My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

sometimes i dont really understand how this album works, simply because it opens with nicki minaj doing a poor british accent but has some of the best hip hop of my generation, so idk. fuck kanye, but damn this album has some highs (including i sent this bitch a picture of my diccckkkkkk) 1.) runaway 2.) devil in a new dress 3.) blame game

I’ve listened to this album more times than I can count. It’s what first got me into Kanye. Not a bad song on here, most are amazing.

Maybe my favourite Kanye, but still is Kanye

Pretty good, some legendary songs. Didnt like the latter ones as much but still enjoyable listen

Highlight: Lost In The World In a nutshell: maximalist hip-hop. There is a lot of copy-paste song format here: find a sample or beat you like- even if it sounds similar to another track you've laid- and loop it. Add anything that sounds shit hot- synth horn, hand drums, vocoder, a Gospel choir, piano. Get your mates involved. Go apeshit. Make it regal, big, unapologetic. Keep shaping it til it sounds perfect. Repeat. I sense a mania in the music- in production and execution- that I didn't hear in The College Dropout. It's definitely bloated, half the songs are over 5 minutes. One has an (unfunny) skit outro featuring Chris Rock. This sounds like one of those albums an artist needed to make to redefine and refine themselves. Kanye is an expert at shaking up shit. I appreciate the ambition, it's not my thing. But it's worth a listen. It's unique and a product of its time. Overall: 4/10

Nothing to say. A masterpiece

So as usual with Kanye the production is great but sine of his rhymes are just too cringe. This doesn't seem as impactful as College Dropout though

Not really sure about this. Hard to reconcile what was actually quite an interesting and artistically meritorious album with the route that Kanye has gone. Feels like sipping tea while watching the mushroom cloud grow.

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.

It’s a shame Kanye went off the rails, becase his old music are all really good. This is one of the few albums where I think every song is great.

Annoyingly I enjoyed the album, he might be one of the biggest tools alive but back in the day he could craft a tune

I mean there will literally never be an album like this again. I will say after runaway the album is just ok but like ima ignore it

Unfortunately this is a modern classic.

Might be a lil nutty but he is a genius

Pass

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.

Viewed in a vacuum this album would be an easy 5-stars. So good. Like give me chills at points good. But, unfortunately, Kanye has disappeared down a conspiratorial, MAGA rabbit hole. So, sticking to my guns, I have to knock it a star.

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

Can we get much higher? Iconic opener and the whole record goes incredibly hard. In his peak years — and people forget there were many good records, over a long period of time — Kanye was truly a master at work.

Top 3 hip hop album for me

Yup, heard it a bunch. It's good, but not his best

No sabia que tenia tantas BANGERS hasta las que no conocia estaban muy buenas. La escuche en el gym

Not my type of music at all but that was a damn good album.

as always, great production, horrendous vocals.

# Album Name: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy # Artist: Kanye West # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: Not my kind of music normally but i have to say this was a very good album. Best of the genre ive heard. Back to back good music. I'd give it a low 5. # Top Tunes: Dark fantasy / Gorgeous / Power / All of the lights / Monster / So appalled / Devil in a new dress / Runaway # Would I listen to it again? Yes

🙅

R&B, Rap, 2010 -> 1

You take your 4 stars and get out, Nazi.

Not as good as I expected. Somewhere between Kanye's old soul sample style and the minimalism of 808s etc and I am not sure if this works. I think I prefer either approaches on their own. Don't think I will play this ever again. Also, with 2024 ears, it is hard not to hear the nastier tone than Kayne has in voice (and lyrics) these days, already kind of being in there.

Keeping the fact Kanye is a problematic character aside... This isn't a great album. It's fine but not even one of Kanye's best let alone one of the greatest albums of all time.

Oh baby, I knew this day was coming. Kanye established himself as a top voice in hip hop in the 2000s with the college trilogy, but his reputation began to precede him at this point. 808s was not a commercial success, despite some critical acclaim and there were questions about what his next album would be. He went to the studio and assembled a team of talented writers and producers larger than he ever had before or would have again. Track by Track, this album starts stronger than possibly any other. Dark Fantasy: Incredible, great feature. This was the first track back, and already this was different than 808s. Gorgeous: Epic, Cudi kills it great verses from everyone. Power: Immediate standout. The first of many climaxes of this album. The Schizoid man sample is just phenomenal. The way KanYe is able to blend such a unique musical pallet to create stadium hip hop was unparalleled. All of the Lights: Interlude and track keep the music high energy. Instrumental is great, Rihanna is fantastic. Monster: Great hook, great beat. Great Ye verse, decent Jay-Z verse and then Nicki Minaj comes in and basically introduces herself to the world with one of the greatest verses of all time and foretelling the prophecy that she would fulfill of becoming one of the greatest female rappers ever. How sick is that. So Appalled: Not that great. Feels like it goes on a bit too long and I'm not a big fan. Mostly forgettable. Devil in a New Dress: Fantastic beats, kind of carried. Doesn't hold up super well but was seen as one of the best songs on the album. Runaway: The grand epic of the album. The minute of slow introduction on keys is awesome. It's so subtle, and stripped back. Moments like this KanYe has been chasing ever since. The song is great, I think the lyrics are fine and as a whole but the instrumentals are all fantastic and the usage of the electric guitar is brilliant. Hell of a Life: Kind of a reprive, falls into a lot of 2000s pop music traps and isn't great. Blame game: Great hook great instrumental, I like the Chris Rock skit and I like John Legends vocal performance. Fits well in the album Lost in the World: A good track, not much to say, Bon Iver on it is cool. Who will survive in America: I think this closing track is pretty weak. It doesn't offer much and I think it allows the album to fall to a close rather than end with a big dramatic piece. This album starts off with great track after great track climbing to Monster. Then the album moves and abandons typical song structure and begins blurring and mystifying with runaway. The album closes by slowing down, perhaps reflecting on the heights of the first half. Like the end of Evangelion, after the chaos and as the world is disintegrating, it quiets and there is space to breathe. Maybe it's KanYe's way of saying, you can't fly so high forever. Rome will crumble and what has been made can never be made again. This world we live in is mortal and as close as we can get to the gods, we will still fall back down to the earth with cracked bones and torn flesh. Regardless the moments we spent touching the sun were the closest we could come to being free of our world, and a part of something bigger. It's only human to want this. KanYe's been trying to find it again ever since.

Skits were a bad trend, esp. if they weren't separated into skippable tracks.

This came out as Kanye was transitioning from big time producer and rapper to mentally ill bajillionaire I think? Maybe it was before that was becoming apparent, it's hard to remember when exactly Kanye went from being a real inspirational success story with a ton of talent to this sort of odious and obviously disturbed person he is today. The production on this album is stellar of course, there are some really iconic beats on here (All of the Lights, Power) but I still think it doesn't really get to the level of his early work. College Dropout and Late Registration are such incredible albums that this one seems almost too polished and too full of itself to relate to. I know this is supposed be his opus, but I really don't see it that way. The songs with a ton of features fall flat entirely, the ones with artists that aren't rappers might be even worse. I know that Kanye isn't just a rapper, he's a producer, so it's not weird to be shown up in the rapping department, but it has to be said Pusha T is the best rapper on this album. His verse saves "So Appalled" from being a total throwaway track, and his verse in "Runaway" is great. I've been talking like I dislike this album, but I don't. I still think it's close to being great, I just know Kanye did better before, and probably wont ever do better again. Outside of the big singles, which are all excellent, "Hell of a Life" has a great driving beat, lyrics, and the chorus "sampling" Black Sabbath is great. Real shame he's a piece of shit now.

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:

Some brilliance from Kanye West, back before he was a full-on nut job. Just a semi nut job.

Chalk full of legendary hip hop beats.

Qué raro

It was alright Pussy

Nope.

Awesome. Love it

The greatest (and the last great) Kanye album

Arguably good, potential re listen

Kanye is my favorite artist and this is either my favorite or top three Kanye albums. Amazing album.

The self importance permeates this one all the way through. 2.3 stars

Kanye West: 👎 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 👍👍

Eh

Not going to listen to this a-hole. Alrighty I listened to some of this album and I still feel the same…he’s an a-hole. Can I give this zero stars?

not a lot of substance, but its a fun time, highlight is runaway

Hard pass

The first couple of songs are a bit slow but also I’ve probably listened to this album 100 times so hard to say if that’s just me. Despite Kanye’s more recent slippage in quality and abhorrent politics, this is a classic.

Not as good as College Dropout. Better than Yeezus.

All these songs are way too long.

I tried to listen without everything we now know about the person who is Kanye and the album is still a top listen for me. I think I would in all honesty go 4.5 due to perversion that I don't usually like. There is no denying the talent here and looking back, there is another path for this troubled egomaniac where he is beloved instead of reviled. This is a masterpiece.

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.

fuck this guy

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.

Best rap album ever

Bring back old Ye

All songs are very enjoyable listens, without a doubt one of Kanye’s best albums. However, some songs were very weak compared to others, like Monster to Runaway or POWER. Overall, great album. 8/10.

Albumi #49, 15.09.2024 Kanye West ei jaksa innostaa.

4 love that there’s actual musical elements to the album rather than the incessant trap beats of current rap

One of my hip hop gateway albums, All of the Lights one of my favourite all time tracks. Make me feel 21 again so has to be 5 ⭐️!

Correct album with a commercial sounding, heavy production. Some song can be very long, overall very good.

Crap

80% Best: Gorgeous; POWER; Devil In A New Dress; Runaway; Hell Of A Life Must-Hear? Sure

Not great

Production, production, PRODUCTION!!! god damn genius… I miss the old kanye 😔

Listened to this while playing Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin. I intensely dislike Kanye now...but this album honestly is way better than it had any right to be. The guest spots or amazing, the production is so wonderfully lush. I don't even mind Kanye so much on this album. I hate to do this...but this album gets a 5 from me.

I'm not even going to listen to this.

A perfect album and one of the best hip hop albums of all time.

This was a bit sad to listen to know where Kanye went. Great album, very tight throughout. Power has such an incredible vibe and I remember hearing a pull from King Crimson in it and wondering where Kanye was going to keep going musically.

This is an amazing album that almost summarizes the work that came before it. The whole thing just works. He is not the best lyricist but the rest of the tapestry he weaves carries him. From the hits he made for Jay-Z to this he just kept building, but not long after this he flew to close too the sun. The man figured out the formula for producing a pop song for a time. Almost like he made a deal at the crossroads and the bill came due. May he find peace some where that we don't need to hear about him for a long while.

Kanye West is very likely struggling with a diagnosable mental illness. He is not OK and really ought not be in the public spotlight. However, he is also a brilliant musician and it is really necessary to compartmentalize his music from his ... whatever the rest of his life may be. Certain musicians put their POLITICS into their music. I am not even going to imagine Kanye can not automatically feed his emotional states into his music, but that is what makes it what it is. An insane sort of beauty. Just in so long as you don't focus on the man, and just focus on the music, everything will be OK!

First and foremost before I do my review, I would like to acknowledge that Kanye West is not a good person who supports Neo Nazi ideals and refuses to work on his mental health issues as they continue to worsen. Now to the review where I will just be looking at the music, and not the man This might be one of the greatest rap albums ever made, and I am skeptical that we ever get another album with this level of collaboration. Every song is unique, and yet they all work together. All of the features are on point, the production is top level, and the album never drops on quality. Runaway is 9 minutes pure gold. I truly do miss the old Kanye who continually pushed rap in new directions before his ego and mental health couldn't separate from each other.

Honestly wasn't half bad (That is a lot coming from somebody who's "worst" genre is hip-hop.) "Runaway" is a standout for me, featuring a twinkling piano melody and fantastic incorporation of samples. In fact, I would argue that the album was well written. That said, Kanye West is a disillusioned Nazi and antisemite. Whenever I'm listening to his tracks, I remember that Tweet of him wearing a swastika shirt and that instantly ruins the album's appeal to me. I have been called out for turning my nose up to rap music then and again. But why should I breach my own morals just to conform to self-proclaimed music elitists's standards?

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.

fuck this POS. Zero starts if possible. Nicki's verse on Monster is legendary.

no se

Really good. Some of the songs hit harder than others, and some parts really don't work for me, but others really are amazing. 4/4.5

Fuck Kanye

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

Awesome beats, still a mid rapper. I liked it better than TCD.

Overrated by many, but still a great rap record.

In 2024 - absolutely fuck Kanye West. But there was a large period of time when he was arguably the best hip hop artist out there. His ‘College’ trilogy is damn near perfection; hits upon hits upon hits, with albums that had plenty of commentary layered on some of the best production the world had ever heard. Even when he switched things up with ‘808’s & Heartbreak’, he knocked it out of the park. But this album? This album is by far his magnum opus. He took everything great from the ‘Graduation’ trilogy and ‘808’s’ and mashed them into their final form. Is it self indulgent? 100%. Is it a bit preachy at times? Absolutely. But is it an undeniably great listen. You betcha! The first 5 songs are just a masterclass. The haunting, angry, almost gospel-esque opener ‘Dark Fantasy’, the guitar riff heavy ‘Gorgeous’, the hard hitting ‘Power’ (with a genius sample of King Crimson putting the icing on the cake), the guaranteed hit ‘All Of The Lights’, and the pure hip hop beat driven ‘Monster’. They all paint the overall picture of the album; phenomenal lyrics, masterful rapping, and mindblowing production. Some people claim ‘MBDTF’ is front loaded. But I don’t believe that. ‘Runaway’, ‘Blame Game’, ‘Lost In The World’ are also top tracks. In fact, there isn’t a single bad section to be found here, in my opinion. The collaborations also need to be mentioned, as he works with the likes of Jay-Z, Nicki Manaj, Bon Iver, John Legend, prime Rick Ross, and Pusha T. Rarely do you ever see such a varied and killer list of artists featured on an LP; never mind the fact it’s only 13 tracks, too. Sure, revisiting this album is bittersweet given Kanye’s recent antics. But I think you can often separate the artist from the art. And ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ isn’t just a great hip hop record, it’s quite simply one of the greatest albums of all time; and I have held that belief since it was released.

Very close to a 5 but doesn't quite get there 88/100

9/10. While Kanye West is a terrible person, I must admit that this album is a masterpiece. This is coming from a non-rap fan. I would have given this album five stars if it weren't a Kanye West album. Edit: Never mind. Five stars it is.

Enjoyed the song Monster, but still have a hard time getting past who this guy is.

Side A is better storytelling, side B is catchier. All in all, a solid solid album.

Utter shite

Fuck yeah

increíble álbum para tener de fondo cuando querés sentirte poderosa. buena compañia

Good album, and fuck Kanye. ✌️

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

I have absolutely not expected this to be so good. Never thought of Kanye as a good artist and not just crazy star

CAN WE GET MUCH HIGHER 🗣️🗣️

One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time but also fuck Kanye

Very good

Beyond Kanye's questionable actions and my deep deep desire to never give him money, this is his least impactful album.

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

I don't care if he's a villain

Incredible way to start this off. Bangers piled upon bangers on this album. Every song feels consequential, and I love almost all of them. 4.6/5

Like Kanye himself, this album turned out to be a complete and utter disappointment. The best part about it is Nicki Minaj’s verse on “Monster.”

For someone who slept on Kayne in his early days and avoided him in his latter, I was happily blown away with how awesome this album was and will be fully investing some time into relistens and investigating his earlier albums.

Didn’t think I’d really listen to this album with any sense of enjoyment. I was surprised with the variety, the musicality and the poetry of his lyrics.

What a fascinating listen. There’s so much here, even before you get to the music. Has there ever been an artist, literally worth nearly a billion mostly built on his critically acclaimed discography, who decides to essentially throw most of that away because of becoming enamored with antisemitism and sexual deviance? That alone makes his story memorable, no matter how you feel about Kanye. Classic, “Do you support the art or the artist?” debate. In the end, I land on Kanye being one of the most talented producers and hitmakers of all time (not much of a rapper though; his flow has always been rudimentary to me), so I gotta give him his props for that. And this album is likely one of his early masterpieces; the title literally says it all. One of his best traits about Kanye as an artist is you don’t have to wonder what he’s thinking about; it’s all in the music for better or for worse. In the end, as the debate about Ye continues online where he still has his worshippers as much as those who’ve written him off, I land with the teenager who described him thusly: “Amazing artist, shitty human being.” Either way, his music is too good, too stimulating, too irritating at times, for me to write him off. He’s just too talented and like a car crash, I can’t help but check it out even as I pass it by.

Pop Rap, Hip Hop

Best produced rap album of all time possibly? Their is a sort of epicness that comes with this album, with songs like 'all of the lights' and 'runaway'. It feels bigger than just an album

Alright, some good tunes

Fine. Another situation of the person overshadowing their art.

I hate how good this is. I want to punish Kanye for being the person he is, but I can’t deny this album’s greatness. I can however give props to the many, many guests who elevate this material even more, most of whom are not problematic, I think? I just won’t google it. Problem solved.

I legit think Kanye is a creative genius. I disagree with just about everything about him as a person, though. This album is very good, but I don’t think it’s his peak. I think some of the features in the middle and near the end drug it down for me.

100

Do you like fish sticks?

Waste of my time.

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.

What to do with this one? I can understand why Kanye has been lauded. There are moments of ambition, even genuis, but I feel like mostly he's mostly getting graded on a curve, merely for stretching the genre. It all feels a tad self-indulgent, which I guess is all part of the rap game, but still. I found Runaway to be the most interesting song, and perhaps mostly because it's a moment of introspection, perhaps clarity, where Kanye can see the cliff he eventually ends up going over. When he tells you to run away, he's not lying. And, as much as I would like, I can't really separate the art from the artist. It colors it all, and I'd prefer not to know anything more about his fantasies, dark or otherwise.

So Kanye’s “Dark Twisted Fantasy” was not as bad as I was dreading, so there’s that… I did find it fascinating that saw a number of rock artists listed in the song writing credits – so Jon Anderson (Yes), Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Tony Iommi & Ozzy (Black Sabbath) – along with Carole King – and I was like WTF, until I realized that Kanye was just sampling portions of their songs on his tracks… I guess that’s part of what bugs me about hip-hop/rap – is the basing of a new rap song, around a musical hook that’s already been created by another artist… I know everyone “borrows” from everyone else in music, and very little is genuinely “created” – but the blatant practice of knowingly taking something, and re-working it, just has never sat well with me… C’est la vie… While nothing earth-shattering here, I did find it at least somewhat interesting, so a solid 2 for Kanye… Still don’t get why he is a thing, but at least he’s better than “Dr. Octogon” – so there’s that…

I acknowledge the popularity of the album and the impact of the artist, though I care for neither. Favorite track: "Lost In The World."

Very good start to this one. I get a little fatigued by the end of it. Will I listen to again: 60%

awful

It took me a bit to figure out that the reason why so many songwriters are listed in the credits - for one song I counted 13 names - is that Kayne was forced to acknowledge the artists he sampled. The album is exceptionally well-produced. I like everything but Kayne's rap.

Not my kind of music at all

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.

One point bonus for iron man sampling

Start to finish, great album.

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

What happened to my goat :( Genuinely depressing listening back to this one, its like a completely different person made it. Hit after hit after hit. Legendary run of tracks. But it does have to be said the back half falls off pretty significantly after Hell of a Life, drags a bit after that. Such a fun listen but now I'm sad. Separate the art from the artist I guess. Dude was the soundtrack to my life for years. Fav Tracks : Dark Fantasy, Power, All of the Lights, Monster, So Appaled, Runaway, Hell of a Life

One of the best albums of all time

This is the best Kanye West album. It bumps. Just a good presentation and doesn't overstay too much. Lots of guests. He really captured the popular sounds of the time by sampling Bon Ivor.

The best Kanye album.

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.

Didn’t like this album. Don’t like Rap Music. 1/5

4 Runaway was too long

“Ain’t no question if I want it, I need it” and by “it” I mean the old Kanye

This didn’t jolt me like “Yeezus”, but it’s still bizarre, bold and word-nimble enough to rise above West’s nastiness. Tip: the un-pixelated cover should be seen.

Picked this up on the strength of "Runaway" and a Pitchfork 10/10 (hey, it was the Obama days). Overcome by a braggadocious wall of noise, I didn't give it a second listen. But today, with hindsight: wow, this is absolutely *too much* in just the right way, and I finally understand why pre-Nazi Kanye was so highly feted. Incredible production, witty and funny lyrics (if frequently reflecting obvious insecurities), populated by a wealth of talent all throwing high quality shit at the wall. Only low point is the piss-weak warbling of Justin Vernon (dreading "For Emma..." if it shows up here). Strongest parts have their roots deep in prog (goddam, "Dark Fantasy": where did he hear the original?!), potentially inspiring me to dig into the Gentle Giant back catalog and make my fortune. Watch this space.. I really didn't want to give this top marks, but I've been impulsively listening to it all weekend, and even sat through some of the rest of his output (Yeezus is the closest, the earlier stuff is awful). Uneasy 5*

I know it’s iconic, but it’s not my favourite genre of music

4.50

Not my genre

This genuinely feels like Kanye at the top of his game. I've always treated this album as the precursor to his downfall, and going back to it now feels like opening a time capsule of his music. I think this acts as the apex of his ideas on Graduation, while also going all in on the bravado. Favorites are Power, All Of The Lights, Runaway, and Lost In The World.

These songs are maximalism taken to the extreme. The entire music industry is on this thing. It’s like a room full of gold trim and crystal chandeliers with velvet furniture. Just fantastic front to back.

Great beats for a beast

This started really strong, so I was considering 5, but it sagged a bit in the middle for me. It's borderline 3/4, so I marked down for Kanye being a little Nazi cunt.

Over rated probs a 4 but nazi so its a 3

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 wonder if i would have liked this if i didn't have some inkling about kanye.

Great album, seriously twisted dude.

I’m not seeing the genius of this album

I think the music itself is a bit better than a lot of the verses, but a powerful album altogether. The vocals are very front and centre in a nice way. Would give it 5 stars if it wasn't for Devil in a new dress and Blame game.

Kanye West's first 5 albums were legendary. An amazing 5 album run. Is this the best album overall of his from those 5? Very hard to say. Basically, every one of his albums up until this one is great, almost perfect but not quite. This one is no exception, I LOVE the first half of the album but it just loses its way towards the end unfortunately. It's not a perfect album but it is very close, the highs are very high.

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

Undeniably fantastic

It was all over the place, and the subject matter didn't click with me. I just didn't get it.

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

nice

Got into a car accident with this playing. Never again :)

There is 0 doubt that "Runaway" is a true masterpeace. Also "power" kinda slaps. And right now i am having a huge dilemma, i know that the album is great, but i also know that Ye is not that great. Also hating on every corrupt musician's music would really reduce my listening options. That is why I am leaving this to math. "Runaway" - 6/5 Album - 4.5/5 Ye - 0/5 Total 10.5/15 === 3.5/5

Honestly think this album is overrated

One of the greatest albums ever made. A perfect 10

This album was the end of the good stuff. I didn't like it when it came out, for some reason, i think the hype was too much and it just didn't live up to it. Only one song is worth relistening to, and it's only good due to the background vocals.

3.3/5 listened 1x, could use a relisten

I always thought 808s was the best Kanye album, but this one has stood the test of time better. Sad, dark, angry, and desolate.

Shocked that I enjoyed this album as much as I did. Never heard a single one of these songs until today. Probably helped that there are so many cool people collaborating on it. Go figure.

Modern masterpiece, hate the man but will always remember his incredible output during his prime.

Kayne’s masterpiece, the one album I can forgive how much of a dickhead he is and just enjoy. I honestly believe this is Hip Hop’s equivalent of Dark Side of the Moon, just a shame Kayne is a bigger twat than Roger Waters.

Almost every track overstays it's welcome a bit, how are they all 5+ minutes sitting on the same beat. Even the best beat gets boring after that long. Didn't like the sampling of 21st century schizoid man, don't think it meshes well and just makes me wish I was listening to the better song. I like the use of the electric guitar on the album, not used to hearing that in hip hop. The album goes out on a high, perhaps the tightest tracks on the album. I don't know, the highs are really high but it feels pretty bloated. There's not a lot to keep me coming back to it tbh, other than a couple of tracks. 4/5

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

No.

I really can’t explain why, but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has the same effect on me that Punk has. It’s so effortlessly perfect, so beautifully constructed, and so brilliant a self-portrait of a highly, highly flawed man that it feels… inspirational? I’m not a rapper. I have a bit of a history playing Jazz and R&B, but musically I’m mostly a Rock guy. And yet, listening to this album makes me want to bust out a drum machine and a synthesiser and bare my soul over some beats. I think that the confessional nature of the lyrics plays a major part, 2010 Kanye is flawed but relatable because of his flaws, and as someone who is also flawed and actively struggling with how to deal with them, the whole album is worryingly relatable. But ignoring that, it just slaps as music. Power, All Of The Lights, the Guitar/Vocal solo that takes up the last few minutes of Runaway, all perfection. Todd In The Shadows talked recently about how difficult it would be to cut controversial artists out of your life, and he name-checked Kanye as one of the hard ones. Listening to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy all the way through, I finally get it

I will never get the whole Kanye is a Genius thing. It's all boring as heck to me. Ah, well, not everything is made for everyone.

The guy is a scumbag, but that's more or less all I know from him, I've lost interest/lost track with mainstream hip hop a long time ago. Is it any good? I don't particularly like his flow (there is no particular edge, it's a bit too smooth/dull to my taste), the background music is not too bad but a bit bloated. We can clearly hear that lots of efforts were put in the production, but I'm not really convinced and it's hard to claim that is pure genius. It wasn't really bad overall, but not that good either.

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.

It's hard to seperate the artist from art and this album is a great example. This is a great album made by a crazy person. It is extremely original with the first song being an incredible opener. Each successive song keeps the pace up and are all really great. I can't rate it higher than a 4 though because I don't agree with many things Ye has said and done.

Great album. Power, Monster and Runaway are the big hits and lots of crafty lyrics.

Helt ait, noen bangers, andre var fillers

One of my favorite hip hop albums of all time. I consider it Kanye’s crowning achievement.

My thoughts on this album clicked on that one song that sampled Avril 14th by Aphex Twin. It was great musically and set a great atmosphere, and then Kanye put just enough self-aggrandizement on top of that to make it not unpalatable. At the end of the song, my takeaway was that the original Avril 14th was better. Granted, I don’t listen to rap, and there might be something to his lyrics that might be more meaningful to someone who does, but it didn’t resonate with me. This might be controversial, but I feel like this album succeeded in spite of Kanye West, not because of him. It struck me as a series of slightly worse versions of great songs that are still very good. I struggled writing this because I did enjoy listening to this album, but at the end of the day, my takeaway is that a rap album was good, but would be better without the rapper, which is pretty damning praise.

West is a piece of shit. Ridiculous, misogynistic, manipulative, controlling, delusional, and quite possibly in need of support with his mental health - which may be the root cause of his flaws. He is also incredibly good at making his music. I have very little experience or knowledge of hip-hop as a genre, but I can spot good when it's presented to me, and this album is good. Very good. It is, of course, overly long and that along with the closing 'comedy' skit stops it being five stars, but it is a really solid four. Even though it is made by such a colossal piece of shit.

Trash.

Justice for Taylor <3

What an incredible album - lyrics were fun, flow was great, production out of this world. couple of songs were misses but overall, a stellar album. I finally get why people love his music.

I think I’ll always have a soft spot for this album, because it’s so closely linked to a specific time and place for me. (Summer 2018, Tokyo) I first listened to it on a total whim on a long bus ride - vaguely recalling that it was considered one of the greatest albums of the last 20 years, and curious as to why - and it grabbed my attention from the first track and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. I immediately listened again from the start, and I listened many times over those summer months. It was a transitory period when I was often sad and deeply conflicted, and something about this music in particular seemed to offer an escape. I can’t really rationalize or explain what it is I like so much about this album (although there are definitely objective measures by which it’s great), but despite everything surrounding its artist, it’s one of those that I’ll always appreciate for the role it played in my life. (This time, too, I listened through without stopping and listened a second time.)

I am not finding this terribly compelling, but I'll give it three stars because of the samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" and the tune that shamelessly rips off Black Sabbath's "Ironman". I'm sorry, I'm just not all that interested in raps and auto tune lyrics about falling in love with porn stars. Actually, with the anti Semitism, I can't give this anything other than one star. "Ye" is an asshole.

I'll admit I was a little surprised that I didn't find this to be the worst thing ever. I was actually enjoying much of the first half all the way through Monster. But then it started to get tedious & the lyrics took a serious nosedive. Apparently Runaway is a standout for a lot of people but that might be my least favorite track as it's just the lazy-ass Four Chords again.

Some of these tracks are true classics and it was a joy to listen to. Other parts of the album drag on a bit and some of the tracks I'm not a huge fan of. The tracks that work really work for me but there are a few skips in there too that bring it down a star.

4☆/5 07.11.2024

Sounds great, I see why people like Ye However, lyrics can be questionable as you'd expect Not horrendous though

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

Meh

As usual I liked this better than I expected or wanted to. The guy is crazy and an ass but the music is legit.

Bangers throughout.

As someone not that much into modern hip hop (and tired of Ye's controversies), I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Decent production and a couple of hits I didn't even know where his

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.

Not my bag.. Creative and artistic - - but.. nah

I didn’t want to rate this a 5 going into it because I don’t think this is the best album we’ve had and, if I rated it a 5, it would surely steal that spot. However, I’ve been swayed. This thing is awesome. Combining the fast beat and rap vocals with really dramatic backing vocals and other instruments worked really well. Runaway is a classic as well obviously

Really liked this album. It was really good

歌真不戳，可惜人疯了

Some good songs, some kind of meh

just such a classic. every song is incredible, from the production to the lyrics to the flow of the thing. truly dumps you right into it and never lets go until the end. where did THIS kanye go

Would be a 5, but Kanye's ego gets in the way. 4/5

It’s just too long. I have a hard time judging Kanye of 2010 with Kanye of 2024. He might be the worst rapper on his own album (that’s still pretty good considering the heavy hitters). He’s definitely the worst singer and the auto tune is not great. Is there a Chris rock interlude that just went on way too long??? Cut out a half hour. I think there’s a great album in there

"Dark Fantasy" Grand, cinematic. Features orchestral elements and introspective lyrics about fame. "Gorgeous" (featuring Kid Cudi and Raekwon) Gritty, raw. Guitar-driven beat with social and political commentary. "Power" Anthemic, intense. Combines tribal drums with bold lyrics about Kanye's influence. "All of the Lights" Energetic, vibrant. Features multiple artists; discusses personal and public struggles. "Monster" (featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Bon Iver) Dark, fierce. Each artist delivers standout verses, with Nicki Minaj’s being particularly memorable. "So Appalled" (featuring Jay-Z, Pusha T, Cyhi the Prynce, Swizz Beatz, and RZA) Brooding, reflective. Complex verses over a somber beat. "Devil in a New Dress" (featuring Rick Ross) Smooth, soulful. Features a classic soul sample and a standout verse from Rick Ross. "Runaway" (featuring Pusha T) Melancholic, introspective. Famous for its extended piano intro and self-reflective lyrics. "Hell of a Life" Edgy, provocative. Combines rock influences with bold, hedonistic lyrics. "Blame Game" (featuring John Legend) Emotional, layered. Explores the complexities of a failing relationship. "Lost in the World" (featuring Bon Iver) Euphoric, expansive. Blends Bon Iver’s ethereal vocals with a driving beat. "Who Will Survive in America" Poignant, thought-provoking. Uses a spoken word piece to address social issues. This album combines lush production with deep, introspective lyrics, making it a rich listening experience from start to finish.

Long, répétitif. Aucun intérêt pour moi. Je ne suis pas allé au bout.

Ridiculously good album. Kanye is king of the assholes, but the album rules.

4.4

Cool, but less memorable than I remember

No. No, no, no. HELL no. I'm not even gonna listen to this Nazi apologist. I'd give zero stars if it was possible. I'm sure as hell not giving him any clicks.

Whilst some of his opinions and world views are a little..... Unorthodox, this for me is one of the greatest albums ever made. The production is insane, the storytelling and imagery he creates with his wordplay is sublime. The album dips a little in the middle after monster but recovers from runway onwards...(Except that "Yeezy taught me" nonsense). Just an incredible album.

Infinitely more listenable than the College Dropout, which felt like taking a wire brush to my eardrums. Lyrics were pretty much what I expect from this genre and I could do without it. Consistently quite musical and well produced, though I wouldn't come back to it. Some bits I was like 'this is obviously supposed to be funny, I guess...'

Hip hop is my lowest rated genre, but holy smokes this is great! More progressive rap please — and some mental health care for Kanye, while you're at it.

Dark Fantasy POWER All Of The Lights Monster Runaway

It is a very good album

The reviews on this album talk about the production and how great it is but I just find it busy and confusing for a hip hop album; too much going on in each track - I just don't find 'the swing' or whatever. In fact I don't like the production; I don't like the songs; I don't like Kanye, I don't like any of it...

La segunda mitad del álbum slaps hard damn son

Quizá aquí Kanye no tiene el flow que en CD, LR o Graduation, pero es otra faceta de su vida. Me gusta toda la orquesta, el uso de las cuerdas en las canciones, el uso de colaboraciones. Pienso que algunas pistas duran más de lo que deberían, pero detalles en la producción lo salvan.

so much to this. makes you lament where we at with him now could i write poetry to this? y

The perfect summation of Kanye West's career to this point. It really sucks that it all goes wildly downhill from here

Not as charming as College Dropout, not as weird as Yeezus. Never liked this album.

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

Day170 -i was prepared to hate this and give it one star but it’s good. much better than either kendrick lamar album i’ve had to listen to

Will always love this! All of the lights, Gorgeus, Runaway

I reuse to listen to something this idiot produced...

Damnit Kanye, what happened? This was so good. He was always a terrible person, but it used to feel harmless and he made damn good music. Neither is true anymore.

Obviously amazing.

Good

The hits are sure hits. The rest are….fine. Not bad? Not a perfect album by any means. I feel like this was KW’s highest height — the range of guest stars is insane, he was clearly at the top, and now all of that good will is gone. And rightfully so!

Rating: 10/10 My favorite hip-hop album of all time and one of the greatest albums of all time. Everything about this album is superb: the production, rapping, lyrics, and features are all incredible. This might be the best produced hip-hop album of all time and the production continues to be mind-blowing every single listen. Kanye is rapping mostly about his fame and fortune but does so in a creative way. The features are the best I have ever heard on any hip-hop album, everyone is absolutely fantastic. A timeless classic.

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

Very good

An undeniable classic, the biggest and best hip-hop album of its time. It still sounds great today (despite the overcompressed/clipping mix) Credit where credit's due. Kanye's an asshat that has fallen off the deep end, hasn't made anything remotely comparable since, and apparently still doesn't get the fishsticks joke. It's a shame we immediately went from the highs of 'Runaway' to Kanye getting asshole bleach on his T-shirt, but for a brief shining moment in the early 2010s Kanye had beaten his detractors and was on top of the world.

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

A well produced/constructed album, but I was just bored listening to it

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?

At this point of the 1001 list, I'm tired of Kanye West! Subjectively, it's a fine pop/hip hop/rap album, good beats, well produced and all that, a little too much autotune, but by the time I got to the Chris Rock skit, I couldn't take any more.

9/10 Incredible with a lot of catchy tunes. Kanye use a lot of pop sounds, as he did previously, but with a more impressive sounds. It seems like a testament for the hip-hop/pop culture. Maybe too much mainstream and not revolutionary, but this album managed to revive Kanye's destroyed career and make it more important and louder than before. In conclusion a solid pop album with a lot of artist and a bunch of contamination making it a perfect album but without that something extra

Unfortunately very good. Favourites: dark fantasy, all of the lights, monster, runaway.4/5

Been waiting for this one… I can't lie knowing this was coming up was the main thing keeping me going with recent catching up efforts. Anyways, I love this album, it is a very obvious 5 from me and contains quite a few of my favourite Kanye songs. Side note I also love when the generator gives me an album that I am already familiar with because then I know I can fully enjoy it (like music is supposed to be consumed) instead of worrying about whether I'm going to have to slog through an hour of some nonsense. Also I don't have to pay attention and restart when I realize I tuned half the album out. Anyways I am going to go listen and enjoy now bye

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.

Stephen Railton, one of the world’s foremost Faulkner scholars, asked me one day, as we were talking about some of the Faulkner speeches I spent the previous five hours digitizing as part of the archival research I was doing for him my fourth year at UVa, “Do you have to be as fucked up as he was to make the kind of art that he did?” My 21-year-old self twisted that question into a kind of advice or excuse for the headlong self-destruction I pursued over the ensuing decade, but it still rings in my head today as an open question. And no one epitomizes it more fully than Ye. This album is insanely brilliant, and it’s a sad swing of the pendulum but today I really do feel like maybe you don’t need to be insane to be brilliant, but if you are, you’ll be just that much more brilliant. Maybe the next album will swing my mind again!

Would have been a 5 if he wasn’t a 0 of a person.

If you asked me five years ago I would have gave this a 5 instantly. Still a really great ablum.

A Brill Album. Standout Tracks: Dark Fantasy Devil in a New Dress Runaway Blame Game POWER and all of the lights are good, I like the King Crimson sample in POWER

I would have given this five stars but I don't like Kanye as a person and also his lyrics are too misogynistic for me. But surprisingly good music!

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

I refuse to listen to this fucking Nazi piece of shit.

He goes on a bit doesn't he?

Für mich ist das nichts mag keinen Rap

Simply WOW. I dislike Ye, his public life which aint my problem and his conspiracy theories have put me off on him and his music has suffered from this. Having said that this album is a masterpiece that every old schooler gen xer should listen and have on rotation. Definitvely works better as an album over singles. Flawless and the producing is breathtaking top of the class sampling. I hate that I have to love this

I refuse. Don’t care how good it is or isn’t

Not a fan but was good

Already listened. 10. Listened to pet sounds instead

Aham, nuca se capitalizó tanto un casquete. Tiene la cancion de la colonia esta. En verda temardos, i el perque el negri/nazi/loco este lo ha petao. Also, monotema de parlar de la seua pinga en cada tema ofc. na en verdá ma gustao prou pero ja cansa lo de que este tipo de musica estiga en el "Top 100" get som musical kulture dude.

separating the art from the artist... lets just get that out of the way this album is INCREDIBLE. i know ive talked about it a decent amount, but the DISSECT season that covers this album is amazing. it showed me that i was really only listening to music at the surface level, and man there are so many layers to this album. the quick rundown is that this album comes off the heels of the Kanye/T-Swift incident at the VMA's, his mother dying after a procedure that he paid for, and his behemoth of a career that he built up from nothing potentially returning to ash. this album touches on several themes, ranging from death, suicide, loss of those around you, addiction, fear of the future, and what really matters in life. i will continue on the DISSECT soapbox, and tell everyone that the content about this album is incredible. this is one of the easiest 5 star albums ive ever rated. there is so much to this, and i can't even do it justice trying to explain it. do yourself a favor and listen to that season, and then re-listen to this album.

Sorpresivo y atrapante, como para conocer mas

Weird but nice. Interesting and catchy. A fresh album in this genre.

This could have easily been a 5-star if some of the fat was removed. “Runaway” alone almost makes up for some of the mediocre songs.

No me gusto

J’ai une idée pour notre ami Kenny; il pourrait se recycler en compositeur instrumental! Ce que je reproche souvent au rap c’est la médiocrité de la majorité des tracks instrumental et le mixage déficient sur leur album. Ce que Kenny a fait ici musicalement est renversant, je dirais même émoustillâmenflant! En plus, l’avantage des chansons instrumentales c’est qu’il n’y a pas de voix! Kenny va pouvoir enfin fermer sa gueule, en gardant ses propos rasciste et misogyne pour ses personnalités multiples! Hésite pas à m’appeler, Ken, j’t’arrange ça

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

In this case, there is a strong negative correlation between the quality of the music and the quality of the person who made the music.

All discourse about Kanye aside, this is a phenomenal record. Its impeccably produced, it's features are incredible. And it still holds up all these years later. A modern masterpiece.

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

0☆

I hate Kanye West, he's awesome.

Some bangers on here. Not my favorite Yeezy album but Ashley hooked me on it.

A complex work in so many ways…

An album of two halves, light n darkness Side A 5*, side B 3*

This and 808s probably has the biggest influence on rap as a genre in the last 20 years but I think rappers today look at this like the Beatles so who knows

"Runaway" is so freakin' good. So many brilliant moments.

Knocking off half a star cos of the Yeezy reupholstered my pussy bit, otherwise great album

Again, goated

Not best Kanye still 5 stars

Nice

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

Man's insane but this record is also insane

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.

Overrated but still amazing

I had every reason to not like this album. Rap and hip-hop, while I've enjoyed most of what I've heard (and even gave Biggie's debut 5 stars), a lot of it hasn't resonated with me or left me floored. This, combined with the fact that Kanye West has proven himself to be a colossal idiot in almost everything but making music, has put on full display his mental instability, and has spouted hateful, Anti-semitic language and aligned himself with a now former president who has spewed some equally condemnable rhetoric and you have an artist who, despite the quality of his art, is incredibly easy to dislike. This review will assess the art, not the artist, and I have tried to put my personal feelings about Kanye aside here for the sake of the integrity of this project. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This album completely blew me away. I mean my god. The sheer amount of creative energy that just bursts at this album's seams. The lyrics alone require an immense amount of dissection. West moves through this album at the height of his powers, delivering his messages with a personal urgency, at times, that adds to the power of this album. "Power" in particular stands out as a masterpiece in production and writing, and if I had to guess serves as the album's thesis. Bringing together sample after sample and combining them to make something both incredibly personal and yet wide-reaching and relatable. The collaborators he brings in for this project were also excellently chosen and utilized. Jay-Z, Niki Minaj, Pusha T, and apparently Bon Iver, to name just a few. They all bring something more this album that it needed to be great. Now for some things to criticize here. For one, I don't understand the tone of the outro to "Blame Game." It really seems like the Chris Rock cameo is supposed to be funny. But the tone of the rest of the song is sad, depressing at times, and the juxtaposition doesn't work for me. I don't know what it was supposed to do but it falls flat completely. Like it was included because they knew they could get Chris Rock and needed something for him to do. I also do find some of the lyrics to be misogynistic in nature, which while I know that can be par for the course in hip hop and always has been, I just can't really get behind or relate to. Lastly, his ego just cannot help but take its place at the forefront of this album. It's in your face and obnoxious and becomes tiresome at times. And that's annoying and a little sad. He's great and knows it, he just can't be humble about it ever, at all. This album is undeniable. It's a masterpiece. It's a creative force. It's an achievement. I don't know what else to say. Five stars. Somewhat regrettably. But you can't deny the art. Standout tracks: Dark Fantasy, Power, All of the Lights, Monster, Runaway, Lost in the World

Won't even try this one :-(

Aphex twin sample I'm so happy that I got assigned this album,,,, I've only had really shit over synthesized eighties schmuck for the past couple

Pure trash.

It's get the obvious out of the way. It has been getting harder for me to listen to Kanye given his spiralling in the last few years. He has become the anchor of toxic masculinity mixed with untreated mental illness. But the man is also a genius, and this album might be his masterpiece. It is also really disturbing to listen to now because in a way it represents a pivotal point in his trajectory. Kanye, here, is starting to show who he really is, and his beautiful dark twisted fantasy is becoming his world. The beats, the samples, the arrangements are unbelievable as they were since he stepped on the scene, but thematically we are retreating from the often hilarious, ridiculous, messy but brilliant raps of his earlier albums to something far darker. He is a complicated man, who oozes pain and has shown himself to be a real shitty human being human being as a result of that. Yes, he remains a musical giant, but I can't get behind the other stuff.

i think objectively this is the best kanye west album. it’s not my personal favorite(shoutout TLOP) but i can’t deny how spectacular this album is. this is the album where kanye perfects the formula of bringing in a bunch of people to form more of a collaborative voice instead of just kanye. an endlessly iconic album too, it’s not close to perfect at all there’s at least one flaw or critique with each track, yet the amount of show stopping and iconic moments within each track makes up for it. every single person involved in this album(even chris rock!!) brings their A-game. the most kanye kanye west album and it’s the best because of it. 5/5

This is one of the only Kanye albums that I can still happily listen to other than his debut, otherwise it's just marred by images of the broken and hateful man that remains after the fact of these albums he's made. This one I can still listen to however, because it's transformed for me into something truly sinister. Other albums of his were beautiful talent he wasn't able to hold onto his whole life, but this album (to me) represents what broke him. The exploration of his mania in the wake of his mum dying, his WEIRD issues with sex and pornography, and the lush over-the-top nature of fame that led to him no longer inhabiting a plane of sanity. A realisation I had this time through the album was that Kanye has what many rich people have with money, an insatiable need for more even though the money has plateaued in value, in any practical sense. But he has this with sex, not money. Sex is value to him and all through this album you hear it no longer having the value it once had, yet him having a completely insatiable craving and need. This is harrowing to listen to, it sounds to me like a Shakespearean tragedy now, and it is indeed beautiful, dark, and twisted

1. dark fantazy - 1.5 2. gorgeouz - 1 3. pouuer - 1 4. interlude - 0 5. lightz - 1 6. monzter - 1 7. apalled - 1 8. devil - 1 9. runauuay - 1 10. life - 0 11. blame game - 1 12. uuorld - 0 13. america - 0

4.5 great but has weird moments like too many features on some songs