My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Fish Sticks 🐠🐟

Used to think this was #1 but there’s a bunch of bad songs here

- é estranho voltar a ouvir esse álbum depois de tanto tempo - eu gostava muito, mas hoje vejo que ele terceirizou o trabalho de muita gente - ele ser insuportável prejudica minha vontade de ouvir o que ele tem pra dizer

Except for Runaway, wasn't feeling it. 2.5/5

Interesting. Vulgar but not gratuitous.

A really interesting, genre-blending hip hop album that predates the dull mumble rap of the late 2010s and Kanye becoming a more controversial figure. POWER and it's use of King Crimson stands out to me but there's a lot of good here.

I've never been a huge fan of Kanye, like a unpredictable toddler that sometimes shows promise. He's good but not amazing and the same goes for this album. Also modern day albums always seem to go on longer, sometimes twice as long. Is this because of ego or do the artists just have a lot of mid rated songs and they can't decide what to put on the album.

Kanye sucks = 1. Album great = 5 Therefore 3

I can completely compartmentalise my personal feelings about an artist away from how I feel about their music. So with that in mind, while he may be an absolute dick, I really am loving this. In fact, more than other rap albums I have heard. It actually feels very retro 90s rap and I think the vocals in the background in every track lift it to a new glorious dimension.

Ambitious album with several iconic tracks and a seemingly endless amount of collaborators.

It's almost impossible to like Kanye the person at this point, but the music ain't bad. That said, I was glad when it was over. It was interesting in parts but more than I needed.

Fantano was lowkey right on his scoring. This album's quality drops off a cliff after All Of The Light and it doesnt really bounce back despite trying on some tracks. Given how Ye's obssession with porn and delusions of grandeurs have gotten worse, it almos feels like he was foreshadowing his own current demise, but if anything, it doesn't make the album any better, moreso it servers as merely the cutting off point from his peak to his fall from grace. Important record, but nevertheless inconsistent.

Man, this album is so hard to rate because on one hand, it used to be one of my favorite albums that got very regular playtime but on the other hand, Kanye is a racist Nazi now and I generally boycott music from Nazis. It's been years since I've listened to this album at this point and while I enjoyed hearing some of my old favorites from prime, non-Nazi Kanye, it doesn't have the same charm as it used to no knowing what Kanye turns into years later. 3/5. Easy 5 if he wasn't a Nazi, straight up 0/1 if it wasn't such a good album, objectively, so I'll split the difference.

It is fine... The production is very solid obviously but each song drags on a bit too long considering the fact that there is little of substance to be extending by the time Ye is done pontificating on how people dislike him and how lowly he views women. I am not a fan of the lyrics either beyond the Monster Mash going on about 20 minutes in. That being said I did laugh out loud when the 21st Century Schizoid Man sampling began. Music For Assholes

Standouts Power All of the Lights

Honestly better than I expected

Not your typical Hip-Hop album, but then Kanye West isn't your typical Hip-Hop artist. Wikipedia also gives the genre as Progressive Rap, which for an an album that samples Mike Oldfield's "In High Places" and King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man", as well as using the tune from Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" is probably a fair description. Highly experimental in places. Apart from the misogynistic lyrics in places, (e.g. "Blame Game"), I quite liked the album.

In parts truly beautiful, dark, twisted, and fantastic. However, for my personal taste, it's a little too commercial/geared towards mainstream tastes and the tracks are too long. Probably deservedly Kanye's most successful work, but I also find it the least experimental. Maybe I'm wrong, though, because these songs and the sound in general have been played to death. 3.5/5

A hard one to review. Partly because he sucks so much in real-life but also because any negative reviews will probably be looked at as reviews of Kanye as a person (again, he sucks). But I can say that I have listened to this album several times before he went fully off the deep end and I have never understood the hype. And after this listen, I still don't. It isn't bad and there are things I enjoyed. But it is too long and feels lacking because of how hyped it is.

I don't know if it's because it didn't age well or that it's just my disgust for the guy that is having an impact on my appreciation of this album, but this is way more boring than what I remembered. There are some inventive beats and all, but for the most part it failed to impress me and it takes a lot of time for the album to pick up steam.

The first 6 tracks feel like an intro for the album to finally starts at the 7th song. By chance, everything from then to the end is really good. Moody and creative beat + heartfelt delivery from Kanye. It would be a strong 4 if it wasn't of the 6 first tracks.

I am a bit disappointed because I really hoped I would like this. I did about half of the time. Monster and Blame Game were my least favourite. Best song on here, of course, is Runaway. It was however, fun to recognise the samples throughout the album.

This has some good songs on it, but the second half is just kinda boring. And apart from the obvious hits, there wasn't much to look forward to. This definitely isn't Kanye's best.

It's OK. I mean it's fine. Some of the songs are genuinely good, but this album is overrated. And he's a Nazi, so there's that.

Favorite: All of the lights So far all good and then runaway starts...What's with rappers trying to sing I don't get it and 90% of the time don't like it. That's not where their skill lies. Same problems in hell of a life, I just don't like autotuned singing, I don't mind the rest of it though, it's pretty good. This album has some high highs (All of the lights, Monster, So Appalled) but some low lows too (Runaway,). I think overall I enjoyed this though.

Classic even though it’s Kanye

I enjoyed this album, in spite of some hilariously weird lyrics that I think only Kanye could come up with. The man certainly sees the world differently, but it works for a lot of the time.

This is Kanye’s best album, but Kanye has simply ruined Kanye. While not one for cancel culture, Kanye is a clear exception. He’s the worst humans category, making his music dramatically less appealing. Fuck Kanye.

Svårt att skilja verket från upphovspersonen. Men om jag bortser från vad Kanye hittat på de senaste åren så är det en kompetent skiva. Bombastiskt, domedagsstämning men ändå med hit-potential. Ibland blir det för mycket av allt som i All of the lights. Det är också från och med denna låt som albumet blir mindre intressant. Mer eller mindre misogyna texter. Jag vill helst avfärda det här helt och hållet, men här finns ändå något intressant i Wests begynnande galenskap.

Going into this, I didn't know how to approach reviewing a Kanye album in the present day. His political and social "extracurriculars" as of late are inexcusable and unignorable, and to me his embrace of fascist ideology and imagery casts an *awfully* dark shadow over his discography. I like quite a bit of Kanye's music, but anymore I just don't really want to hear it. That being said, I don't think "art vs artist" conversations are especially helpful, art is shaped by the good and bad of a person, and I think people need to embrace analyzing great art by bad people by confronting how the bad in a person effects the art we love. That being said, I do like this album, and I do plan on reviewing it by its own merits with regards to Kanye as an individual. Besides, my capacity for harm here is pretty limited, anyone still enthusiastically on the Kanye train at this point is pretty much conclusively too far gone, and no one willing to hold him accountable will put that notion aside because I (an individual with no meaningful platform) said that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is good. And as I said, it *is* good, granted I also think it is sorta overrated, but listening through this, there is a lot to love. The first thing to remember about My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is that it was created with the intent of being good enough and extravagant enough to win back a public that soured on Kanye after the fated Taylor Swift VMAs incident. And, considering this, I think it was really smart for Kanye to take, what I think of as a director's role here. He does appear on pretty much every song here, but to be honest, Kanye's writing and rapping leaves something to be desired at times. He has all the Kanye-isms, but that is a *very* "your mileage may vary" thing, and it hinges a lot on how invested you are in Kanye (personally I'm not *that* invested, and I can't see that really changing any time soon). This feels like the first album where he is really embracing the "asshole who is kind of relatable at the end of the day" thing, and while we have quotables here and unique flows, it isn't a schtick I really buy into. Frankly I'd rather have the Yeezus "I'm just an asshole and I think you should all hate me" thing at this point. In fact, in the presence of features, Kanye is very rarely the best verse on his own songs here. But where Kanye really succeeds on MBDTF is in curation, artistic vision, and production. He pretty much formed a camp of artists, rappers, singers and producers to orchestrate the creation of this thing. Consequently, every song has like 4 features and 15 producers and writers, but the album still very much feels like Kanye's. So in a lot of these songs, Kanye isn't necessarily a strong vocal presence, but he is still felt very strongly. It allows the listener to disconnect the album a little bit from Kanye, while still allowing him to retain all of his creative control. And the results are pretty great, this album really feels like a blockbuster, the sound is rich and maximalistic, and Kanye successfully bridges the pop and rap sound in a way that ended up extremely influential on the development of mainstream pop and rap thoughout the 2010s. We leap straight in, Dark Fantasy is rich and grand and catchy, it is an effective mission statement for the album as a whole. Shortly afterwards, we get a few really incredible "pop" Kanye tracks, POWER and All Of The Lights are pretty much unimpeachable. They are both incredibly detailed, incorporating all kinds of sounds and collaborators from Kanye's pool. POWER seems almost tailor-made to be played in Gatorade commercials, but in a way that isn't obnoxious. All of The Lights is similarly driving in a glitzier way, with big horns and *surprisingly* dense drumwork. We then get, perhaps the most iconic more pure "rap" tracks from the project in Monster and So Appalled. Both songs have incredible production, and strong verses, tons of quotables and great, distinct flows from their many *many* features. After Devil In A New Dress, we get Runaway, which I see frequently cited as the greatest achievement here. Honestly, I do think Runaway is a little overrated. It is a very interesting declaration of self awareness from Kanye, that I think he may not be capable of making at the current point in his career. However, he has some really *obnoxious* Kanye lyrics here, and the autotune solo is kind of self indulgent. On some level, I do at least sort of like every song here (or at least parts of every song), but I so have several complaints across this album. I'm not sure I'm into the vocal processing on Gorgeous, and I am not entirely sold on Devil In A New Dress. I think the verses are whatever, and it I think it's kind of overlong. Hell of A Life has a great Beat, but the lyrics are Kanye in "sex" mode and it is apparent that he just *might* have an unhealthy relationship with sex, anyways, I can see the lyrics being compelling to the right person, but again, it is awfully "your mileage may vary". The song I have the biggest problem with though is Blame Game. If only because it ends in a 2 minute, 31 second long skit that I just hate. It is too long, the implications about how Kanye views women are ugly, and I just don't think its funny. Regardless of all of this, and how I feel about Kanye and his -isms and everything, I do like this album, maybe even more than I want to. A lot of these songs are really great, and the resultant project is very strong as a coherent work, and I can appreciate that. I am officially giving this a *high* 3, it's like a 7/10. Like I said, there's a lot of good here, but realistically, there are a good few songs on here that I'm never tempted to return to, even if they're still pretty good. Besides, the real problems I do have with this album have compounded a little with the fact that I am not feeling especially generous towards Kanye for obvious reasons. But I will say, I can see the importance of this, even if I don't really get the argument that it is one of the best albums of all time.

Helt ok. Men återigen inget jag återvänder till.

6/10 less impressive than I remember it I recognized a large number of the samples used in this album which made me doubt how much talent Kanye actually has? like any idiot can take an already good song and throw some drums and an 808 bass over it granted, I am a sucker for good wordplay and one-liners which this album offers an endless amount of, but I’m not as impressed with the production as I’d like to be :/

Canciones un poco largas pero guay

This album was like a reflection on who he was after becoming a success. Some of my favourite Kanye songs are on this album, but listening to them back after how much of a terrible person he's become, it's like he knew everything was fucked for him. I wish he learned from his own warning. Going to dock a point because he's a Nazi.

2.5

3.5

I was always fascinated how “above average” producer and rapper hypnotized so many people to believe he’s genius, and his albums is “monumental”, experimental, etc. And I was like that after 2010, when it wasn’t cool. I saw how in 00s he was just a pop-star and interesting producer, but loved his stupid stunts. Couple of years before him was echoes of 90s, “attitude” era, every year was some crazy celeb, so he was one of them, sometimes cute, sometimes don’t. And his “I’m a genius, I’m glitch, I’m god” was hilarious. But he entertained with his music. No one thinking about him seriously, just pop-music-making-man-with-Ego. I remember how Graduation was Great pop album, I liked it even as an album. 808 was ok, his “experimantation” wasn’t something huge, you’ve got soooo many artist who did that more dramatically, even Outkast was doing bigger moves years before him. And 808 was very “not finished”, a lot of space, very minimalistic, but not in artsy way. And most of the people thought so. But years after everyone thinks it was “Pet Sounds” of 21st century, it was revolution or something. No, it wasn’t. It was interesting, that’s all. But… ok, people were intrigued what can he do next. And MBDTF was interesting indeed. It was full of ideas, great moments, and first half reaaaly close to be something great. But… it wasn’t. It had long outros, that were very tedious. It had interlude, that there just to show of, doesn’t have any weight. Song structures were “not as stupidly simple as you expect” but that doesn’t mean that they have reasons to be that way. Start of the album is interesting, it gets you into energy aaaand… stops it with ending that so unfinished, so uninteresting. And when Gorgeous starts you think “Why you just didn’t skip to the next track? Make some transition, save energy, kick with a bang!” But yeah, he didn’t. And Gorgeous is starting it again, you think, oh, the end must be bonkers but… it crushed flow again. And Power is another example where you can glue this in one piece, THAT would be great opening sequence ona GREAT album. But here… it’s good, but it was made by someone immature and surrounded by “yes-men” too much. And after that everytime it’s is the same: he doesn’t know how to make interesting, throat grabbing progession of ideas. He was touring with U2 before that, he was mesmerized with rock-energy, he make his ressearch and he doesn’t understood correctly. He wanted to mimic, he made some stuff like “they do”, but didn’t quite catch why? After Monster, which maybe the only song that works fully, it’s downhill. Every track has something great, but it’s just not enough work, to make it brilliant, so much shit that makes this journey through the album such a chore. Yeah, every hophead who was a kid at 2010 would forever see this as it’s “Sgt. Pepper” or what ever, but whithout these goggles — it’s just a wasted potential of a great album. He can’t cut things, cause he’s a narcisisst, he “loves” himself too much, so his works always bloated, always undocused, too much of a “tell, don’t show” attitude. He’s a genius in only one way — great overproducer, which works feels very underproduced. His production need another producer, who can make a brilliant album from it. 3+/5 Graduation >>> MBDTF

Not my thing. The production is good and it all sounds nice, but all-in-all definitely not my jam.

For one reason or another, hip-hop has never been my genre, and for some very specific reasons Kanye feels hard to get into in 2025. Still, listening to MBDTF it's clear what everybody sees in him & his music

immaculate production. some songs i wish ye fleshed out or gave more

Totally unknown to me... Certainly topping the hiphop-albums so far. There considerably more music here. I kinda like 'So appalling' and 'Who will survive in America'. I really don't understand why they open the album with the appalling - pun intended - 'Dark fantasy'. Why, tell me why? Interesting thought: how many of the people responsible for over 1 billion Spotify-streams of 'POWER' have listened to the original '21st century schizoid man' (with 37 million streams)?

It's alright, not my music though. Also, fuck Kanye

3/5

I mean it's fine there are some bangers on there that really hit, a few great lyrics too I know damn well yall feelin this shit

Kanye is a twat, we all know that. That aside, this album didn't impress me the way I thought it would. College Dropout is a masterpiece and I'm well aware that MBDTF is held in higher regard than that. However, I just found it kind of corny and childish.

I now understand why this record is as popular as it is. The songs flow nicely between each other, lyrics and features are well produced and worked on. The songs are listenable by anyone, with a few exceptions because of the lyrics. It is not my taste and probably won't look for it in the near or far future, but it has appeal, songs are okay and it is not a bad record.

скептически отношусь к творчеству канье, я ожидала чего-то худшего. не могу похвалить или поругать в чем-то альбом, стиль музыки совершенно не мой, но было не так плохо

I liked some but not all rip to old him

This album is full of shining moments, but I found it tedious by the end.

I've tended to avoid Kanye on account of the nuttiness and all that. But I enjoyed College Dropout, and I enjoyed this (to an extent). So shoot me. 'Dark Fantasy' and 'Gorgeous' are anthemic opening tracks. 'POWER' and Runaways yet more cinematic brilliance, rivalling anything he'd done hitherto. It has more than enough patchy moments, 'Monster' being one of the most unintentionally terrible things I've heard in a fair while.Thats until 'Blame Game' cones us which is one if the most pointlessly overlong songs I've ever heard. You can absolutely tell this album is by someone not quite right in the head. Bonkers lyrics. Lyrics that are as eccentric as they are cringeworthy. Trying to get a cast of thousands on the album, that all fail. And aiming for a symphonic, overblown sound, the sound of ego. Still, he hits gold a few times.

An album that makes me appreciate the value of production. A very strong first half.

Not as good as his early stuff.

Favorite track: all of the lights. Overall score: 6.3/10

Hits

First rap album, other than hip hop. TBH I was expecting more, a lot of hype around this. Though I am probably not the target audience.

3 - I think it's fine. Some good songs, but I just have never understood the 'genius' that everyone raved about. It feels so arrogant and self absorbed, but maybe I just can't separate who he is from his music.

buen disco. lástima que es nazi y que no lo voy a escuchar nunca más

Kanye is the most overrated nazi piece of shit to ever have the displeasure of walking on this planet

I prefer his earlier stuff.

Liked it way more than. i thought i would. That bon iver song is a bop

One of the most overrated albums of my generation. My main takeaway is that every song goes on for far too long. This includes great songs on here like “Power”, “All of the Lights” and “Devil in the New Dress” but especially the album’s lame, interminable centerpiece “Runaway” and annoying as hell “Blame Game”. For better or for worse, Kanye didn’t want to edit any of his ideas here. In retrospect I kind of hate the more mopey, emo material that was clearly informed by his previous album 808s & Heartbreak (maybe not so coincidentally my least favorite album of Kanye during his heyday), and gravitate towards the abrasive, self-destructive material that points to his next album Yeezus, which I believe is Kanye’s true masterpiece of the 2010s.

kanye pls im begging you 3,5/5 💃

3.5

Much better than I thought it would be. I can kind of see what people mean now. I thought POWER was the stand out track for me, but generally, surprisingly good

Anthems

Never really been into Kanye. I like his rapping and flow, but I'm not a huge fan of the very sleek production. There's too much of the 2000s/early 2010s pop sound that I don't like. I did like a few tracks though, particularly around the middle There is some good melding of sounds, like with gospel on Dark Fantasy and the synth on Hell of a Life, which is like a fuzzy, stoner rock bass tone. There's some good use of sampling too, like 21st Century Schizoid Man on Power Not a bad album, I can recognise how well put together it is. Think I'm just fussy with hip hop and prefer the grittier/weirder stuff Highlights: So Appalled, Hell of a Life, Gorgeous

Probably not on par for me as The College Dropout or Graduation, but there are a couple of earworm songs that I come back to

Right, ok. I put off listening to this for ages. Cos you know, he's a bellend. Anyway I have now listened. The first few tracks are pretty catchy, cool stuff. The king crimson sample is nice, the cameos are nice, stuff is grooving. I quite like it. I feel it went off the boil part way through, the Sabbath tune rip is pretty naff, I couldn't generally be bothered with the skit stuff, but that could be anti-kanye bias on my part. I imagine I'd be less dismissive on other artists tracks. But on that point, so much of this genre of music is putting others down and raising your self above them onto some.moral.or.intelectual higher ground and with this guy it all now just falls a bit flat, any posturing is like, really? From the nazi guy? The nazi guy is calling people assholes, sure, that totally makes sense. Perhaps had I heard this when it came out I could have grown to like it more, but I'm hearing it within the context of Kanye in 2026, having recently been refused entry to the UK for being a nazi/anti-Semite... Therefore I'm just not gonna mark this high up. It's not rubbish, but it is tainted.

Mom- 4 Mike- NA Lori- 8 Michael- 8 Miles- 7 Cole- 8 Avg- 6

“Too many Urkels on your team that’s why your wins low.” Verses like that are why I enjoy Kanye’s music while not defending him as a person. I don’t think that this is amongst his best albums but it’s still pretty decent. Nicki Minaj's verse on "Monster" is ridiculously good and there are a number of other fun moments, but as a whole this isn’t as strong as several of his other albums.

I think where Kanye goes wrong here is relying too much on production and letting the song composition slip as a result. The production is excellent, I'll give it that. The left-right balancing is ear-scratching in the best way, and all instruments and sounds get equal attention. Even some of my all-time favourite records can't get this right. However, loops are heavily relied on, taking songs with fairly good riff ideas (e.g. Gorgeous) and making them a tedious, monotonous slog. The "one-two snail" of Monster and So Appalled experiences the same issue, though in this case it's simply because it does nothing to stand out from other '00s hip-hop. Just bland, average rap with zero attempt at melody or interesting instrumentation. The song Power is fairly good, featuring some intense backing vocals and a raw yet thick instrumental arrangement. The blatant sample from King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man comes off as a bit jarring, acting as an interruption rather than a smooth segue. And Ye didn't even bother to copy the best part of that song – the roaring guitar riff – but instead cut it off at the first note. Shame. Songs like Runaway, on the other hand, are freaking amazing and (in my opinion) deserve all the attention they've received. I'm shouting out Runaway specifically because of its several song sections that flow near-seamlessly between one another. But more than that – the final section, lasting roughly a third of the track's length, is a gruelling combo of electric guitar, piano, and aggressive double bass. The song alone pushes this record to at least 3 stars. All Of The Lights is also worth a mention for its female co-lead vocals (which are great) and stadium-esque synth hook behind everything else. It's a rhythmically complex track and very engaging. And, of course, the interlude is the first of its kind that I've ever actually enjoyed. The tasty synth bassline in Hell Of A Life is the song's highlight, while the off-brand sampling of the melody from Black Sabbath's Iron Man is far from being the positive Ye might've hoped for. References to other songs or artists need to be done subtly. Lost In The World is an average song with no notable hooks, but the feeble attempt to appease the listener with a Manu Dibango (or Michael Jackson) line makes it considerably worse. Close to being a 4. The lyrics bring it down. 3/5 Key tracks: Dark Fantasy, All Of The Lights, Runaway

Good album with some great songs but I’m not in love with it. Hard to separate the music from how off the deep end crazy this man is.

Extremely overrated not bad though. 7.9/10

I did not listen to any of Kanye West's music when it was originally released, so I missed the hype around it. Now, seeing what he has done since then and how he is clearly mentally ill, I just cannot separate the man from his music. Trying to listen to and enjoy this album was like trying to watch a massive car accident. Just an amazing mess.

Well, I liked it more than I thought, not great, but a solid 4 stars... Sadly, he's crazy now, so -1 ...

As much as I try to dislike Kanye’s music…I just can’t. I like “The College Dropout” a lot more than this, though.

I'm trying hard to separate the art from the artist on this one. Hard to do at the moment, but here we are. This was pretty good, but I didn't love it.

#568. I liked this quite a bit more than I expected to. Dude was already fucking weird as shit at this point, hence the fishsticks joke [which i found hilarious that he mentioned that here] but it seems he was still capable of making some pretty decent music. 3/5: decent

Having Chopper flash across my brain definitely is proof I have something wrong with me. Anyways, what a great album, highlights are Gorgeous, Lost in the World, and of course who could forget NICKI on Monster. Sucks that in retrospect Kayne has officially lost his mind.

didn't listen all the way through. not bad

I put off listening to this because I thought it was going to be incredibly dense, and I was right. Lyrics, instrumentation, production, spoken word, interludes, samples, remixes, there's a hell of a lot to digest and I don't think I have. This needs a really active listen to get your head around it. It's certainly a masterpiece, although it is also misogynistic at times and has some fairly unpleasant thoughts expressed in it. (A lot of others are reviewing Kanye more than this album, but here I mean only the content of the songs.) It also has a lot of sounds and tunes in it that I find very fresh and exciting. So I think this is very good, but low on the enjoyment scale for that. Needs a re-listen or two or three.

I wasn’t too sure, you get a 3 for ending on Gil Scott-Heron. I like Kanye when he’s not trying to be clever. I don’t like thinking about his two black balls. I also don’t like Nazis.

Background beat in all of these are great but the lyrics less so, also fuck kanye.

worse than i expected to be honest although very enjoyable

It was alright

Good album overall, some great hits in it

Not nearly as amazing or life changing as I've been led to believe. I hate you so much, Kanye West, and I always will!

Man, I hope we get Kanye back someday. This isn't my favorite of his, but definitely has some hits.

Interesting

Enjoyed the vibe but not all the rhyme. The Gil Scott Heron sample in “Who Will Survive in America” is poignant.

Decent performance!

some ppl have wondered (esp in hindsight) why this album cycle, which essentially functioned as kanye's apology tour to the american public, seemed to Work and earn so much goodwill when he didnt actually convincingly apologize for anything and, in fact, doubled down on his abrasive bravado. i suppose the obvious answer, one im not interested in denying, is that his skills and instincts for aesthetic and musical creation were still incredibly sharp and vibrant and surprising and original, and his penance might be partially served in simply Bestowing compelling art upon the public (especially since, with all due respect to yeezus/tlop, this is his last album to feel like it has his full attention and effort). but despite the over-expensive, over-labored, no-holds-barred grandiosity of this record, kanye has close to literally nothing to actually Say...every vaguely political point feels undone by his history of incoherent contrarianism (and antiblackness!), every hedonistic indulgence feels bog-standard, and the self-deprecation...ik im partly filtering this thru the knowledge that he Did Not Improve, but even at the time this should be instantly recognizable to anyone who's ever had their abuser plead with them to stay. if i find anything still compelling in this record in my own sentiments, its certainly that sickly feeling...not well explored or resolved but the emotion is potent, and i think emotions in art are self-justifying. in general, i dont think i can say i do or will ever dislike this record, of which i have every note memorized. but its hard not to think that kanye's blank spaces were filled in subconsciously by a culture that defends, celebrates, and mythologizes monsters...he didnt need to say anything, he didnt actually need to buy back any goodwill at all, he was always going to be taken back. and aside from a couple surges of feeling, i cant say its very interesting or compelling anymore once u realize this is how the world operates every single day

When i sae this come up I won't lie there was a bit of dread. Overall, it was ok but got a bit deranged towards the end.

i used to fw kanye’s music but barely ever listen to him anymore. the album itself is quite good but fuck you kayne nazi ass mf

Kanye West has nothing on KRS-One. Nothing. 3

I hate Kanye, so it's hard to detach that from the music. I just wish he'd close his mouth when he's just resting, reminds me of the thick kids at school. Objectively this wasn't terrible. Some catchy stuff going on, he had bars at times, but a lot of the lyrics were poor. That one about eating jerk....bet he was really proud of that.

I think I liked this more than Yeezus and less than the College Dropout. So many long songs and the language once again bothered me, "Yeezy reupholstered my pussy." How can anyone listen to that line without embarassment?

Moments of brilliance interspersed between self indulgent, bloated messes. It also has the cringiest title I’ve ever seen.

Many iconic tracks but its only worth the choruses

Starts off with really good beats and sounds. Towards the end it started to loose me, but overall I enjoyed it more than I wanted to

Surprisingly interesting

Today's the fated day I have to listen to a Kanye West album in full. I have long rued this day, as Kanye West is an absolute tool who I wish would just go away from the public eye forever for everyone's sake. As terrible as he is his music remains critically acclaimed, with this project often regarded as his best. Never listened to it, and thought, especially after his recent outburst that, I never would. Of course as a result of being alive and concious during the last 15 years since this album came out, I've heard more than a couple of the songs from here. Let's hope I can remain objective during this reaction/review. Obligatory Fuck Kanye. Dark Fantasy Fun intro segment. RZA with a producer credit is usually a good sign. Great beat, the use of the sample works great. Some of the effects sound a bit dated. His delivery is fine. Overstays its welcome, the sample isn't so powerful that it's needed one last time at the end. Solid. 4/5 Gorgeous I love Cudi's part, though it sounds a muddled at certain points. Fantastic beat. The effect on Kanye's voice sucks. Solid verses from Kanye, though I don't always love his line delivery. The black balls line is terrible. Kanye's bravado has always rubbed me the wrong way, even "before" he went insane. Bloated song, beat gets stale. Fine. 3/5 Power Classic. Samples one of the best songs of all time, and implements it well. Produced magnificently. The asshole lines remain corny even after many listens. A great time, nostalgic. Begrugingly a fantastic track. 5/5 Interlude Does what an interlude should. Bridges one song into another. Interlude/5 All of the Lights Iconic horns. Rihanna's chorus kicks off the song marvelously. The cast on this song is extremely impressive. Many of the biggest stars of the early 2010s having features on one track is really fun. Anthemic song which represents the early 2010s well. Nostalgic. 4.5/5 Monster Crazy list of features. Production goes hard. Don't care for Rick Ross's verse. Fantastic performance on Kanye's verse. The hook isn't great. Jay-Z's verse has some fun writing. Charismatic verse from Nicki. Outro is fine. Fun track. 4/5 So Appalled Don't like the intro. Not really a fan of the squeeks on the beat. Flows well on top of the beat. Not much more to say, the performances are good, but nothing is grabbing me personally. Maybe longer than it needs to be. Could be a grower. Fine. 3/5 Devil in a New Dress Delicious sample implemention. There's some charming delivery here. The writing is oddly fantastic. The guitar interlude before the feature is great, when the sample comes in is pure bliss. Rick Ross is fine I guess, his voice is great for this, but I don't care much for the content of the verse. Good. 4/5 Runaway The famous piano intro. Some call this Kanye's peak. I like how the intro takes its time setting up the song. Almost a bit vulnerable in the delivery and lyrics. There might even be a bit of self-awareness here which is something I didn't know Kanye West was even capable of. The purely instrumental parts are for the lack of a better word, interesting. It's bold and refreshing sounding oddly beautiful at times. Great. 4.5/5 Hell of a Life Crunchy beat. Iron Man interpolation is terrible. Ambivalent about the lyrics. The storytelling is decent, but the lyrics veer on cringe territory. I don't like the moans. Kanye isn't very likable on this track. Did not like. 2/5 Blame Game Aphex twin song used as a sample is great. Avril 14th does however sound better without Kanye West and John Legend over it. The chorus is fine. The panning distorted vocals don't sound great, but I do like the idea behind it though. The phone part is extremely corny it's sacriligous to put this on top of Avril 14th, it's not funny or charming. Pure blasphemy. 1/5 Lost in the World Vocoder harmonies are fun. I like how the tempo shifts. Didn't find much to appreaciate outside of the production. Closes the album well. Decent. 3.5 Who Will Survive America Gil-Scott Heron! Preach. Interlude/5 A decent microcosm of the early 2010s. Great features, good performances and amazing production. The sample work is fantastic. And Kanye even manages to be likable on some of the tracks. Had a good time for the most part, though many of the songs strayed into overly long territory, where it felt like they ran out of steam. Also many of the attempts at humour fell flat, felt in bad taste or just straight up went over my head. And while Kanye is likeable on some tracks, he is extremely unlikable on others, getting to the point where I just want to block him out. I do recognize a personal bias which might affect my reaction to this piece, but I think I gave it a fair shot and probably liked it more than I thought I would. Fave track. Power Least fave track. Blame Game Rating. 3.5/5

Not a feminist masterpiece, but god how great is POWER?

It's alright. I wouldn't be gone on this but it's ok. No stand out song. I don't be listening to it again

Again I feel weird and uneasy cause I'm enjoying the music of a self-proclaimed Nazi. I guess I'm just a horrible person, but I kinda liked this album.

am afang hanis wükli no recht kuul gfunde, abem foifte song wirds aber teils lärmig und vor allem werded d songs eintönig (ussert de afang vo runaway aber denn passiert au nüt grosses meh). bi durs ganze album sochli hin und her gumpt zwüsched no kuul und laaangwiilig

Ugh Kanye. But I enjoyed this listen and the album art.

It was alright. Honestly better than I wanted it to be given who the artist is but I can't deny that he has talent.

Killer beats, snap-wit lyrics, confidence on wax. Points off for being a Nazi fuckhead.

M'eh, standard rap, nothing at all to reoemmend it

Better that i expected

It’s ok, there is way better rap out there. Not a must listen album

The "21st Century Schizoid Man" sample is perfect, it's exactly what he has devolved to right now. Standout: All Of The Lights

Ikkje mitt favorittalbum av Ye

I enjoyed it, not sure it's something I'd listen to all the way through again, some good songs though

wildly good, i just wish when he said 'no one man should have all that power' he wasnt talking about jews. everyone wanted to be on a kanye track until ... they didnt. 5/5, and also 1/5

Was good until he started rapping.

Not my normal genre of choice. My son loves him and has tried to get me to listen so I was always dreading the day a Kanye West album came up. But you know it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Haha The Chris Rock bit at the end of Blame Game made me laugh out loud and some of the language I found a bit harsh.

Time reveals strange things.

You know, I don't like Kanye as a person, which is annoying because he's actually really good at this.

Канье типа крутой, много видимо значимых личностей на фите, но чёт не мое

Went in thinking this had one star written all over it. If my rating took account of my view of the artist as a person, it would be. However, taking the album on its own, there really are some great tracks.

Meh had some hits

Song-by-Song Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Dark Fantasy The opening track feels like stepping into a grand theater. With its lush strings, booming beats, and Kanye's self-aware lyrics, it’s a triumphant, almost mythic introduction to the album’s world. Gorgeous (ft. Kid Cudi & Raekwon) A gritty, guitar-driven track where Kanye delivers sharp, socially charged lyrics, complemented by Kid Cudi’s hypnotic hook. It’s raw and rebellious, setting a darker tone. Power This is Kanye at his most defiant. The tribal drums and chants amplify the larger-than-life energy, while the lyrics wrestle with fame and self-destruction. It’s electrifying and unforgettable. All of the Lights A chaotic symphony of horns, drums, and over-the-top features, this anthem thrives on maximalism. The lyrics touch on loss and redemption, grounded by Rihanna’s soaring chorus. Monster (ft. Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, & Bon Iver) Dark, menacing, and unforgettable. Nicki Minaj steals the show with a jaw-dropping verse, while the eerie production makes it feel like a hip-hop horror movie. So Appalled A moody posse cut dripping with cynicism. Kanye and his collaborators reflect on wealth and excess over a haunting, minimal beat. It’s introspective and deeply layered. Devil in a New Dress (ft. Rick Ross) This smoky, soulful track is a standout. Kanye’s vulnerable storytelling pairs perfectly with the lush production, and Rick Ross delivers one of his career-best verses. Runaway (ft. Pusha T) A stunning centerpiece. The piano intro is iconic, and the track’s theme of self-sabotage is devastatingly honest. Pusha T’s verse adds sharp contrast to Kanye’s raw emotion. Hell of a Life Blending industrial beats with provocative lyrics, this song feels like a twisted daydream about indulgence and excess. It’s chaotic yet captivating. Blame Game (ft. John Legend) Heartbreaking and introspective, Kanye dives into the wreckage of a failed relationship. John Legend’s haunting vocals amplify the track’s emotional weight. The spoken outro is divisive but memorable. Lost in the World (ft. Bon Iver) Ethereal and uplifting, this track merges Bon Iver’s atmospheric sound with Kanye’s introspection, building to a euphoric crescendo. It’s a beautiful exploration of love and identity. Who Will Survive in America A spoken-word outro that critiques societal inequities, it’s a sobering close to an otherwise opulent album. The Gil Scott-Heron sample is poignant and thought-provoking. Each song on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy feels like its own cinematic moment, contributing to an album that’s as much a personal confession as it is a grand artistic statement.

Love the wordplay in this album. Hip hop and rap are really not what I listen to normally but it was cool to spend some time in the thought process of a self proclaimed genius. I do not think I will listen to this album again but it was a nice diversion to what I normally listen to.

forced to admit once again that this shit head makes good music

The hits carry the album

No mal disco de rap, pero se sabe que no es mi género. Y 70 minutos es demasiado rap, pero no la pasé mal. Le ayudan mucho las colaboraciones, le dan bastante variedad.

As despicable of a person I think this guy is not a bad record

It's nigh impossible for me to review this album in a vacuum from where I sit in 2025, for obvious (I'm assuming) reasons. Instead, I'll give the review that I feel like I would have given it back in 2010. Great listen, most for the beats and the features. The flows from Kanye (I don't think he would've been \"Ye\" or \"Yeezus\" yet in 2010) are fine. He's fine! But he's overshadowed on many tracks: by Rick Ross on Devil in a New Dress; by Rihanna on the All of the Lights hook; and by Pusha-T on Runaway and So Appalled. Several skips for sure, but the few great songs are legit great thanks to the supporting cast. (Fun fact: the All of the Lights interlude was my ringtone for several years.)

I think my primary takeaway was I need to listen to more Rihanna. I perk up every time I hear her voice. I definitely laughed when he referenced his South Park episode, lol. There were other fun pop culture references, but most of them felt shoehorned in. Overall a pretty fun listen with some quality stuff though.

There's some bangers on here, and much to my surprise I have heard some Kanye tracks before (POWER, though I can't recall where I've heard it before). This isn't a listen to the whole album kind of album for me, honestly the best parts were any time Kanye wasn't providing vocals. I'd wager people who heard this when it was new have different feels on it, for me I'm hearing it for the first time in the "Kanye loves Hitler" era which has heavily altered the listening experience for me.

Better than I expected.

monumental produziertes rap-album. gefällig, aber irgendwie dann doch nicht meins.

Some highlights (runaway and power) otherwise pretty standard stuff. listenable but not engageable

Dark Fantasy 7/10 - A bit repetitive, nice production, good lyrics. Gorgeous 7/10 - Enjoyed the beat... Power 7/10 - Was not expecting King Crimson... Not sure if I like the song because of that although I like the synths. A tad bit pretentious... All of the lights 8/10 - Enjoyed the Rihanna part. Monster 6/10 - It's alright, not a fan of the Nicki Minaj part So Appalled 6/10 - A bit long Devil in a new dress 6/10 - Don't remember this song Runaway 9/10 - Banger, but was it necessary to draw out the outro though with auto tune voiced synths ? Hell of a life 8/10 - Blame game 6/10 - Liked the first half... Lost in the world 7/10 - Enjoyable first half, drags on. Who will survive in America 6/10 - Overall : 3 stars (70%) It's got it's own charm, although a bit ostentatious and over the top at times but the production is nice, some songs drag out for a bit too long. It might grow on me in the future, but for now there's only All of the lights and Runaway that I would consider listening to.

This whole album sounds great. It's his best stuff probably, because it's so rich and interesting, and he is neither of those things. Also he's a twat.

It’s fine. There are individual songs that I find undeniably great. But I’m not convinced this entire album is at the same level.

The first minute of the first song is good, but it's before Kanye kicks in. The song Power is decently okay. All of the Lights is good. Blame Game has quite the monologue. Not a great album but much better than I was expecting. The middle was slow but started and ended strong. This is on the verge of 4 stars but I can't.

Not my usual vibe, but undeniably good. 3 stars probably does it an injustice but it’s just not my taste really

Fine album. Not my favorite. But I’ve never been that big of a Kanye fan.

Love the beats a few songs are catchy.

You do not, in fact, gotta have a toast for the assholes.

I think there's some really innovative production stuff in here, and it's unfortunate that there's so much other stuff and the tall shadow of Kanye's behavior.

Oh my, this is the hardest album to assess. Art (incl. music) is as much about the artist than about the product itself - I personally can't separate them. The product first - the album. I had never listened to a Kanye West album but I must say this is creative and sounds excellent. Beautiful production, and a slew of top guest artists taking part. Not really my thing but I recognise a level of quality when I see it. It doesn't move me emotionally though. Now the artist. I find it really hard to enjoy an album made by a self-proclaimed Nazi and otherwise complete assh*le in his morality and behaviour. I won't listen to Ye unless I have to - similarly I would not hang a painting by Hitler in my living room (even f he was a great painter which he wasn't). So in terms of rating, I'll torture myself and rate the album (I'll give it a 3) rather than how much I like the artist as a person (which would be a zero - yes I know the scale starts at one).

idk сначала казалось хайпом, потом гавной

its..Kanye West. Not my genre. The album is ok, it just does not excite me. I am not going to listen to it again. Runaway was ok

Didn't love or hate any of these songs really. Fine enough for a huge commercial rap album. Lots of different features which is interesting I suppose. 6/10 (3/5)

Surprisingly good songs? Very catchy, havent listened closely to the lyrics but would maybe listen to some of the songs again (im at all of the lights so far) overall ok album, power and monster were my faves

This was a ok album. Its lyrics didnt stand out in my opinion. The music didnt stand out. This album kinda didnt stand out at all. Overall a ok album

Do you like pop songs? If so, then this is the album for you! The songs have a really good beat, and all of the music components together sound amazing! The singer (s) voice (s) are amazing, and they hit the pitches so well! The instruments are amazing too! So that is why I recommend that you listen to this album.

Ok disregarding the individual who made this (who unlike Phil Spector or Gary Glitter has not actually been convicted of a crime) it's strong three. Enough.

Hasn't aged well I'm afraid! I think the hits on this still stand out, and the album has bangers in it's locker. I don't really think the themes of redemption and forgiveness work at all anymore. I think we've all culturally moved on from this kind of autotune too. The hyperpop era has not been kind to 2010s pop-rap. Best Track: Devil in a New Dress Worst Track: Blame Game

I can respect and appreciate how intricate and complex this album is. There are a lot of things going on and it's very interesting. However, at its core, it is still a hip-hop album, and I am just not a fan of the genre, so I don't see myself coming back to it.

Kanye's strength is as a producer. As an MC...sigh...well, he's a really good, interesting producer... Highlights: "Dark Fantasy" (weirdly majestic leadoff track despite Kanye-isms (corny lyrics, "hah"), interesting use of choir and sparse piano chords, almost "orchestral hip hop"), "So Appalled" (martial beat with strings, Jay Z and Pusha T have nice flows), "Devil in a New Dress" (old school Kanye production (chipmunk soul sample), surprising guitar solo. Rick Ross sounds better over this music than Kanye does) Notable: "Runaway" (sigh...bad lyrics ruin really interesting good music. Ok, the last 2 minutes of noise and vocoder is kind of annoying...), "Hell of a Life" (fuzzy feedback, auto tuned vocals, and highly sexualized lyrics. Part of the chorus is "p-ssy and religion is all I need". Lord help me...), "Lost in the World" (starts with vocoder and Bon Iver, then more standard dance music sound, then African rhythms and chanting. It's...a lot.. Ironically, this features some of Kanye's best rapping, go figure...)

Not his best work, felt like he was trying to be way too artistic. My favorite was “Power”

i mean it's kanye... like... the albums pretty great. good tunes. i sort of dislike this era bc of the amount of producers on a track, everything has this weird shine to it. other than that, fun re-listen

aphex twin sample is nice but it also matters what you DO with the aphex twin sample

Oh god, the day has come to delve into Kanye West. Rap/hip-hop is not my favorite genre, so my knowledge of Kanye’s music is almost non-existent. I saw this as a blessing considering how Kanye (or Ye, whatever the fuck he wants to be called) is nowadays, or just plain any point of his career with his 1001 controversies. But I was told that this album is a landmark achievement, and it’s from 2010, so it’s easy to look at this as a reflection of a high point of Ye’s career before the wires in his head became fried. And this project is meant to challenge my tastes in music, so I’ll be fair… to an extant. Let’s start with the good: the production’s great. Surface level complement, I know, but anything that makes a hour of Kanye bearable to me is a miracle. The songs sound really good, as it’s the type of hip-hop that’s more groovy than annoying, which is usually my vice for the genre. I couldn’t help but get lost in the likes of beats of Devil in a New Dress and All of the Lights. And the guest artists all add their weight to the album. (Though I agree Chris Rock greatly overstays his welcome in Blame Game) In a rare instance, I actually think Nicki Minaj is my favorite, as her part in Monster might be a contender for highlight of the album. As for Kanye himself… he’s fine. It’s Kanye. There’s good lyrics mixed with some self-indulgence. It’s tolerable. But here’s the weird thing: I have no desire to heard these songs again. I don’t really have it in me to listen to anything from this album. Most of the songs feel bloated to me and don’t have replayability to me. The closest song I can think of is Runaway, but that’s it. This album does nothing to sway my opinion of Kanye West: I can still care less. It’s the production and talent not nicknamed Ye that made this album not feel like a slog. I hope that if there is another Kanye West album in this project, it’s several hundred albums from now. Favorite track: Runaway Other hits that I thought were neat: Monster, All of the Lights, Devil in A New Dress, Dark Fantasy, POWER

miss the old Kanye, straight from the 'Go Kanye Chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye The always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye I miss the sweet Kanye, chop up the beats Kanye I gotta to say at that time I'd like to meet Kanye Jokes aside, pretty decent album. Solid 3/5.

It was good and some great songs but i wouldn’t choose to listen to it on my own

Decent hip hop album but not world changing

Massively overproduced but some quality there.

I've already said my piece back on Common's "Be" about how Kanye once cared about creating and producing music, unlike these days putting the music second to repping fascism. I wanted to give this album the benefit of the doubt from when and where Kanye was. The problem is this was when Kanye started to spiral. Back at the 2009 VMA Awards, Kanye stole the microphone from a then up-and-coming Taylor Swift to instead say Beyoncé had the greatest music video. I can understand to an extent that he was still deeply affected by his mother’s passing, and had overworked himself to the point of making such a public stunt without common sense. It’s not a perfect excuse and doesn’t detract from how he was perceived as an asshole, but it is a reason. After that botch, Kanye proceeded to isolate himself to Hawaii to work on this album alongside those he felt close with, exploring what he perceived as the dark underside of fame alongside the id of his ego. In essence, Kanye wanted to show the monster he became, for better and worse. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was a frustrating listen for me. There are elements to each of the songs that I like, but there are also enough glaring missteps and a general lack of focus to keep this album from coalescing into a meaningful theme or driving mechanism in the dissection of Kanye’s insanity. We start and end with two excerpts in Road Dahl’s rework of the Cinderella folk tale as read by Nicki Minaj with a fake British accent and the sampled Gil Scott-Heron’s “Comment #1”, without much in the way of connecting the two pieces. In between, Kanye does his best to come off as hedonistic, such as the sexual advances in “Devil in a Dress” and “Hell of a Life” along with more general musings on “Power” and “Monster”, but at best these explorations come off as hollow and token. There isn’t much in the way for someone to connect with Kanye’s purported dark side as he can’t fully embrace it. Not helping matters is that Kanye’s flow and lyrics can get choppy and distracting from what’s being conveyed. Nowhere is this more evident than “Runaway”, the song that many a Kanye fan has claimed to be his best song and the centerpiece of this album. In a way, it almost works - the spare piano motif coinciding with the industrial drum pattern and Rick James sample, the light and elegant strings that add contrast, Pusha T’s verse, and even the chorus and lead-up to Pusha T are well done. The problem with that track and by extension this album is what Kanye chooses to say and sing that can’t match the tone of his production and the general themes he tries to communicate. I understand from the chorus that the idea of “Runaway” is that he is a broken man who can’t change and that it would be better for the loved one in the relationship to keep their distance from him. Unfortunately, that message is not received well by Kanye’s verses, particularly in his enunciation of “She find pictures in my email/I sent this bitch a picture of my dick” that’s flat-out embarrassing and takes me out of my focus. Not even a three-minute piss-poor vocoder solo at the end can save that shit. That is the crux of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, where Kanye’s flow and awkward lines get in the way of his messaging. Whether it’s taking cheap shots at the writers of South Park and Saturday Night Live, or the thin connection between getting “blackballed” to his “black balls”, his words distract from and hamper what could have been otherwise decent tracks with top-notch production, potent choruses from guests, and eclectic sample choices. Kanye’s lyrical pitfalls also led to some of the rapper guests like the aforementioned Pusha T, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross outshining the man in their respective verses. Granted, not every guest was good as I once again bring up Nicki Minaj for the intro to “Dark Fantasy” and her over-the-top verse on “Monster”, as well as Cyhi the Pyrnce’s lazily written verse on “So Appalled”, but they are noticeable cracks in the frame. I’ll freely admit I haven’t felt this infuriated by an album on this journey since the Sex Pistols’ “Never Mind the Bollocks”. In no way do I see myself revisiting this anytime soon, as I await the other two albums on the list from this man. In a way, Kanye somewhat accomplished what he set out to do by showing off his inner demons. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s paid off well if history is a good indicator.

Kanye started off strong in my opinion, but this is where he started to go off the rails musically. The first half of the album is strong and memorable, but it deviates into something unrecognizable.

How do you go from that last song to supporting DT. Removing the artist from the music because I still liked him back in 2009-2010. It’s got some bangers!

A lot of drama with Kanye, which makes it hard to rate this just based on the music - he's become such an imbalanced Trumpy mess. The backing tracks are pretty awesome throughout - I think Kanye's strength is as a producer. The lyrics don't really speak to me. And this is not an album I heard at all when it was released, so no nostalgia.

I mean, you can't say it better than him: No one man should have all that power The clock’s ticking, I just count the hours Stop tripping, I'm tripping off the power (21st-century schizoid man) I suppose some of Kanye's genius is that he's so self-aware, but he's taken such a nose-dive in his madness (the journey from 'George Bush doesn't care about black people,' which was utterly wild and out of left field at the time but CORRECT -- to MAGA anti-Semite is certainly one for the psychologists to figure out) ...that it's hard to appreciate even the multiple great tracks on this album without remembering what an abusive tool he's become.

not a kanye fan, all the beats sounded the same. sounds to me like he relyed on having other artists come in and do the heavy lifting on half of the track. most of the songs just sound like some sort of mantra for him

as always, great production, horrendous vocals.

We've had a few hip hop albums in our adventure here and it made me realize that I almost never listen to hip hop/rap in album form. Notable exclusions: Killa Season, Dipomatic Immunity Vol 1, and all Lil Uzi Vert albums. I don't know what I'm getting at, I just wanted to share. Twisted Dark Fantasy is fine. There's some good stuff in here but this is 100% the start of Kanye's egomaniacal phase. I like that Old Kanye, dropped outta school Kanye. Most of the music here doesn't land for me. That is other than All of the Lights. I fucking love that song. When it was new every DJ had a remix and they all slapped. It's a powerhouse that could end every super bowl show, every fireworks display, every one night stand. The only thing I would change with this otherwise perfect song is fix Kanye's singing or autotune him: "I'm heading home, I'm almost there". God he can't hit a note. It's fine. Most likely influencial on a lot of modern rap but :shrug:

It was alright Pussy

Arguably good, potential re listen

Not as good as College Dropout. Better than Yeezus.

All these songs are way too long.

I get why people like Kanye and put his music on all time lists. I never sought it out before but it is certainly good stuff. I don't think I'm going to add it to my library though.

Monster was a great track, Power was pretty cool along with So Appalled and Runaway. Otherwise I think this one is a little over hyped.

Musically it's interesting, but the songs tended to overstay their welcome. Runaway really didn't need to be 9 minutes long for gods sake. It had obviously run out of ideas, passed boring and went into annoying teritory before it finally ended. The biggest issue is Kanye himself, he's just not a good rapper or singer. All the guests mop the floor with him.

Jotkut kappaleet hyviä, suurin osa ok. Aika pitkiä kappaleita. Monissa kappaleissa loppua venytetty pitkäksi. Keskinkertaista. Parhaat: Dark Fantasy, Power,

01) Dark Fantasy - 7,0 02) Gorgeous - 7,5 03) Power - 8,5 04) All of the Lights (Interlude) - / 05) All of the Lights - 8,5 06) Monster - 7,5 07) So Appalled - 7,0 08) Devil in a New Dress - 6,5 09) Runaway - 8,5 10) Hell of a Life - 7,0 11) Blame Game - 6,5 12) Lost in the World - 8,5 13) Who Will Survive in America - 7,0 TOTAL: 7,50 (75/100) Current ranking: 145/293

The first 6 tracks are back to back bangers, but the quality drops off so fast after that. And Blame Game still sucks. If it was just the first 6 tracks it would be a 5/5.

First half is great

For as much as Kanye has been in the limelight for as long as he has, I really don’t know any of his music. And unfortunately, none of these tracks particularly spoke to me.. much like most of the hiphop genre. 3/5

Alright, some good tunes

Fine. Another situation of the person overshadowing their art.

Do you like fish sticks?

The hits on this album are HITTING, but the rest of the album isn't as amazing as I remember it being. Overall, a good listening experience. I can recognize this as a pretty solid album from Kanye, but it doesn't hold a candle to Graduation, in my opinion.

I wasn't prepared to like this. I feel like Jack Black's character in High Fidelity when he hears Vince and Justin's demo tape, full of exasperated and disbelieving appreciation. I wouldn't listen to this one in public as he seems to get off on being as crass as his messages will allow, but the music is actually really good. The songs are all well-constructed and interesting. It's just a good listen. If his music kept him from talking publicly, I'd gladly listen to way more Kanye.

Para muchos críticos estamos ante la gran obra del rapero y productor Kanye West. Un conjunto de 13 canciones de 70 minutos complejo y laborioso de digerir. Su primer sencillo, "Power", es una mezcla confusa de rock progresivo y hip-hop en el que sobresalen los samples de la canción "21st Century Schizoid Man" de King Crimson. Su letra sobrevuela la actualidad política de Estados Unidos, y se refiere a su propia salud mental y a sus críticos. Más me gusta "All of the Lights", un tema grandioso, con abundantes metales, maderas y cuerdas, en el que participan 42 artistas para celebrar la fama y, al mismo tiempo, lamentar sus consecuencias. También destacaría "Blame Game", taciturna y melancólica como el tema de Aphex Twin que samplea. Cuenta con la colaboración de John Legend, y en ella West reflexiona sobre rupturas emocionales, amor no correspondido e incluso maltrato conyugal.

Didn't finish, got bored halfway through. It's also hard to listen to Kanye now lmao

There is some really good stuff on here but I find it a bit long and some of the songs could have been cut

La produzione è davvero bella secondo me oggettivamente, per il resto vado abbastanza a sentimento. Non tornerò attivamente ad ascoltarlo ma non mi lancerei dal finestrino se qualcuno lo mettesse sull'AUX. Non essendo il mio genere pensavo mi sarebbe piaciuto meno.

Not bad but still not my favourite music. But west Damocles some cool bands for this.

Competent, but not something I will ever return to. Favourite track: Devil In A New Dress.

I am not a Kanye fan, that said there are some great songs on this album. Dark Fantasy, all of the lights and Power are paticularly good. I liked this and will listen to it again. Favourite song: Power Least favourite: all of the lights interlude Album artwork: Basic cover

One of the best Hip Hop album of all time...

Honestly think this album is overrated

3.3/5 listened 1x, could use a relisten

I don’t like Kanye but there were some good songs (run away, and all of the lights)

If I could I would do 2.5 but this album has some good songs but so not so good too

Ce n'est pas un album qui m'a totallement, mais je peux un peu mieux comprendre comment tellement de monde le mette sur un pied d'estalle. Selon moi c'est imparfait et ne mérite pas un score parfait, mais je l'ai trouvé beaucoup plus intéressant que College Dropout ou Yeezus. 7/10

That's not really my type of music, so I didn't really enjoy the album, but I know that people like it. I think that it's pretty mid overall. There are some background rhythms that sounds pretty nice, so it wasn't the worst album that I've been recommended here, for sure.

Helt ait, noen bangers, andre var fillers

I didn’t mind this. I didn’t know any of the songs except for “Lost in the World.” I’m not sure how I evaded ever hearing the other songs from this album. A lot of Kanye West’s stuff sounds the same to me so who knows. Mostly pretty tolerable. Too bad Kanye himself isn’t.

I really liked the first five tracks, but I felt like the quality of the record dipped afterwards, starting from the incredibly annoying 'Runaway'. If I could rate the first half only, it would have gotten a four. 3.5 stars

Would’ve been a 4

Think I used to own this album back in the day, has some enjoyable tracks but not as strong as other albums on the list.

For the most part it's very good. But while the highs are high, the lows are very low. I do think the guest vocalists really help elevate this... everyone knows Nicki's verse in "Monster" is fantastic, and Bon Iver was an interesting addition to a few tracks. I think if it had just been an hour of Kanye alone it wouldn't have worked so well, his lyrics are often the weak point here. And the Chris Rock sketch at the end of "Blame Game" felt too long and out of place. The overall production is tight, and the background instrumentals on the tracks are great. I was pleasantly surprised by "All the Lights (Interlude)", which I thought was really lovely. I really liked "Hell of a Life", plus of course "Power", "All of the Lights" and "Monster" are the highlights of the album.

Some good songs, some kind of meh

Итс окэй. Мне не понятно, почему этот альбом считается величайшим произведением в современной музыке. Лучшая песня - Runaway.

Good

It's fine, but I won't listen to it again. Kanye is a bad person and I don't want to support him.

I like the album title and it's well produced but it's also not really my bag

Confused rambling but you know

Wanted to hate this because of the total bell-end that he became, but it's actually a rather good album

A well produced album. Shame about the Chris Rick and Kanye West vocals. There is a wealth of talent hidden in this album who should get more credit. How come Gil Scott Heron didn't get a credit when the last track was his track from an earlier album with added accompaniment?

Kanye is a jackass. Also this album is good. He loses a star for that time he wore a white lives matter t-shirt and for being a weirdo.

I've never understood the Kanye love. He's extremely mediocre. All of the bangers of his career are due to guest versus: Exhibit A is the song Monster. Absolute BANGER with a killer verse from Jay-Z and an absolute song stealing verse from Nicki Minaj. If I’m being fair, I think Monster was the turning point of the album. The first 5 songs were very meh, Monster is a classic, and the rest of the songs were pretty decent. 3.5 stars

Nostalgic. Amazing production. Would rate it higher if it wasn’t for Kanye

Already heard it. It’s good but he’s a nazi so goes down a few points

Pretty good and amazingly creative, but again lyrical content is disturbing, even more so given what we know about the artist. Obviously not surprising given the title but still

Its okay I guess. Favorite tracks, All of the Lights and Devil in a New Dress. Production is kind of cheeseball to me. I like Kanye production but I fear this is where he's going downhill for me. He always manages to pull off some good shit every few years but dude doesn't deserve all the praise.

Pretty catchy songs - shame Kanye is a whacko, it makes his music difficult to enjoy

Interesting mixture of sounds, but I couldn't listen long.

Tää oli parempi kun kuvittelin, mutta ei sellainen mihin rakastuisin. Erikoistyyppi. 3/5

Wanted to like this... but I didn't. There are definitely some catchy songs and musically it is quite good. I don't really like Kanye's voice and I couldn't get over that. I suppose the three side of 3.5.

Oh boy. The intro of "Dark Fantasy" and the entirety of POWER is so good that they single-handedly made everybody not notice the fact that the rest of this album is a bloated mess with some of Kanye's most cringeworthy lyrics. It's still pretty good, but not on the same level as College Dropout (his actual magnum opus) or Yeezus and Life of Pablo. And never forget - Kanye West likes fingers in his ass.

I was surprised by this. There is a lot of forgettable filler here, but “Power” alone gets it to a 3. I also liked Runaway, Hell of a life, and Lost in the world. 3.5/5

Bat shit crazy artist meets crazy good art. Like most people I’ve always had trouble separating the art from the person when it comes to this nut job. But objectively speaking this album was surprisingly good. A bit too long though. Cut 3-4 songs and the album would still stand up.

ok. 🙄 oh wait i know one song. power. saints row.

I just don't get it, really. POWER was good though.

I kind of stopped listening to Kanye as his craziness got louder. Or maybe because I got older. I really like College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation but kinda just stopped after that. I probably should have kept listening. This is a solid album. I'm likely to revisit someday. I did listen to Blame Game twice just for the funny Chris Rock bit at the end ("that's some Cirque du Soleil pu$$y you got there"). Anyway, Kanye knows his stuff.

Overrated - do not understand why people love this so much. Also lyrics give off serious redflags even back then...

Couple bangers on there - runaway and monster in particular

Ees ok. Nothing that I feel the need to return to hear. Just ok.

It used to be a perfect album but maybe being a nazi ruined a lot of previously good things

A good album, I liked Dark Fantasy and Power.

Opened strong, lost its way a little in the middle.

La produzione è davvero bella secondo me oggettivamente, per il resto vado abbastanza a sentimento. Non tornerò attivamente ad ascoltarlo ma non mi lancerei dal finestrino se qualcuno lo mettesse sull’AUX. Non essendo il mio genere pensavo mi sarebbe piaciuto meno. La parte finale di Blame Game è agghiacciante

Meh.

klasyka lat 2000, era youtuba i szczesliwych ludzi, swiat szedl w dobra strone, album spoko, kilka lepszych kilka gorszych

Wow! I've never listened to Kanye before and I don't really know that much about him but apparently he's "A Monster". I'm "So Appalled" at his incredibly innovative music. My only criticism is that it seems highly autobiographically which makes it a bit unreleatable for me and the songs didn't especially grab me enough to push it up to a 4. But I can see why people like him or used to like him or whatever.

This was a tough one. I REALLY liked this album back when it came out. Listened to it a lot. Hearing it today, it’s hard to separate the art from the artist because I really can’t stand him as a person and have made it a point NOT to listen to him anymore. So it was hard to get through from that aspect. But my feelings towards him aside, there are songs on this I still like (there’s something still moving to me about All of the Lights and Runaway in particular). It felt like his peak. Even though he sucks, this album doesn’t and I’m gonna strike a balance and just give it a 3. This one really fucked with me. 😭

Musically this is fine, pretty creative at times and not hard on the ears at all. But I find Kanye's voice really annoying. I find I get more out of it if I ignore the lyrics, which I find to be disjointed and dumb. From everything I've heard about Kanye over the years as a talent, I was expecting more. Fave Songs: Runaway, Lost in the World, All of the Lights

Fuck. I deleted my first review. Here is a simpler and more condenced version... I really enjoyed the use of vocals as an instrument that is throughout this record. The samples are pretty good. The beats are great for the most part. There are exceptions of course. A lot of the repetition used throuought gets tedious and borderline intolerable. Nicki Minaj should stop. I don't see how people enjoy her? Her flow, and especially her delivery is whack. Runaway: what more could I say, that hasn't been said? Well... It's over hyped and over rated. It's not bad. But it's not a masterpiece. Some cool effects, and samples. This song sounds like it could've been on Ye's last album 808s and Heartbreaks. The meaning behind the song is great. Autobiographical in nature. But that aside, it's just ok. Not sure why people get as excited about it though. Perhaps it's that intro. Hearing King Crimson in Power was always odd for me. I had to get over my initial judgment of it. Underneath everything, it is a great song. Hell Of A Life: "Pussy and Religion is all I need." Well, that's an interesting line. This is the type of hip hop trope I can't get. Bragging about getting pussy is such an immature and juvenile approach. Music is Great in this song. I think the repetition in this album hinders the album.. A lot of poorly written choruses being repeated really makes these songs go from head bopping, to eye rolling. Lyrics are very hit and miss. That isn't just Ye. I do find that I hip hop it is very common to have shitty lyrics. Maybe the words aren't the point? Maybe it's the delivery and flow? Since I enjoy listening to what is being said, this is a focal point for me. Jay Z was shockingly very hit and miss. Great in So Appaled, but God awful in Monster. I wonder if Minaj just overly ruined that song for me... Maybe. Well, actually Jay Z's part just wasn't good. I didn't know Ye and Bon Iver collaborated together. Very interesting. It surprised me that it actually worked! It felt organic. Thought this was going to get a high score. I didn't think a 5. But due to its high acclaim and praise, I thought at least a 4 for me. I think the best part of this album was the production value. To me, that's a 5/5. But there is a lot of bullshit that I can't not judge. I have to judge the body of work, not just parts of it. To me... I give this a strong 3/5

Saw Kanye and cringed. Personal feelings aside, this was a really good album. I hate hearing his voice but there were several kick ass tunes and some great grooves and beats. When you find yourself grooving in your seat, some times you have to admit your hearing some pretty good music. There were a number of tunes I really enjoyed starting with Dark Fantasy. Power, All of the Lights, Monster, Devil In A New Dress and Runaway were all songs the stood out for me. I really struggled here due to my dislike of a POS person but shit, I listened to this album 4-5 times trying to find a reason to tear it apart. I can't. The Chris Rock skit ran a little too long that made it go from a little funny to total cringe, but that's all about I got. What can I say, other than I really enjoyed my listens. It's tough for me to admit, but this is a solid album, with some great tunes, great supporting artist and great grooves. Still ain't giving this a-hole a 4, but it probably deserves higher than what I'm scoring. 3.5

Enjoyable in parts but drags in others. Certainly a broad piece of art but hard going for the casual listener.

I can't.. Kanye west is a musical genius but I can't separate his work from what a psycho he has become

The man is an amazing producer. I just don’t get the hype though. His lyrics are crass without any real poetry to them. I guess it’s just not my thing.

Definitely one of those separate the art from the artist moments. Kayne is a complete waste of space and a garbage human being but there is no denying this record.

Aika stadionlevy, suureellisuus on hyväksi tässä (taitaa olla läpi Kanyen tuotannon kyllä). A-puoli hyvin vahva, B-puolella luotetaan suureellisuuteen vähän liikaa ja sieltä olis voinu lyhentää. Mutta nautin 2010-luvun tunnelmasta, voittamattomuuden tunnetta ei voi estää

Tällainen mahtipontisuus on vähän raskasta, mutta ideoista ei levyllä ole pulaa, ja artisti on pyrkinyt veistämään ne mahdollisimman teräviksi. Paha saa palkkansa, eli loppua kohti LP hiipuu melko keskinkertaiseksi.

Af en toe wat lui klinkende rap. In plaats van opnieuw op te nemen, wordt het met allerlei foefjes opgeleukt. De stem wordt vervormd, er komt volle muziek onder en, zijn favoriete oplossing, hij laat een ander het oplossen. Het zorgt voor een album dat prima wegluistert op de achtergrond. Maar als je echt gaat luisteren, is het niet bijzonder sterk. Dat levert 2,5 ster en 1 ster voor het selectiecomité van deze lijst.

its mid.faves:Runaway,dark fantasy, power, and gorgeous.I will give this one star because he is antisemetic

Respect for old Kanye.

Better than I remember

A very difficult album to wrap your head around. Musically genius, lyrically unfocused, clearly the product of a conflicted mind. Could be much more than it is, but what it is is still very good.

Safe to say, there's a lot going on. This is basically radio-pop from the post-genre hip hop hegemony era. But it's also a concept album that asks an important question: what if an extremely famous guy was also extremely horny? The defining feature here is the maximalist production. There's some incredibly lush gospel stuff, some funny appropriations of black sabbath and king crimson, some dumb skits, some annoying choruses, some tiresome mediations on fame and celebrity (yawn), some attention grabbing verses, some spaced out deep beats, a lot of propulsive forward energy, and oh shit, is that RZA?! Nicki?! Raekwon!? Kanye is a tedious bore and a mid rapper, but also a masterful producer, beat-maker, hook-writer and creator of interesting audio-collages.

Best song - Lost In The World

I was prepared to totally dislike this album because of Kanye, he seems so full of himself. However it turned out a mixed back, great sound and some cool tracks but others just don't work for me. I may invest more time and another listen.

The hip hop Morrissey.

Tricky one. Generally not a a big fan of Kanye West's music. And let's not get in to what a shitty person he seems to be, though if that was taken into account I'm sure there are other artists on this list that should be subject to the same scrutiny as well. So I will disregard that part! Commercially it seems to be quite successful, and it is a bit annoying that I feel that affect how I perceive it, but it does. But if I try to put that aside I think it might end up somewhere in upper middle for me personally. His style seem to land somewhere between hip-hop and pop for me, and you have to appreciate that many of the songs are quite experimental and stands out. They are also quite different from each other, but the album still feels coherent. But I still somehow can't find a song on the album that I quite liked. They were all decent, but even the supposed popular ones were a bit of a shrug to me. And the lyrics weren't that impressive to me. I'll give it a strong 3. Maybe it would grow on me if I put it on me, not sure.

I wish Kanye wasn't such a piece of shit because I like his music. I've always liked his music. But he's still just a piece of shit.

I wanted to hate it because he's become such a twunt since, but it's actually full of bangers. Have to separate the art from the artist sometimes.

That was dope. Very easy to listen to. Had listened to a lot of the tracks before but never as an album.

This record sounds pretty awesome - I feel like this is a good showcase of what Kanye is supposed to be capable of sample-/mixing-wise. It's not esp my kind of music overall - there were definitely some really great head-bopping parts but overall I would classify this as 'nor really my bag'.

Not a big fan of Yeezy, but I know most of the songs. Good features (Kid Cudi)

This was the last Kanye album I paid attention to. It's not bad, and I'm a big fan of "All of the Lights," but his act's definitely starting to get stale. 3.5 stars.

Kaippa ihan ok

Not a Kanye West fan but this album has some great soundscapes and I'm happy to be more familiar with his music.

Meh

There's some decent tracks on this, I've never been a big fan (not withstanding the uh, modern lens). I get why it was hailed at the time of its release, but not all disruptive art is liked by all.

This album feels all over the map with some interesting results. I do like how it sounds just not as engaging and interesting as Yeezus and 808s for me.

No suena mal aunque no es mi estilo

Musically nice enough. Lyrics often pretty clever. Some lines are probably unintentionally funny. What with everything Kanye West has done since, one worries that he actually may mean some of the silly things unironically.

Ja, definitiv abwechslungsreich. Lässt sich gut nebenbei hören.

good: production, theme, instrumentals bad: lyrics aren’t the strongest on most songs; a bit too vulgar at parts fav song: all of the lights least fav song: hell of a life 7/10 high quality album just not my taste

Okay, I've never been a hip hop guy apart from some of the oldschool classic stuff, and I'm definitely not a fan of Kanye as a person(a), but I have to admit I went back and listened to this album multiple times. It's catchy. I'll listen again, too. 3.5/5.

kein schlechtes Album, aber überhaupt nicht meine Musik

Good but disturbing

Not bad!

Favourite song - All of the lights

I really wanted to like this album, but I don't think rap hits the same way it once did when I was a teenager. The songs on this album are *way* too long, with each one 5:00+ apart from the interludes and end track. Rap is too repetitive to drone on like this, no matter how witty the rhymes might be. Plus, I think Kanye having so many collaborators on this album was a mistake. Kanye is the only interesting voice on the record. Everybody else just sounds like filler (yes, you too Jay-Z), and I was always waiting for Kanye to take over again. They added nothing of value (in my dipshit opinion). It's undoubtedly a great rap album, but certainly not one that will pull me back into that genre. "Runaway" is a classic and there's a couple of club bangers that I've previously heard in commercials, but I don't get the hype. I appreciate that Kanye is a great lyricists & produces his own beats (avoiding too many samples), but I'm clearly not the target market for his music. Give me Ice Cube's "The Predator" any day. 😉✌️❤️

That’s the most Kanye I’ve listened to in one sitting.

Way better than i expected because I didn't expect much based on Power being the only song I'd heard from the album. It wasn't bad at all, I enjoyed it, it doesn't fit the vibe for my playlists, but Monster was a fav.

Good album. Can understand the hype around it. Just Kanye isn't really my preferred genre

Kabye Westr

очень продюсировано! вроде интересно но тяжело интересоваться Канье… ну может ещё изучу…

Not as good as Wu-Tang.

Me han gustado unas tres canciones sobre todo, pero está bien en general.

Honestly thought I was going to like it more than I did. It's not Graduation or College Dropout. It's okay

This album goes pretty hard. It's a great mix of hip-hop, rap and r'n'b. Typical of a good rap and hop hop album there's a lot of well used samples. It was cringe hearing Kanye rapping to the tune of Iron Man and it's a shame about the Rhiana song, Nikki Montage was surprisingly okay and the Chris Rock ending was fun.

Not my favourite Kanye album. It's a bit too straightforward IMO. Graduation is better.

Repasar

Good album. Unique songs. Overall, I liked it. I know not everyone likes Kayne, but I find him to be really talented in the world of music.

alright, songs were too long.

pretty much a five-star album from a one-star man. just gonna split the difference here. this album has some great production, samples, and guests, which results in an overall fun and enjoyable listen. some of the skits go on too long and kanye spends a lot of this talking about his sexual escapades, but otherwise it's solid. would listen again but kanye is such a terrible human now so ehhh favorites: power, all of the lights, monster, runaway, blame game

Hip hop

This album was hit or miss. It's not one I will rush to come back to.

I was actually surprised. I haven't really listened to much Kanye, and I can hear the merit...I'll also say that this guy can't sing. He's like a Bob Dylan. Can write, can arrange, can't hold a tune but some people love him...