Reviews (page 2 of 15)
Ein spannendes Rap-Album mit vielen Gast-Künstlern. Songschnipsel z.B. aus King Crimson-Alben. 3/5
MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY - Kanye West (2010) - 5/1001 I know many people on this site see Kanye in a bad light, and for good reason. His public actions have soured an already shaky viewpoint, and I'm not surprised by the backlash he brought on himself. Unfortunately for the public, this (along with the other two Kanye albums in the book) is, without a doubt, one of the greatest hip-hop albums (and dare I say, albums in general) of our generation. You legitimately can't talk about the history of rap music without mentioning MBDTF. So many people on here are at their prime or nearing it. 2010s Nicki, back when she was the innovator with some of her most iconic work; a still-on-the-throne Jay-Z, fresh off The Blueprint 3 and before WTT; Rick Ross giving one of his best-ever verses on Devil In A New Dress; CyHi the Prince's fifteen minutes feeling like an hour on one of the almost-greatest posse cuts of all time (sorry, RZA, you tried). Hell, he got Fergie and John Legend doing their best work! Chris Rock...yeah, not him, but he was a bit funny! And that's not even mentioning the man himself. Kanye's at his hungriest on this album, trying his hardest to prove himself as the king - and it shows. His production nears none; his rapping (while not the best as compared to his past or future albums like Yeezus and the College Trilogy) is a breath of fresh air; his lyricism is innovative, unlike anything anyone in 2010 (hell, even after that) had heard. I don't think hip-hop would be where it is today without the influence of this album. It fully deserves a spot in the 1001. It's a pity that Kanye's name is attached to it, but I also can't imagine anyone else doing this album justice like him. Such a shame he died in 2018 after that horrible accident.
Fav song: Dark Fantasy
- WOWOWOW WHY IS THIS SO GOOD - genuinely never listened to kanye before bc i never liked his fans and then i didn’t like him but this actually goes so incredibly hard like i would probably listen to this entire album again
Had listened to his older stuff in the past which was supremely catchy, This is great honestly and I do think I'll come back to it for more.
I didn't listen when this came up because I will not be giving Kanye even $0.00001 of my hard earned money anymore to stream it and I don't think I need to explain why that is. That being said, I've probably listened to MBDTF over 100 times before Kanye became who he is today so I'm qualified to say it's a classic rap album. Every beat is great, the lyrics are self-deprecating and hilarious, and he gets the best out of a lot of guests, i.e. Rihanna's hook on All of the Lights, Nicki Minaj's verse on Monster, Rick Ross's verse on Devil in a New Dress, etc. Unfortunately Kanye was cooking between 2004-13 or so. Shame he had to keep making his opinions known after that.
Another reminder that Kanye really had it. This isn't my scene in general, but there's some excellent tracks on here (I particularly liked the double-header of Runaway and Hell of a Life). The production is top notch, and there's tons of variation in the delivery across the whole album. It's really propulsive, with tons of interesting flourishes throughout.
Not as good as Cuck, but it's aight.
You know, this album had a strong start. Then it quickly devolved into generic rap about sex and whatnot and felt like most other generic rap I've heard. Also fuck Kanye.
A very well produced album that highlights West's exceptional talent for combining hip hop lyrics with a variety of samples. I particularly enjoyed the use of more progressive pieces, like the King Crimson samples used in "". Unfortunately, this album is about ten minutes too long, and I began to feel that West was drawing it out with extended spoken segments and unpleasant electronic arrangements. Overall, I was left with the feeling that, for all his producing bona fides, the album sounds more like a product of all the music that was sampled and less like a genuine creation of West's.
Perfect album. Tells a story and masterful in production
Say what you want about Kanye, but this is a great album. Grand, maximalist production contrasts nicely with his more grounded rap to create one of hip-hop's greatest albums.
Probably (or hopefully?) the only 5 star album I'll ever listen to once, and never revisit. Fuck Kanye West.
Still a great album after all these years.
I hate that it's pleasant to listen to. To me it feels overproduced to always get something that good to enjoy which is not a bad thing, but doesn't feel natural. I'll keep the hate, but must admit it's less terrible than anticipated.
Unfortunately, still a banger
Huge sound. So much going on in the production and it still works together. Really great album.
This isn't what I want from hip hop. At no point does it ever kick into gear as a rap album.
Separate the art from the artist, and it’s hard not to be impressed w the wild creativity and level of artistry on display here
I'm gonna lie, I'm not even gonna dignify this with a listen, regardless of how good this may be. This man is a straight up nazi, and I'm not gonna give him any money he would get from me streaming this album.
Power All of the Lights Monster Devil in a New Dress Runaway
Not sure if he's a Nazi or not
unfortunately a banger album, a good exercise in separating artist from art
Great album.
Pretty good. In my playlist now
i really like this album but I fucking hate Kanye
Actually slapped.
An absolute masterpiece of Kanye Omari West.
Kayne West is an rare a**hope, making a good music though. Imagine he was no such a f**k back in 2010
I've had mixed feelings on this album since its debut in 2010. Kanye West (starting with College Dropout) is responsible for changing the trajectory of hip-hop, for the worse in my opinion. That said, as much as I want to dislike Kanye as a person and an artist, it's difficult to deny the sheer mastery on display in this album. The triumph of this album is of course the creative sampling and production on display, coupled with an atypical (at the time) perspective from a hip hop artist being simultaneously insecure, self-critical, narcissistic, delusional and grandiose. Kanye's lyrics aren't particularly artful, but they're interesting because of the unconcealed view we get into his psychology. The problem is the amount of imitators that were encouraged by this lyrical approach -- none of whom rose to this level -- who flooded the hip-hop of the 2000s in a sea of mediocrity. Really my beef here is with College Dropout, but I'm not expecting to see that on this list, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the highest possible peak of this approach to hip hop. Some of the instrumentation on here is so menacing and disturbing. I remember being too high one time when the minor-key descending piano scale from "Runaway" began playing and I just got this sinking feeling that something was terribly, existentially wrong; it nearly instantly gave me a panic attack, it really sounds that evil (and of course thoroughly appropriate for the lyrical content about an unrepentant narcissist). It's still difficult for me to listen to the song; for me the musical phrase exudes a sense of impending doom. It really says something about this song that the menace of the backing music in 'So Appalled' doesn't warrant a mention in comparison. Then, 6 minutes in, the vocoder line kicks in along with some symphonic strings and instantly changes the mood to one of lightness, beauty, and a sense of uplift. This is a very impressive dance between opposite extremes (I don't want to psychoanalyze too much, but is this perhaps an intentional evocation of Kanye's bipolar disorder, which he's been open about having importance to his artistic process?). Have I talked myself into giving this album 5 stars? This is the only album I've encountered where I feel so torn between ratings, depending on the day. When I revisited this album I expected to give it 2 stars based on my memories of it, but against all expectations it's getting a perfect score.
This gets the same review as the first Kanye West album I got: it gets 1 star because Kanye West is a Nazi, but if he wasn't, it'd get 5 stars. Power is just an absolute all-timer song for me. Oh well.
The guy is a complete douche, so it is somewhat painful to say this album is actually pretty good.
А ось і уєбан!!!
Kanye is Kanye
Nicki Minaj’s verse on Monster itself is worth 5 stars. I don’t like Kanye as a person, but this album is a masterpiece.
Never really listened to this artist before. But I listened to the whole thing and tbh I enjoyed the first half but then just got bored near the end.
Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. This is simply a stunning album. It sucks that Kanye West is the man he is now because this album is so humongous in its scope and vision. From the poetry and choir intro on Dark Fantasy to the repetition of "Who will survive America?" on the song of the same name, this album does not waste a single second. The only thing I can criticise this album for is that it's a tad bit pretentious. Then again, with an album like this, it has to be pretentious in some way. Kanye had a vision and he committed to it 110%. 10/10 Highlights: Dark Fantasy POWER All Of The Lights Monster Runaway Blame Game Lost In The World
Cabochon.
c'est du pur génie cet album. C'est avec celui-ci que j'ai connu Ye et j'oserais dire encore à ce jour que c'est son plus pertinent. Les clins d'oeil culturels sont foisonnants et efficaces quoiqu'étranges (King Crimson!), les hooks sont bien dosés puissants avec une touche de mélancolie (all of the lights, gorgeous), les collabs sont inspirantes. Mon hypothèse c'est que tout ça a été produit sur une crise maniaque, ce qui rend le tout un peu dark. Mais j'appuie sur 5 sans remords (sorry jeanjean)
Désolé jeanjean. Je comprends ne pas vouloir séparer l'art et l'artiste... mais cet album est un chef d'oeuvre. Son meilleur il va sans dire. Ça me rappelle mes 22 ans. Finir avec Bon Iver et Gil Scott-Heron, faut le faire. Monster avec tous ces gros noms du rap. Power avec le sample de King Crimson. Runaway une toune de 9min sur un album de rap. Ye était terriblement inspiré pour cet album. Dommage qu'il aie virée complètement crackpot.
The intro to runaway is representative of the impression this album has left on the pop culture scene. Even as someone who just never really appreciate rap in any meaningful way, I could appreciate the impact this album has. Kanye sucks but his music doesn’t. 4/5
Obligatory fuck Kanye (and many of the other contributors), but unfortunately this is a great album full of bangers 5/5
Dark fantasy - 3 Gorgeous - 4 Power - 5 All of the lights (interlude) - 3 All of the lights - 3 Monster - 5 So appalled - 4 Devil in a new dress - 3 Runaway - 3 Hell of a life - 4 Blame game - 3 Lost in the world - 3 Who will survive in america - 3
Peak
Love this album! It’s really too bad Kanye lost his mind, because he makes great music. This was a nice throwback, I listened to it a lot when it came out! The one part that they really could have cut is that Chris Rock interlude.
Love this album. So many great tunes, so good. One of the few albums I’ve had on some form of repeat for a several years (though not recently)
Who dis for? Not for me. I would consider using AI to strip out Kanye's involvement. That version would get a higher score.
We’re not at home to Mr Potty Mouth.
Sorry, no. I’m not doing it. An ‘E’ for Explicit marked against every single track? This early in the week?? It will be an album of moody, nay ‘aggressive’ (c)rap music, no doubt with the N-word liberally scattered across everything. It’s not that I’m offended, it’s just boringly formulaic, repetitive, and indistinguishable from every other rap artist, and I have better things to do today. Star rating therefore indicative of nothing, as I did not/will not/shall not (probably ever) listen. That is all.
I'd enjoy this a whole lot more without Kanye West's rapping all over the top. I can kinda see the appeal but I'm not going to listen again.
I can't separate the man from the music.
Right. Here we go. My first listen to this album all the way through – I am familiar with his more famous tracks like “Gone” & “Gold digger” but I wanted to give this a fair crack of the whip and not be influenced by the extreme views he’s been posting recently. Starts off strong with “Dark Fantasy” until halfway through when he attempts to sing. Please don't do that Kanye, you sound like a drunk man at the karaoke thinking he can hit notes he can't. “Gorgeous” is up next, weaving a path from political commentary to comparing himself to Ali & Malcom X. I'll forgive the bombastic self-aggrandisement - he's aiming to inspire the youth of today and I'm here for it. Extra kudos for the line about his "balls". Top stuff. “Power” - this is basically about how great Kanye thinks Kanye is - spoiler alert, Kanye thinks Kanye is the dog's bollocks. However, all is not what it seems, his insecurities creep in as he raps about SNL and how they can "kiss his arsehole" after they insulted him. (Edit: a quick google search shows this would not be the last time SNL poked fun at his fragile ego). He also sounds like he's suffering from over stimulation, needing to be alone with his own thoughts. Something is clearly not right with Kanye. Now we have an interlude? You're 4 songs in, Kanye, do me a favour, just play the next song. “All of the lights” - starts with some horns sounding like they were ripped from Rocky, giving it an moderately epic tone. Will the lyrics match the music? To summarise: the narrator is a thug who hits his girlfriend, goes to jail, is surprised when he's replaced by another man, bitter about paying child support, carries on the thug life and then without a hint of irony, thinks that his daughter would be best off if she lived with him because he wants to rescue her from the thug life. “Monster” - relentless, urgent beats and lyrics sounding like they were written by a man named Charlie. Lovely cameo from Nicki Minaj. Nothing deep to these lyrics except an admission of sexual assault by Kanye halfway through. What a lovely chap... “So appalled” - a paint by number slowed down boastful track ticking all the boxes you'd expect. Drugs, women, cars. Kudos for the line: "if God had an iPod, I'd be on his playlist" “Devil in a new dress” – Kanye was horny when writing this track and it ends up sounding like a parody. Overtly sexual and some curious religious phrasing "We love Jesus, but you done learn a lot from Satan". Kanye obviously gets bored at the end and slips into boasting about his cars and drugs again. “Runaway” - could this be a cover of the early 90s folk indie classic by the Dharmas? No, don’t be silly, it's another slow one with a surprising moment of self-awareness: "I sent this bitch a picture of my dick, I don’t know what it is with females, But I'm not too good at that shit" At least he recognises that he's not good at something, makes a change from the rest of the album. “Hell of a life” – Opens with the line "I think I just fell in love with a pornstar"; really Kanye? Or were you just thinking with your dick again? "No more drugs for me, pussy and religion is all I need". Lovely sentiment but I'm not sure you've thought about the compatibility of those 2 things, have you? "Make a priest faint, make a nun cum" ...OK, I take it back. It's not how most people do religion but at least you're being creative. “Blame Game” - melancholic beats with a dainty piano riff leads to more admissions of sexual violence (let's hope it was consensual) as he flip flops from self-pity to rage at the end of a relationship. Ends in a poem written by Chloe Mitchell, who by all accounts was grateful of the exposure. I’d love to know what she really thinks of Kanye… “Lost in the world” - autotune hell. Why do people use it like this? Some lovely use of Anaphora (a rhetorical device that I had to look up as I'm not that clever) but forgettable otherwise. “Who will survive in America” - who indeed Kanye? Tell us! Well, actually, he won't tell us, mainly because he was in a car accident and had his jaw wired shut when recording this and instead has gone for sampling Gil Scott Heron's poem. And by sampling, I mean just playing the whole thing with a beat behind it. Well, there we have it. I enjoyed lots of this – however the lyrics are tracking this man's descent into self-destruction. Kanye revels playing up to the stereotype of a gangster rapper at the same time as moaning about the consequences that it brings without ever seemingly connecting the two. His vulnerability underneath all that hints at a man wrecked by impulsivity, drugs and ego. Does this make this a great album? Possibly, although I don’t think Kanye intended it – the tragedy being it’s not a character he plays – just his life laid bare.
Shit rap sucks dead worms.
very gooooood i didnt like the misogynistic lyrics i fear... but very good music
Ok musikk, men tekstene er pinlige. Kanye kan mange lystyper. Kanye synes jenter er pene, men får vondt i tissen når han tenker på de. Hvem kunne ant at denne mannen var sullik?
The music was fine but the words -nope. And did I hear Chris Rock in there?
Some of this was fine I guess.
Buen album, lleno de palos historicos y una q otra infravalorada
This is when we all started thinking Kanye wasn’t all there mentally. Great rapper and producer, but a little “off.”
This was actually alright. Some very crass lyrics, but the music was good.
Bleh
Obligatory Kanye is an awful human being. Id not heard this before, and seeing the amount of accolades it’s achieved I was expecting a lot. But honestly the juxtaposition of the grandiose production and ambition with such puerile, pointless lyrics so much of the time is odd. It sounds as though it wants to be taken really seriously, but undermines it with cod philosophy and self aggrandising that’s just distracting. He’s clearly worked with talented people and the production is great, but overall it didn’t really work for me. Oh and Kanye is an awful human being
I remember this album coming out whilst I was in school and it sounded a million miles from anything else that was around. I've not listened to it much since school and I can still hear where those new ideas are in the record. Unfortunately they are squeezed in around a load of complete garbage. All of the verses are bad all of the song go on too long or have some corny part to them. Blame game for example, excellent song and then Chris rock just waffling at the end. It will always be remembered for the highs of Power, All of the Lights and Runaway but let's leave it at that and not pretend this is wall to wall perfection
So I actually don’t know a whole lot about Kanye’s music but I do remember liking college dropout back in the day. Putting aside the person from the music and focusing on that I think this album is more misses than hits. I like his rhyming style and some of the instrumentation and sample choices in this are interesting but I don’t think I need to go back to it. Fave track: “Power”.
i am, of course, well familiar with this. great album, but not top 3 kanye imo.
He can make a great song. But the rapping is meh and the lyrics are often hackneyed and strained. Plus he's an asshole.
Happy to know I hated Kanye before everyone else. I had to sit through this moron at a festival in 2005. Sitting through this was worse.
Pop Rap/Hip Hop Favorite Songs: Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, Power, All of the Lights, So Appalled, Devil in a New Dress, Runaway, Hell of a Life, Blame Game, Lost in the World Least Favorite Song: Monster (This is due to me not liking anything that Nicki Minaj does. I don't like her as a person (I think she's a massive bully who's now currently trying to grift herself into the M.A.G.A. sphere just to save her registered sexual offended husband), and I especially don't like her as an artist. Go listen to Anaconda and come back to me, and if not, then what I'll say is it felt like anything that she raps about is just an absolute bit of nothing. Essentially, she's like Timmy Turner's mother where everything she touch dies.) So, before I touch upon this review, let's get this out of the way: Yes, Kanye needs some actual mental help. It's gotten to the point where he's now spewing a lot of far right rhetoric, with comments against Jewish people, to saying, "slavery is a choice", to him saying that his episodes were caused by his autism (to which, even if he is autistic, as an actual autistic person who's writing this review, I don't condone that. Your autism does not excuse you to become a horrible person), to him even wanting to support generative AI and has used generative AI in his work, even for a bit. Frankly, I don't really like him now, and I don't think that I can separate the art from the artist with his newer work (especially with Vultures 1 and 2). Generally, if you don't wish to listen to his work, then I won't stop you, and if you wish to grab this album and not support this fascist by giving him money, I will also not stop you. Thankfully, I don't need his recent stuff to separate the art from the artist with him talking about this album. But before that, I should probably state something about my own controversial opinion about Kanye West, because for me, when he approaches art and music, Kanye West in general insist upon himself, and I do mean that in a, "he's very pretentious," unironic kind of way. What I mean is that for Kanye West, even before his mental health declined, he's like this musical equivalent of a film bro, someone who wants to take art way too seriously to the point where they're missing a lot of the meanings and morals behind the story. Now, I'm not saying that you can't make some high-brow art and get away with it, but for the longest time, even before listening to The Life of Pablo, Yeezus, and Graduation, and now even before listening to this album, I felt like his way of viewing art has really hurt his overall quality of his songs, and even after listening to this album, I still have this sentiment to this day. ...and yet...I can't help it, this is his best work that he ever made. Overall, the production is his best work out there. I didn't really the production choices with the three other albums that I've listened to earlier, but this one is a lot more beautiful in comparison. Also, unlike Graduation, the production doesn't seem like it felt dated at all. Lyrically, it's probably his most relatable album that I've listened to so far, that being that no matter how much fame you have, no matter how much power you have, no matter how much money you have, it still feels like you're still missing something. It's probably his most personal record that he recorded, and frankly, it's my favorite Kanye West album so far. Still think that you still shouldn't monetarily support him if you wish to listen to this album (which includes streaming his stuff), and I still think that he still insist upon himself. Will more than likely not wish to listen to another Kanye West album hopefully until the far future, preferably when he passes and rots in hell for being a Nazi, but I've put on my pirate hat to put this album into my personal music library. 9/10
The artist Condos record sleeves for Kanye have been frequently cited among the best and most iconic rap album covers, listed alongside Nas's Illmatic and The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, and it is catalogued in the People's Graphic Design Archive as a recognized work of design. There’s a lot more information on ‘ behind the covers’ website. Kanye is trying to disrupt and push the boundaries. Although Condo’s work is strong and thought provoking its tainted by Kanye as it seems is everything he touches, from his partners to his $57m Tadao Ando Malibu home. I wonder if the talented musicians on this album are now regretting their involvement. Some of the music is excellent. Kanye however…
Best hip hop album I've heard, usually I skip them.
Second half better than first; stand outs devil in red whatever (that one your showed me a while ago), and runaway and transition between lost in world/who will survive in America
-2 stars for the south park bar. Grow up
Je l’ai en vinyle 😜
Great album
Tycker verkligen illa om Kanye, men överraskande nog är albumet inte jättedåligt, bara lite kasst. Skulle dock aldrig rulla igång det på eget bevåg.
It’s hard with Kanye. He’s a great lyricist but a terrible person.
This album starts out strong and then drops in the middle and then it strengthens back up in the end. I like the singing songs better than the rap songs.
i cant stand the man
Kanye at the peak of his powers. Production on here is absolutely top-notch, and I'd probably rate this a 5* if not for some of the overly explicit material on the back half.
I have zero desire to listen to this. So far the first track is already better than I expected. Even before all the media attention I was never a Kanye fan and didn’t get the hype. Now the stuff I like about the first track is gone and it now sounds exactly like I expected. 2nd track has phenomenal lyrics. And thank goodness. This is a long album. I didn’t want to suffer for an hour. 😂 if they all go like this I might like this album. Up to track 6. Each track gets a little better. Track 7 is a step back. This just sounds like everything else I’ve heard. Nothing original. Track 9 is killer from the get go. There are some great songs on here and others feel like filler. Track 9 is amazing because of the music. I love this. Track 10 has a killer intro. Last track was really good. I can’t hate this album, but there are definitely songs I’d skip if I listened again.
Fuck Kanye and anyone who still listens to this pos. 0 stars if I could.
Easy 5. While Kanye is certainly not one to be idolised, this album is banger after banger, where his musical genius really shines through. The collaborations are next level, featuring everyone from Jay-Z to Elton John. On top of that, his lyrics shine through constantly contrasting his aggressive ego with self introspection. To me, Power is the stand out song, being the best hype up song ever made.
runaway is a masterpiece
Quite possible the best album ever
I'm having a tough time starting off this review. For the longest time, Kanye was my favorite artist with this my favorite album. The opulence of the experience combined with the musical mastery on display here really makes the album special and a classic on arrival. I remember why this was a big deal and so important 16 years ago and across the 2010's. At the time this was revolutionary and a definitive cumulation of bling era rap, ushering forth a more emotional and pop ready era which Kanye himself practically started with Graduation and 808's. But I'm being very careful to not go against my thesis here, and in short that would be that the album is getting kind of long in the tooth - it's showing how of it's time it is as the clock hands march ever onward. I realized this a few years ago at this point, and this stands true to me today; while the initial 4 or so songs are magnificent and probably the best 4 track run of any album ever, and I still love Devil in a New Dress and Runaway as most people do, some songs in the latter half of the album such as So Appalled, Hell of a Life, Lost in the World, and even Blame Game and Monster in some parts (namely the Chris Rock part on Blame Game and everyone apart from Nicki Minaj on Monster respectively) are becoming skips nowadays. I can't hear the zest of them as I could once, and it stands out due to the monstrous quality of Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, POWER and All of the Lights. Waiting on College Dropout to pop in my project though so I can ramble on about it as I still listen to that regularly and it hasn't aged a day. PS. I don't fault anyone for rating based on the artist, but it still makes me wonder how Kanye's albums would be rated respectively if they didn't have his baggage attached to them. I wish someone could correct me, but I don't think there's anyone else apart from maybe Morrissey that get their grades skewed to such an extent due to the artist.
Same preface as other Kanye albums. He's a racist bastard and making good music doesn't change that Anyway MBDTF is a modern classic, an album that he threw everything at. We have strings, progressive structures, an insane number of guest appearances, epic songs and catchy hits. It's an album that somehow lives up to its creators vision, as grand as that was. Impressive
Horrible person, but a very solid album. I probably didn't enjoy this as much as I usually enjoy other albums that I rate 4 stars, but I'm not a big Hip Hop listener and I could tell this work was great. I must also mention that Nicki Minaj really outshone Kayne West here with her performance in "Monster". I think at this point I'm looking forward more to listen to other works of hers than Kanye's.
I just didn’t feel this. To those that did, I’m happy for you. Just wasn’t for me.
Very draggy and cringy.
Good album, but not a classic since it has some boring songs
I actually have Kanye blocked on Spotify and seriously considered skipping this album altogether. But I’ve criticized other reviews for rating the artist instead of the album, and I’ve said before that we’re rating the music, not the person who made it. I can’t abandon that standard just because this time it’s an artist I personally don’t want to support. So I did the work, listened to the album, and unfortunately for me…it’s really fucking good. The production is huge, layered and constantly interesting, with enough different sounds, features and ideas that it never feels like straightforward hip-hop. Whatever my feelings about Kanye are, I can’t pretend I didn’t enjoy the music just to make the rating fit those feelings. An easy 4 stars. I gave the album its fair shot, gave it the rating I think it deserves, and now I’ll probably never play it again.
En ollut koskaan kuunnellut Kanye Westiä omatoimisesti, mutta nyt sekin tuli tehtyä. Muutamat tämän levyn biiseistä kuitenkin kuulostivat tutuilta. Ja tämähän oli ihan hyvä levy, vaikka en ole tämän tyylisen musiikin isoin fani. Tässä ei varsinaisesti ollut muuta vikaa, kuin autotunen käyttö.
I go back and forth on this record. I once did actually believe it to be one of the best albums of all time and a masterpiece but my opinion has mellowed over time. Sometimes to me it's still like a 8 or 9, mostly its more of a 7 to me nowadays though. I so believe it is quite heav8ly overrated though. I think some songs haven't aged the best and I'm not the biggest fan of Blame Game or Hell of A Life especially. Sometimes I don't like So Appalled, All of the Lights, or Monster too. Maybe I listened to this too much at 16 years old to find novelty in it anymore. Power and Runaway are classics.
For some reason, when I think Kanye - and this record in particular - I think of my brother. I see some of the same impulses in both of them: the confidence, the volume, the bravado, the need to become the biggest person in the room. And because I’ve spent so much of my life trying to understand those qualities in people I love, I guess I’m naturally inclined to look past Kanye’s spectacle and wonder what the fuck is going on underneath it. My gut tells me there’s some great, suffocating pain down there - that maybe all that size and noise is, at least partly, a way of surviving it. I don’t know. I can’t fully explain why I feel that way. But I think that’s where a lot of my empathy for Yeezy comes from. The hurt underneath all the bullshit just feels awfully real to me. Maybe that’s why "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" still hits. This isn’t an album where Kanye quietly confesses that something is wrong with him. He erects a fucking palace around it. Everything is enormous. The drums stomp. Choirs descend from the heavens. King Crimson gets dragged into the room. Even Kanye’s most appalling instincts show up demanding applause. And yet, like ole brother bear, beneath all that ridiculous scale and chest-puffing, the thing feels lonely as hell. That’s the trick of the record. It opens like a coronation. “POWER” basically demands you kneel. “All of the Lights” crams enough warm body into the studio to fill Times Square. Kanye spends huge stretches of the album reminding you that he’s richer, smarter, hornier, more important and generally more interesting than everyone else. No exceptions. But the longer it goes, the harder it becomes to believe he’s trying to convince US. At some point the bravado stops sounding like confidence and starts sounding like structural reinforcement. Because underneath all the excess, this record is obsessed with some ugly, painfully ordinary shit: humiliation, rejection, guilt, loneliness, the realization that being the center of the universe apparently does fuck-all to keep you from being miserable. Kanye can make himself a god. He can surround himself with celebrities, choirs, orchestras and enough production to invade a small country. And he can still end up alone at the dinner table. That’s the part that has always stuck with me. For all its gigantic production and peacocking and 'LOOK AT ME' bullshit, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" keeps letting the wounded little human underneath peek through. Yeezy builds monument after monument to himself, and somehow you can still see the scared shithead hiding inside. I guess it all just hits home.
This is my earnest attempt at separating the art from the artist. Here we go. As Stefan of SNL fame would say: This album has it all. The cleverest of word play, silly perfect samples, fun with affected vocal and distortion, interludes, catchy as fuck hooks, a colorful mix of cameos, smooth grooves and beats n stuff – and that one home video part that goes on for far too long and makes me squirm. You know what Yeezy taught me? I’m allowed to enjoy a song without knowing (or really caring?) a whiff of what it’s about. I mean, I’ve 100% known that before... I just, I had/have a giant TSwizzle-sized chip on my shoulder that I had to – ahem, dust off. I think I *finally* understand what all the fuss is about. Kanye is great big fun. Favorite song: POWER
Very interesting to hear it again. It came out in my teenage years and lets me think back. In particular I just like two or three songs the rest is weird. I know the album back when there was no pixelation on the cover.
Does Kayne suck as a person? Absolutely. Fuck Nazis and fuck fat orange. Does this album contain great music? It does! It has some upbeats, some downbeats, and is just impressive (especially if you saw him perform this on SNL--BRAG ALERT) Top tracks: "Runaway," "POWER," "All of the Lights," "Monster," "All of the Lights (Interlude)"
This is my favorite Kanye album. He's crazy now and all that, but this thing still fucking rips. A perfect encapsulation of early 2010s hip hop, blending the bombastic pop of his earlier stuff and 2000s hip hop in general, and pounding it into the next decade. It all went downhill afterward (take your Lexapro, homie!!!) but for the moment, this shit was perfect. Easy 5. The plan was to drink until the pain over But what’s worse—the pain or the hangover? Fresh air, rollin’ down the window TOO MANY URKELS ON YOUR TEAM THAT’S WHY YOUR WINS LOW What a fun bar, and that's 2:30 into track fucking 1.
Kanye is a piece of shit nazi that desperately needs therapy if you're going to listen to this LP, sail the high seas 5 stars
One of the few albums I was told to listen to, regardless of my feelings for the artist. Can say it was good, still not a great person, but regardless the album is good.
Oof. I don't want to dunk on this album because Yeezy went off the deepest of deep ends. If you downgrade artists for their personal lives and politics then I think that would just leave us with Dolly Parton. That said, all the misogyny and narcism is a turn off. I'm giving it a 3 because there is both too much and not enough.
Kanye is a perfectly good rapper who lost his damn mind. Thing is, he was never - and was never going to be - one of the greats. For that reason. I'm willing to give him a huge pass on the crazy shit.
Power is pretty good, but mainly because I associate that with a hell of a start in the game Saints Row 3. But outside of that, I've never cared for Kanye, especially modern day Kanye.
honestly, it's kind of worth the hype. he really did something here, it's just not perfectly executed near the back end. 3 rating is just to post the review. Would I listen again: have many times Deserves to be on this list: for cultural relevance alone
Very creative and powerful. Sad that he ended up going crazy later on
I dreaded getting the Kanye albums on this list because the man is actively destroying his legacy and it was going to be hard to come into it objectively. I tried to come into this with the mindset as someone who only knew 2010 Kanye, an egotistical asshole, but not a nazi (at least as far as we knew) and what did I find? Just an ok album The run of "Power," "All of the Lights," and "Monster" is fantastic. But I was underwhelmed by some of the other songs that came after. "Runaway" while a bop is WAY to damn long (and this is coming from someone who likes prog) the same could be said for "Blame Game." Other songs, like "Devil in a Red Dress" just didn't do much for me and I felt like the back half of the album started to drag. I understand more why the story of Hip-hop cannot be told without Kanye West. I just think this album may have been a tad overhyped. Maybe Fantano was right about this album? Gotta watch his review. 3/5
Great album - loved this when it came out.
the lyricism and music itself are really good but because kanye is a horrible, selfish, neo-nazi, i can't in good consicence give it more than a 3. not to mention all he sings about is how great he is
Really like the first half, second half is kinda more meh
I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. So sonically varied and expressive, I imagine it was nothinv like the masses would have heard in 2010.
No thank you.
ascoltato pochissimo, comunque non è il mio genere però devo riconoscere che i cori che ci sono in vari pezzi così come alcuni parti melodiche sono belle
The music wasn’t terrible. But I maintain this list, and the world as a whole, could use less Kanye and more Tupac.
A lot of new r&b in this rap album. Some good beats, some interesting lyrics, but not enough of either to keep me from wanting it to get to the end.
This is what Kanye sounds like?? Yeah, sure he’s a cunt, but this is really fucking awful too. Lyrics are atrocious, his voice is grating, songs are utterly predictable, the vocal processing is disgusting. Thank god I’ll never have to listen to this again.
One of the best modern albums. 9/10
Priem, paar goede nummers
Pleasantly surprised by this album. Although I’ve only heard a few songs in full, it’s interesting how I still recognized the intro of nearly every song from somewhere else. It’s also funny seeing that people rated this lower and lower over the past few years. I was wondering if that cumulative rating box would ever be of use
Kanye is a great producer and a decent rapper, but his work never really struck a chord with me. It always felt too commercial for my taste, and I still consider it, for the most part, media-inflated pop rap. It will never be part of my personal pantheon. I'll reluctantly admit this album is really solid though. Production is tight and efficient, sometimes even beautiful. The guest list is impressive, and Kanye's flow is pretty good. This mofo was indeed making good music back in the days - before his brain melted and he became an abhorrent piece of MAGA shit. (On that note, since I'm certainly not paying a cent to his Gestapo-supporting ass, I had to dig up my pirate hat and my hook to procure this album. It's not hard - don't feed the nazi trolls !). 8/10
After seeing Kanye West live in 2008 on the Glow in the Dark tour, a gloomy show where he was basically alone on stage, I was reintroduced to him against my will about fifteen years ago with this album. And honestly, I found it insanely creative. I still regularly come back to his work from that period. From my experience, the guy is mainly a studio animal and a buzz machine, but that takes nothing away from the quality of his work. Far ahead of most other commercial rap in my opinion.
Maximalist production, fire features, braggadocio, and vulnerability. And so much more...this man was a peak artist.
F*ck kanye.zero stars, hateful person. Put him in a padded cell and throw away the keys.
This album is hella overrated. Kanye also became evil. I think their are some great songs but I don't know we're the line of separate art for the artist is. I love led Zeppelin even though Jimmy Page is a pedifile and I think that is probably worse than Kanye but being a Nazi is also pretty horrible.
i think the lizard people trapped kanye and cloned him and filled his head with evil conservative views and the old kayne is trapped under the scientology building right now
The only good songs on this album are Power and All of the Lights. Compared to Kanye West’s older albums, this is a huge downgrade.
Damn, he sampled a song from my favorite album on a short, shit, meaningless song? That's a -1 score. Aha! Youtube used the very short "video version" for the album, which exists for some reason. The longer version is slightly less meaningless and a lot less short I guess. And now he's listing different kinds of lights, fantastic. I think this gentleman might think this shit is fucking ridiculous. Can Kanye please stop trying to sing? And now he's interpolating a song from my other favorite album... Jesus fucking Christ that Chris Rock "skit" was complete unfunny garbage Two albums deep into his discography, I think I'm starting to understand Kanye and his fanbase. He (and his veritable army of producers and writers) makes, mostly contemporary, rap made for the charts, but they also add some "experimental" (read bad) elements that makes the music stand out. And for this his fanbase (not to mention he himself) decrees that he's a "genius" and "ahead of the game" or whatever. But if you actually analyze it for a moment his uniqueness is really thin and his supposed genius quickly falls apart. And now because people are bad at listening to music I have to waste over an hour of my Sunday listening to this shit. What was his beautiful dark twisted fantasy anyway? That Hitler won?
que pena que morreu tão cedo. esse album infelizmente é uma obra prima.
Separating art from artist, I was extremely impressed with this album.
I didn't mind it
Good, but not really my thing. Also Kanye is a Nazi.
Probably Kanye at his best but still not really for me.
He’s an awful man, and just like college dropout I didn’t expect to enjoy this at all but… it goes hard. Way harder than I expected.
Note: The star rating reflects my personal enjoyment of the album and not my support of Kanye as a person. I despise Kanye. That being said, I adore his first 5 albums and like his other ones. I think he is a production genius. His rap tone and style work for me. I like his musical ear. But his personality and well, everything else about him as a person make me cringe to listen to any of his music. When it comes to separating the art from the artist, I think it really is up to individual interpretation of what that means for them. Like JK Rowling, I choose not to support Kanye financially. I have bought a couple albums secondhand (and his early albums I already had), and have converted them to digital files so I don't have to even give him a penny on spotify. I refuse to see him in concert. I rarely listen to him - occasionally I'm in the mood and put him on, but I go out of my way to not support him. I understand a lot of his issues is mental illness in some ways, but I think fueling his ego and not actually holding him accountable limits the ability for him to truly change his life so I choose not to aid in his self destruction. And still, I have a hard time when I listen to him not turning the song off because I know it's Kanye. He has left such a visceral bad taste in my mind, that it limits my enjoyment of his albums. I know this one might be a masterpiece, or at least a very, very good album. But man, does it hurt me to listen to it. I thought I could separate the artist more and expected to give this 5 stars. But I'm gonna go right down the middle.
I wish I could give it the 5 it deserves. Oh well.
Although I prefer yeezus, kids see ghosts and 808s, this album is still deserving of 5 stars. So grand and lavish, with some of the best songs of all time on it.
Nazi scum
All of the lights a MAIOR Mas só gostei dessa tb Por mim já valeu o álbum
oq tem de insuportável tem de talentoso
THE ONE PIECE IS REEEEEAAAALLLL!!!!!
The album is fine, but it’s Kanye West and what even are the lyrics. I like Dark Fantasy and Runaway idk But still Kanye West so :(
Ok, so I really don't like vulgar language, and this album has kind of a lot of it in the lyrics. Then some songs of the album suffers from the typical 00s Hip hop/R&B production that I find really mediocre. I think this album suffers from what most Hip hop does: boring/vulgar lyrics that is hard for me to relate to in any way, and often kind of boring production. However on the positive side, there are some few ok songs. 'Lost in the World' is ok and 'Who will Survive in America' is kind of a good much thanks to poet Gil Scott-Heron (Whom I think is a much better rapper than most rappers). 'Runaway' is actually a pretty good song. It has really outstanding production and composition. If only they shortened the song and cleaned up the lyrics a bit... I would rate this a weak 2.
It's unfortunate that Kanye's music has been tainted by his...everything over the last couple years because I think this album is almost as incredible as it's been made out to be. The credits for most of these songs are insane.
Weird, aggressive, clever, angry, funny, annoying, inspiring. Some of Kanye’s vocals start to sound repetitive in style and the music and production is nuanced enough that you need to pay attention to catch the differences song to song, even though it’s all in your face.
previous disliking of Kayne heading into this album recognise snippets good background vibes, grwm hype so far lyrics not relatable don't quite get in the feels but appreciate music
Beautiful prouduction but nothing stuck in my head
I asked my son who grew up with rap and hip hop to give me his take on this album. He said, yeah it's great -- almost -- and he recommended Runaway (I liked) and Gorgeous (meh). I just am never going to rank this style very high. I appreciate the style and just do not love it myself.
Oh boy. Kanye. Album title is interesting. At least it is better than Snoop Dog Rapping is not bad. Too much misogyny. Too much swearing. Introductions to songs sometimes interesting. Some good songs. Power is good with the King Crimson sample. Who will survive American? Good last song. An average album. Three stars.
There's a couple of great tracks on here, but they're somewhat lost in the gigantic sea of West's vastly overinflated ego. Nine-minute rap tracks indeed.
So good
Oh boy. I fucking hate Kanye the person, and I've never been impressed by the music of his I've heard. Here we go... 1 - Dark Fantasy. I like the bounces around musically, like the choral vocals that are probably sampled elsewhere like most rap songs. Jesusfuck I do not like rap... was actually really into this until Kanye started rapping. 2 - Gorgeous. Applicable to the beat, not the vocals. FISH STICKS! What a fucking dipshit. Also fuck this guy. KYS you Nazi freak. Why am I listening to this. 3 - Power. I recognize this one. Very famous song, famous lyric. Don't like the ending, just the popular chorus and the King Crimson bit with the 21st century and drum fill. Is this guy's entire schtick just slapping a bunch of other people's music together and rapping over it? Because that's how this has felt. I know that's very heavily what rap is, but I don't get why this or Kanye are considered special. I know this is my old-man-yells-at-cloud moment but while I recognize the production value of this record, I don't understand what makes it special at all. I am not likely to comment much more on the songs. BUT HEY I KNOW ALL OF THE LIGHTS, AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY SAMPLES! Monster sucked. A lot. I couldn't get further than "So Appalled". Wiki says that's further than halfway. 2 stars only because this dipshit thought he dunked on South Park in this album and only made the Fishsticks episode funnier that he is legitimately so stupid he never figured it out.
This is obviously a good album... certainly he is musically talented. I'm going to rate this as if i can separate the art from the artist, but I dont think that stands with kanye anymore so... but yeah this album is amazing which is a tough one
I definitely think I'm in the minority here, but I think the record execs were right, and Kanye should have stuck to producing. His beats are amazing, and the rest is fine I guess. Good thing he's friends with Jay. He peaked in high school. Everything went downhill after graduation.
This album is a masterpiece.
Very good but very bad guy.
Crude and degrading to women
Won't listen to this idiot.
This is annoyingly a very well produced album with a lot of Kanye classics on this But because of who he is and what he’s said and done especially in this period I can’t be rating this highly
how the fuck are nicki minaj vocalsthe best thing on monster
Uncontroversial opinion, but I don’t like nazis. I think the vitriol Kanye has spread, the awful merch campaigns he’s led, along with the way he views women is disgusting. However, part of me still doesn’t know how to feel about him. I don’t think bipolar, or most any mental disorder for that matter, can always be used as an excuse for one’s misdeeds, but it can always be a reason. I’ve witnessed a bipolar friend of mine completely destroy themselves, sabotage all their relationships until they had nothing left. They treated everyone they know like shit, they spewed racist jokes and try to gaslight people into believing it’s not a big deal, they deceived people into thinking they had potentially fatal conditions in order to garner sympathy, and at the end of it all they still seemed to believe they were my innocent victim when I tried to call them out on their bullshit. There’s nothing that can make them disbelieve their feelings of persecution. There’s nothing that can sway them from their delusions of grandeur. Since then I’ve wondered, at what point does the damage someone’s caused as a result of their condition become unforgivable? At what point does someone no longer deserve your sympathy? Should I forgive someone for their awful behavior just because they have no way of controlling it? I think everyone is capable of wanting to improve themselves, of seeing the damage they’ve done and wanting to rectify it. Anyone can see the depth of the hole they’ve dug for themselves, but some people would rather rot at the bottom and wallow in perceived helplessness than crawl their way out of it. I can tell that Kanye has been trying to improve himself as of late, but whether or not he feels remorseful is something I can really only speculate, and I don’t think all he’s done deserves to be buried and forgotten. The only thing I know for certain is that his actions do not erase the talent evident in his work, and that frustrates me to no end. I do really love this album, I have fond memories of listening to it blasting from my brother’s room next door, and I think its production and lyricism are unmatched. (Maybe not including that whole bit about choking a South Park writer with a fish stick.) I just wish this album was made by literally anyone else. #saidmylast”hemadegraduation”
Wow, disappointment. I was expecting some rap version of a rebel yell. Geniuis, cutting-edge, unbelieveable. Nope, just a bunch people in a studio over-producing a bunch of nothing-shite tracks. This is the best that this genre can produce? Yikes...no wonder the world keeps going to shit. A bunch of beavers plunking on a piano would eventually make this. But it's better than ABBA or ELO. That's something. 2 "because Runaway was at least listenable" stars.
Driving and wildly creative. Iconic hits from the 2010s, and a fair bit of lesser known gems. Does a nice job of trading off gripping lyrics and killer melodies between songs. Probably the last great Kanye record. Top tracks: All of the Lights, Monster, So Apalled, Runaway
Still doesn't seem to make up for the Kanye West of it all
In the wake of finding out my car urgently needed repairs I couldn't afford, I began looking over all my finances and figuring out plans to save money, while simultaneously navigating the purchase of 9 tickets to go see AEW Full Gear in November. I listened to this album during this entire process. Early on in this project, I looked ahead to see what Kany West albums were on the list, and somehow misread the answer, leaving me thinking that only The College Dropout and Yeezus were on the list. While I understood both of those albums appearing on the list, I was frankly stunned by the absence of an album as acclaimed and monumental as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy... and apparently my confusion was warranted, because this album was, in fact, on the list. Once again, I find myself reckoning with a Kanye West album which holds a deep place in my childhood music taste, and which I have not listened to in years in the wake of Kanye's incredibly troubling and problematic last few years. And much like The College Dropout, MBDTF is still an incredible album to me. But in this case, not only is this an album I grew up with, but it's an album which I have heard be analyzed in detail on a season of the Dissect podcast. The elements of Kanye's personality on this album, which relate to his problematic behavior in the years to come, still come across to me as character flaws in the main character of a fictional work. Kanye has always seemed to display a self-awareness of his own shortcomings in music which has never been mirrored in his day-to-day life, which makes listening to his music an even stranger experience. Hearing this album now, having heard much more music now than I had nearly a decade ago, I can hear a lot of the ghostwriters behind some of Kanye's lyrics much more clearly, especially Pusha T's voice coming through in Dark Fantasy; I don't think this is a negative, to be clear, I just think it's a neat observation. Additionally, with my wider music exposure, I have developed a further appreciation for just how grand and wide-reaching this album truly is. The sheer lunacy of its feature list somewhat went over my head when I was young, but a rap album gathering the likes of Elton John, Rihanna, and Bon Iver is still wild to me. It's hard for me to even analyze this album, because when I imagine the general concept of late-2000s capital-M "Music", this is what I hear. This blend of classical orchestration, hip-hop beats and sensibilities, rock guitars, and anything else under the sun, all joined into one massive piece of art which somehow remains both sprawling and cohesive, astounds me. Kanye wanted to make an album so good the world loved him again, and somehow, he did it. It's a trick he certainly can't pull off anymore, but he managed it back then. Highlights: Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, POWER, All Of The Lights (Interlude), All Of The Lights, Monster, So Appalled, Devil In A New Dress, Runaway, Hell Of A Life, Blame Game, Lost In The World, Who Will Survive In America
This isn’t complete ass, which was my expectation.
Strange, aggressive but very melodic music but somehow compelling. Knew about the album but never listened before. Outstanding.
I see we've arrived at the classic consideration of whether or not to separate the art from the artist. Kanye West is, without question, an absolute piece of shit. I don't pay him much attention, so I don't know if it's all an act to be edgy for attention, or if he is just genuinely a shitty person, but either way fuck that guy. And it's a shame too, because while I am not a hiphophead, I can recognize that there is true artistry & talent on display with this album. I probably would have rated this higher without the baggage of the artist to go with it.
It’s not the best cuz I don’t really like Kanye
Absolute bangers. Devil in a new dress, monster, so appalled. Plus everything else. Exquisite production
good
Some creative tunes.
A true no-skipper. He did his damn thing on this album.
Gotta separate the artist from the art. This is a classic. Intensely personal lyrics. Great production. Great features.
If I am charitable and assume that Kanye chooses all the samples that he uses, maybe I can give him a credit for having good taste in music. My problem with him as usual is his belief that he is the most interesting part of that set-up. I always feel that if he applied the same approach to visual media, he’d select a load of cool scenes and then end up covering as much of the screen as possible telling us about how great he is. Actually, some of the most interesting stuff on this album seems to come from the guests.
생각보다 좋음. Runaway는 익숙한 브금. 니키미나즈만 기억난다.
not a fan of the music topics or lyrics used
Volta Kanye
Started and needed to stop after 4-5 tracks. Can’t be arsed to do back. It’ll either be a 2 or 3 but he’s a bellend so I’ll assume 2.
Exactly what I expected.
Opulent
Clung on to a 3
Kanye was one of the foundational rappers who introduced me to the genre. If it wasn’t a Kanye song I was listening to, then he was often featured on the track. It is now impossible to listen to his music without being reminded of who he’s shown himself to be, poisoning the well of his incredible body of work. I no longer listen to Kanye’s songs, and listening to this album now, for the first time, felt like poking a bruise. It is a shame that this album is a masterpiece. It’s haunting to hear lyrics that were troubling at the time but were likely waved away (All of the Lights: “I slapped my girl, she called the feds”, featuring Rihanna who a year earlier was beaten by Chris Brown), to see how drastically he has changed his views (So Appalled: “Donald Trump taking dollars from y’all), and to wrestle with his ever present god complex and eventual spiral (Power, among others). And it can’t be forgotten that many if not all the guest artists are giving quite possibly their best featured performances, but some of whom have their own scandals compounding the taint on these tracks. I loved it. It was damn near perfect. Even the weakest song, Lost in the World, contained a section of instant depression that stunned me to my core (thanks Bon Iver). It is one of the best rap albums of all time, if not one of the best albums period, but it will forever be marred by the man behind it.
A genre defining masterpiece. Too bad Kanye West died in that tragic plane crash back in 2018. In all seriousness, rich musicians are usually terrible people. Jimmy Page diddled kids and there is still no way in hell Led Zeppelin IV getting less than 5 stars from me. The only reason this gets treated differently is that social media wasn't around when our 60's rock heroes were committing horrific sex crimes, while every second of Kanye's descent into madness is documented in vivid detail on the internet. At then end of the day it would be ahistorical to pretend this album doesn't exist, as its impact on the music is so far reaching that there is no way to contextualize other work without discussing it. It would also be irresponsible to continue to give this unhinged lunatic your money. Don't go to his shows, steal his albums (or listen on spotify, they don't pay their artists anyway), but don't lie to yourself by saying this album isn't great.
Don’t hate me
Terrible
Amazing dramatic and big production, almost every song is incredible (though I don't love Blame Game). Kanye's best album in my opinion.
It’s too bad he’s an awful person
Sorry, but this is one of the greatest records ever made. Hate the man, love this damn album. Lost in the World is unbelievable. There are no skips here, except for the outro of Blame Game.
All my disdain for this poor man aside, this is a fun and polished pop album. Much better than that atrocious trainwreck Yeezus I got and had to endure a couple of days ago. Kanye uses A LOT of samples of classic rock songs here and I found it rather amusing. An enjoyable album overall.
Favorite track(s): Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, Power, All of the Lights, Monster, So Appalled, Devil in a New Dress, Hell of a Life This album reaches some incredible heights. The bigger they are, I suppose... Heard before Previous rating: 9/10
Bad music.
Raper spróbuj nie nagrać piosenki bez wulgaryzmów challenge
I hate how much I still like this because the artist is such a repulsive human being, but I have to admit that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is an absolute maximalist masterpiece. It is incredibly difficult to separate the art from the artist, especially when that artist has devolved into a narcissistic, antisemitic shell of his former self. The production is just insane, it's this huge, over-the-top wall of sound that hits perfectly, from the horns on "All Of The Lights" to the lonesome piano on "Runaway." The ambition here is on another level. Honestly, the features are what make this record hold up. Nicki’s verse on "Monster" is legendary (another one who fell off the crazy deep end), and Rick Ross and Bon Iver just kill it on their tracks. Looking back, the lyrics about fame and spiraling feel pretty prophetic, which makes it a super uncomfortable listen today. I really wanted to rate this low out of principle like I have in the past, but strictly for the art and how big of a mark it left on music, I’m giving it a reluctant five stars.
Obviously reeks of high-class production. SO put together. Kanye is just so obviously talented. Haaaate Nicki Minaj though. Kinda crazy this album is over 16 years old. Definitely didn't listen to it in 2010 hahaha
banger
Oh, Kanye, why did you have to make such good albums? At least with Kid Rock, I could separate the art from the artist and come to the considered conclusion that they both suck.
kanye crazy but the music cool
I mean, what is there to say about this one that hasn't been said already. An all-time great from a shithead of biblical proportions. Kanye was a stellar producer, MC, and composer in his prime (even if some of his lyrics are super clunky). While he has not released anything approaching decent for over a decade at this point and is understandably persona non grata in most circles these days, this record is still an incredible achievement and one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.
All about the art not the artist without doubt one of the best albums of the 21st century
It's hard not to have mixed feelings but some definite bangers on here
Still not my favorite genre, and it goes without saying that Kanye’s a pretty horrible person. That said, I can separate the artist and from the art, and damn if he didn’t make some catchy songs. 3/5.
Favorite songs: Dark Fantasy, POWER, Devil in a New Dress, Runaway, Hell of a Life, Lost in the World
Despite Kanye's controversial self, this album is nothing short of amazing. It has outstanding production, outstanding lyricism, Exceptional musical talent, almost every song is incredible and have so many layers, truly one of the most impactful albums of the 21st century 9.3
🤔 didn’t hate it-didn’t love it
Won’t hold current Kanye against this fantastic album
Gotta separate the art from the artist bc this is a perfect album
The reviews have a lot of screams from the haters but this album is great
My favorite album of all time. Such a shame he died after releasing The Life of Pablo
Nazi shit.
Nice tracks, good production, questionable lyrics Fucked up person, 2/5
It’s a flipping good album. Every song top level. -1 for what an awful human Ye is, can’t overlook, means his voice annoys me now
I thought I'd enjoy this album a lot more, even despite the seemingly endless additions to the controversy section of his wikipedia page, but I really just found it meh.. My only real highlights bumping this up to a 3* were the features - Nicki Minaj really stole the show on Monster - so I think if the same album existed but with a different rapper I'd enjoy it better. I prefer the youtube mashup album Good Kid Twisted Fantasy (highly recommend) Will I listen again? No.
He's not the Messiah Faves: Runaway (have mastered the opening on piano) Monster All of the lights Skips: Blame game Kanye culture in general
Loved the song with Nicki Minaj and generally the production side was good. I just find his voice too annoying to enjoy it very much.
Despicable person and some of the lyrics were a bit weak but overall I thought this was a consistently good album. Stands outs were All Of The Lights and Runaway.
Might be 5 stars with more listens
Easy to forget what a force Kanye was in the first 15 years of the century but revisiting this for the first time in years reminded me why. It really is a masterpiece. MBDTF is often cited with To Kill a Butterfly as the two best rap albums (often albums period) of the 2010s, and revisiting is a reminder of why. Maybe the most ambitious rap album ever made. It’s long, there’s a million guest stars, the sonic themes change drastically from song to song, and there’s some sort of loose theme of Kanye’s end of innocence or something that doesn’t really track. It should be a disaster but Kanye’s arrogance made him think he could pull it off and his genius made it possible. It’s a masterpiece in my opinion. Some random highlights: Nikki’s feature on “Monster”, Devil in a new dress (my favourite song on the album, Kanye’s rapping in general (easily the bedt of his career), ending with “who will survive in America” is fitting given how Ye’s life has played out.
4.5 I can play a mean "Runaway" on a Fisher-Price xylophone.
Que buenas rolas, muy chidas
Good production but it's corny, overrated, and overloaded with features. The features and samples often being way better than anything Kanye says
Mentally ill nazi now so did not listen but it was very good
Great album. Never heard it before. Will listen again.
Again need to separate the artist from the art. I like this album and would really like it if it was 20 minutes shorter. Some songs really drag on. 7.5/10 Top song Hell of a life
A classic.Shame KW is a massive turd.
If the latter half of this album was as strong as the first half, this album would get a 5. Maybe that’s an impossible ask considering how legendary those first ~25-30 minutes were but not every track needs to be 5 minutes long.
Fuck this Nazi
Not my cup of tea.
Cause the same people that tried to blackball me forgot about two things, my black balls
I'm just over 100 albums in, and this is my second Kanye West album. It isn't my typical music genre, but I enjoyed both albums twice in the same day. He's clearly very talented, it's a shame about his mental health.
I have a lot of negative things to say about this guy, but he /is/ a really good musician when he wants to be.
Que manera de darle cabida al negro este. Ni que fuera para tanto este álbum por favor. Estoy seguro que hay discos que ratee como el orto en esta página y son mucho mejores que este. Pero viste como es el mundo, sampleas un par de temas, le metes un boom bap, rapeas de fondo de algo coherente para después terminar diciendo "I don't need your pussy, bitch, I'm on my own dick" y terminas siendo el mejor disco de la historia, lo normal.
Before I rated this, I had to look into this unknown artist, to learn about who he is and what he's about. After reading about his recent activity, I have to give the rating a boost. However, he was married to a Kardashian, so that cancels out any positive boost that was given
Not bad but I couldn’t finish it
Ugh, this was such a how-the-mighty-have-fallen listen. Nicki DID have the best verse on Monster and that song still goes OFF. It’s not my favourite Kanye but there are some all-time greats on here (Power, Dark Fantasy, All of The Lights, Runaway, the aforementioned Monster). “I call it Mali-booyah” is such a bar. Just sucks that he’s such a POS (and also Nicki!! I can’t shake the icky feeling when listening to these guys)
Some assorted thoughts and recollections: 1. The version of All of the Lights that I had downloaded was obviously a bootleg recording of its premiere or something and so there are assorted watermarks (especially during Fergie's rap) of some radio host shouting over the top, but there were so many things happening on the song already that for years I didn't realise it wasn't part of the song 2. I remember when the Runaway 30 minute film came out people in our English class were trying to get our teacher to play it for the class (in a similar way to how we watched Run The World (Girls) video and the trailer for Breaking Dawn) I think we watched some of it and then the teacher decided it was too much. This is easily my favourite Kanye album and I think its maximalist style is most closely aligned to my kind of pop music preferences. I was blown away hearing Power on the radio and feeling like it was so sharp and well constructed, even in conversation with his earlier work. For me this was the peak of his pop music era, even though I know he technically had much bigger hits earlier on. But it was so ambitious and sounded amazing. Power, All of the Lights, Runaway, Hell of a Life, Lost In The World - those would basically make up the majority of my fave Kanye songs, so the highs on this album are so high. BUT there were a few moments on my listen today that really dragged. Some of those songs in between were so long???? Blame Game, Devil in A New Dress, even parts of Monster I found myself so bored. And a Pitchfork 10.0 album should not have moments like that. I very rarely listen to any of these songs now but I loved revisiting my faves
i listen to ALL OF THE LIGHTS a lot, but it should be mandated that it always be played with the INTERLUDE beforehand cause it elevates it like crazy and i had let myself forget that. arkady, i also think about that english class every time i listen to RUNAWAY. BLAME GAME might be one of my favourite kanye songs of all time (what can i say, i love a skit) this album IS the bling ring to me i was prepared to give this a 4 based on my vibes of this album but realistically it's Liked Songs ratio is higher than some of my "favourite" kanye albums, so we have to be truthful with ourselves
Fuck you Kanye for being such a cunt.
7.13.26 a good album unfortunately LMAO Favorite Song: POWER Rating: 4/5
a top 3 rap album of all time. my favourite of kanye's with lost in the world and blame game being underrated, I'm feeling a strong 9 to a 10. first listen tracklist ranking: 1. Runaway 2. Devil In A New Dress 3. Lost in the World 4. Dark Fantasy 5. All of the Lights 6. POWER 7. Monster 8. Blame Game 9. So Appalled 10. Gorgeous 11. Hell Of A Life 12. All of the Lights (Interlude) 13. Who Will Survive In America
I am giving this a 4 for the artistry, but Kanye is still an absolute POS of a human being
Un des meilleurs lancement d'album de tous les temps, je suis moins touché par la deuxième partie de l'album, qui reste néanmoins fantastique, Ca passe tellement partout, beaucoup d'émotions ressortent de l'album tout en étant cohérent de A à Z
My knowledge of Kanye West is actually pretty limited, although I do recall owning his first two albums on CD and being kind of into them. This was pretty great as an entertaining and artistic achievement, but not the kind of thing I would ever put on for any purpose. Wonder what ever happened to this guy, has he done anything since this album?
A dark heart slouches towards Bethelehem deep within this album.
I stopped listening to Kanye a few years ago not strictly to protest the fact that he's such a dick, but simply because just hearing his voice grates on me so hard now.....because he's such a dick. But I've certainly listened to this album A LOT. And it is a rock-solid banger. I hate how good this album is. Between All of the Lights and Monster, that's enough to give this album four stars. So I'm giving it four stars. But I'm not happy about it...because he's such a dick.
If you can separate the art from the bipolar antisemite narcissist, here's my hot take: This is the only Kanye album you need. Not only is it his artistic highpoint, but it's the last good thing he ever released. "All of the Lights," "Monster," and "Power" are all-time classics, and "Runaway" may be his best song of all time—searingly personal, self-aware, and heartbreaking. "Lost in the World" is a lesser-known banger. There's so much good stuff on here that it almost makes you forget about the misfires: whatever the fuck Chris Rock is doing on "Blame Game," Jay-Z's "LOOOOVE, I don't get enough of it," Kanye's warbly singing, and the moments when guest features make Kanye's rapping deficiencies apparent. (No one can touch Nicki Minaj in "Monster.") If only Kanye had released this then lived out the rest of his days in seclusion.
music is love
Honestly this was better than I remembered it. They don’t make rap albums like this anymore, unfortunately.
A great album with great production and some not-so-great rapping at times. The songs where Kanye is vulnerable and not overly braggy (eg. are really game-changing (eg All of the Lights, Runaway, Lost in the World). The other stuff seems childish and disingenuous (Hell Of a Life, Devil in a New Dress). And of course there are some which are in the middle but are also bangers, such as POWER and Monster.
Kanye is capable of creating some of the most stylistically repulsive music of all time, I truly feel like this album has not aged well whatsoever. "Monster", "Hell of a Life", and "Blame Game" are fantastic examples of gaudy production and disappointing lyricism. That being said, the album has high potential for hype aura moments if that's your thing. Highlights: "Dark Fantasy", "Runaway"
Unfortunately, this is phenomenal.
One of Kanye's best the production is top class
I’m not listening to this awful individual
В целом конечно не фанат йе, но примерно представляю уровень культовости этого альбома. Даже как-то смотрел его короткометражку по нему, где он мутил с женщиной-птицей. Полностью понять и осознать гениальность этого альбома мне видимо не дано, но звучит в целом хорошо, биты отличные, много интересных камео, ну и от Runaway в который раз слегка щемит в груди.
Как же копатыч чувствовал
возможно ожидания были занижены, но мне прям понравился альбом - 4
I hate Kanye, but god Runaway is perfect
Kanye West is the worst part of every Kanye West song.
It's a shame Kanye has to be such an awful human being as this album is genuinely great. Still, at least we've still got Nikki Minaj's verse on Monster... oh no. But at least we've still got Jay-Z's verse on Monster... oh no.
best album ever kanye is my goat fuhhh
Does nothing for me.
Grandiose, over the top, so many high moments. It is such a great record, truly his best. Yet it still drags somewhat near the end.
Even in songs I remember liking, like Power, you realize it’s a mentally ill man who’s like lol who care if the president called me out, I’m just an asshole, drunk driving lmao. What a fucking loser.
bah non je ne vais pas l'écouter
It's the best Kanye by some distance, in my opinion, but there's also a good reason for that - it has quite a lot of it that is not, in fact, him. The number and variety of guests on here really stops it dragging in the way that his other, especially most recent, albums have, and give a real sense of light and shade to the record. In particular, getting Bon Iver and John Legend in just soften the edges really well. It's a long way from my cup of tea, and there were some songs that were pretty hard to stomach, but overall, I would say I enjoyed it.
INCREDIBLE
Was already one of my favourite albums. From an era where Kanye was producing excellent music and hadn’t fully descended into pure insanity.
Holy shit. Dude is a mess, but this is an incredible album
You can say what you want about Kanye but this is probably the best hiphop album released after the 90s.
Not gonna even try
Favorite song: Power
4.7/5
I try to be understanding of Kanye and his mental health issues, but even if you give him grace it's still hard to ignore all the, erm... unpleasantness. There are some great songs on here (and the guy is a hell of a producer), but some stuff hasn't aged well and even the stuff that has is just hard to listen to the same way in 2026.
Favourite Songs: So Appalled Runaway
Llegamos al penúltimo día de trabajo con hip hop, sin duda uno de los géneros favoritos de éste libro. Nuevamente, toca un artista que ubico de nombre y por alguna que otra canción. Gran disco con tremendos temones. El álbum me gustó pero no me volvió loco como otros que aparecieron en el reto. Gracias y hasta mañana
a few songs are ok
o meu 3 com mais cara de 5 do mundo porque não quero que esse album apareça no meu perfil *imagem da menina com a balaclava ouvindo música* eu era vidrada nesse quando lançou e até hoje acho um album INCRÍVEL, de verdade mesmo. as músicas são hiper mega bem produzidas, hell of a life e power tem uns dos melhores usos de sample da música... enfim, pena que o artista morreu cedo (apesar de que tem gente aqui que vangloria uns artistas meio duvidosos kk mas né, somos todos hipócritas)
Quite a fantasy.
This took me all over the place as the artist seems to take on the world. At its heart though is a very listenable album.
Innovative and captivating- a flawed genius.
A complex album with brilliant melodies, cutting social comment and dense, but sympathetic, production that puts Spector to shame. Extra marks for the Aphex Twin, King Crimson and Nirvana references in an R&B album. 5* every day
Liked this a lot when it came out... But fuck Kanye.
legendary
King Kanye
I’ve never listened to Kanye before because of his reputation. I still don’t know if you can separate the artist from the art, but I do know this album is fantastic. He veers from egomaniac to self loathing to frustration and back, all with clever interesting musical elements that never stop surprising. Runaway stopped me dead in my tracks. Best new-to-me song I’ve heard this year without a doubt. A near-perfect album from a very very imperfect person.
Yeah, he does have a nice flow. Great sounds, diverse as hell. Huge. Hilarious. Knew a few songs from cultural osmosis (I was an annoying rock purist as a teen) but this is connecting across the board! Modern classic. Favourite tracks: Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, Devil In A New Dress, Runaway, Hell Of A Life, Blame Game
Tiene temas que estan incrustados en mi mente a lo largo de los años, pero salvo Runaway, ninguno de ellos realmente me apasiona. No había escuchado el album entero hasta ahora, ye ha acabado dejando un poco indiferente :(
A fucking masterpiece
nice listen but seems either overhyped or not my jam. Appreciation might also be influenced by what i think of the artist
kanye west is the artist of our time (deragatory). a middling talent with good commercial instincts and a much better investment portfolio, who can claim ownership of taste where creativity fails, who can always find a way to leverage spectacle in their favor with an ever flattened output of rage bait. the subject of this album is the self--west's own melancholia, and a struggle to make sense of the world without the framework needed to do so, the same impulse that drives the following albums in west's ouvre, that ties a corroded thread from "power" to "heil hitler." it's not a fantasy, it doesnt reach the expanses of the imagination, it's an emo rumination on the here and now, the emptiness of money and success, that gets dangerously close to the point considering how far it misses. the broken clock is right twice a day--the cover art is great. "put the pussy in the sarcophagus" is an all timer. some beats are great, some tracks are skips. i will always be fascinated by ye without being a defender. ultimately this album gets the nazi punks fuck off rating.
Surprising myself by giving this 4 stars. Have never heard a Kanye album before and this was pretty good.
I didn't want to like this. But I did.
Very good but yeah twisted
Top Kanye album, huge fan of this one, start to finish.
No thanks, fuck kanye west
Repeat listen
the old kanye
Fuck this dude
8 - maybe his best album?
:D
No streams for Nazis.
Lots of standouts but too many bad words