man who lost everything he had due to a dark and twisted industry, and who returned with a beautiful masterpiece.
MBDTF was Kanye’s redemption. After its release, his mental health improved, he founded a family, he went on to release more masterpieces, and everyone liked him so much that he got elected President in 2020!
Well, not exactly.
The first part is true. Kanye West got massive success and recognition from 2010 to 2014. But then his demons started creeping up again. He went on to release half-assed albums, get in beefs with everyone, go MAGA, go super Christian, go to the hospital, run and lose the 2020 Election, and divorce his wife.
Kanye West is a complex persona. You can not detach his public life from his music, they influence each other, and it's important to know the rapper's story to enjoy his work even more.
As far as I know, Kanye has been quiet for a while, and he might be preparing a comeback.
If history is bound to repeat, the world is not ready.