My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

I've got a lot of love for this album, as many do. I haven't listened to it in a couple of years so it was a pleasure to return to it. The track list is incredibly solid. Witty, arrogant, emotional, angry, each track explores varying aspects of Kanye's psyche, extrapolating them to their limits. Greed on Monster Self awareness and vulnerability on Runaway Lust on Devil In A New Dress etc etc Even without the context surrounding Kanye at the time of this albums release, the songs still hold up as time goes on. The only thing i don't enjoy about this album is the annoying outro on Blame Game by Chris Rock, it's a bit much. Other than that, an incredible album, shame about his disgraced legacy Fav tracks - All except the end of blame game

Sorry.

A rap album which belongs in the Louvre. Kayne at his best and most self aware. Shout-out to Mike Dean for the production on many of the tracks. Total shame given his recent antics. You could make a case for separating the art from the artist, but Kanye puts so much of himself in his work (especially in this album) that you can't really do that. I think it's better instead to understand the context of his life at this point I'm time. Wouldnt be surprised if there have been papers written on this.

A 98% flawless album. Take off the Chris Rock skit and it's perfect. The production is incredible, see: 'All of the Lights', 'Power', 'Runaway', etc. So many fantastic features: Pusha T, Raekwon, Rick Ross, Justin Vernon(!!!), et al This was peak (and most re-playable) Kanye and it's a shame how far his artistry has fallen over the years.

A classic. Was revolutionary at the time but now “music just sounds like this”. Truly “the blueprint” for so much of what came after.

fuck the nazi behind this. and fuck him for making me wrestle with the fact that his first 5 albums are almost certainly the greatest 5 album run of any rapper. rightfully considered his masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy represents the gold standard of maximalist pop music. i haven't returned to this album, or any other of his, in years, but i cannot lie to myself. this is 5 stars. i hate ye so much. deserves to be one of the 1001? ..... yes :(

Considered by many his magnum opus. I actually prefer Life Of Pablo over this. Still an amazing album, only the end of Blame Game drags it down a bit.

Ah, dammit. My favorite Kanye West album, and in my opinion his last good one. The places this album goes, musically, thematically, and lyrically is a beautiful journey. This has a case for being one of the greatest hip hop albums ever. It almost makes me cry listening to this again, knowing how much of a piece of garbage that Ye goes on to become. And for that, I'm not gonna listen to it today.

i think this is my fav kanye album, runaway just hits different.

Wish I could’ve been one of the runaway girls.

He fucking sucks. And it sounds like 2010. But this is 5 stars.

This felt like a masterpiece when it came out. Still holds up. A true "album" not just a bunch of similarly styled songs. I remember walking around Stuytown in NYC with my first pair of "Beats by Dre" headphones, absolutely rocking the shit out of this album.

[FYI if you still want to listen to the album but not support the artist, just find a random YouTube upload of it like I did] I hesitated to listen to this because the last few years Kanye has fallen off the deep end. I found issues supporting someone who has horrid views that I am so against. However, my curiosity eventually won. After all, I am on this website to discover new music. And if the artist has to be separated from the art, then so be it. To be clear, I've heard possibly a quarter(ish) of this album before, for several years it had a lot of radio and commercial play. I also, am aware of other Kanye hits that I do enjoy, but I cant say I've listened to any of his work in full. All this to say, I am familiar with his work and have not been disappointed (again, with his WORK. him as a person is another story.) After listening to this album, I think I understand now. It was enjoyable, it was funny, it was daring. Laced with amazing features that brought the album from a 10 to 11. I get why so many people are hesitant to let Kanye go. He makes good music whether its his own or if its produced for someone else.

I don’t find myself looking to listen to Kanye, but every time I do, I’m always entertained. Mostly by the production. This album in particular has so many hits and was so impactful. I think it’s hard not to agree that this isn’t a top 1001 album. Pretty decent 5 from me, but I probably still won’t go searching to listen to songs off of it.

2 things: I’m not a nazi and this is still a masterpiece in a string of masterpieces that Kanye had going for like a decade straight. Production is so good and over the top, the lyrics are also very good. Kanye was firing at 11 on this one and his features are soo good. Only song that I could do less of is Devil in a new dress, wears on me after a while. I haven’t listened to this since Kanye has been such a piece of shit, but damn this is good. What a crazy way to build a legacy and then fuck it all up over some stupid shit. Fuck you Kanye, but also thank you for making this before you did all that shit because if I had to justify listening to post-kkk Ye it’d be much harder to do. 5/5 no question

Straight up, the first 9 songs of this album are just short of perfect. Everything up to and including Runaway is the strongest stuff Kanye ever made. "Hell of a Life" and "Blame Game" are as weak as every Kanye song where he's mad about women are, and "Lost In the World" is better but not too special. My word though, the first 9 are incredible.

Favourite songs: Runaway, All Of The Lights, Dark Fantasy (The One Piece is real song)

So good! I was along for the ride the second the first song started. So many 5star songs alone. Loved it

Some of Kanye's best sampling work on here - 21st Century Schizoid Man, Avril 14th. It makes sense to me that many people see this as Kanye's best album, it definitely ticks the most boxes, its very well rounded. You still have the chop-up-the-soul Kanye on Dark Fantasy; you've got bangers that foreshadow Yeezus like Monster; then you've got epics like Power and Runaway. To pick flaws, the tracks in general are very long. I think Runaway is great but it struggles to justify a 9 minute run time. Same for Blame Game - the Aphex Twin loop is beautiful but 7 and a half minutes of it is too much. I don't much like So Apalled and Hell of a Life is just ok for me. But other than that there's a lot of great music here. Fave Tracks: Power, All of the Lights, Monster, Runaway, Blame Game, Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America 4.6/5

Just beautiful

Great album that's a modern classic

Good album, Bad person.

Kanye is a garbage human now but this album still slaps.

He's still a fucking neo nazi yall that hasn't changed.

A classic album from one of my favorite Hip-Hop/Rap artists. I would say 90% of this album is no-skips for me, it is that good. Kanye's sound is satisfying to me because it combines my favorite things: playful and real lyricism, inventive and colorful beats + samples, and a perfectly curated feel for each song. My least favorite songs are 'Blame Game' and 'Hell of a Life'; I would happily listen to everything else.

No One Man Should Have All That Power 1001 Albums Generator 43 (06/02/2025) The circumstances surrounding the creation of Kanye West's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, are almost as legendary as the album itself. After his infamous interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs, Kanye decided to hole up in Hawaii and make the ultimate comeback album. The 2009 VMAs were, shall we say, a free trial of the kind of celebrity that Kanye West would turn out to be: a man that, for better or worse, would refuse at every turn to do what others pressured him to do, and would instead do what he felt was right, regardless of the mental health state he was in that led him to those actions. In recent years, we have seen this unwavering rebelliousness taken to its logical conclusion, and I don't think many of us like where it has led. But in 2010, the worst thing Kanye was doing was saying George Bush doesn't care about black people on live TV and interrupting Taylor Swift at an event none of us would ever be invited to. Just to get my bias out of the way, Kanye is my most scrobbled artist and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is my third most scrobbled album of all time on last.fm, and every other album in the top 5 has over 20 tracks. I love this album. It is my favorite Kanye album and one of my favorite albums of all time. It is a maximalist expression of genius and every aspect of it is done expertly and with unbelievable precision. The album opens with Nicki Minaj reading a play on Cinderella before we get the first of many iconic choruses on this album, sung by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame and Teyana Taylor. This is the perfect introduction to this album and features some of Kanye's best rapping ever. Gorgeous features a great guitar sample and Kid Cudi and Raekwon both provide incredible verses. POWER is the first super-duper hit on the album and it deserves it. The most famous part of this song may be the King Crimson sample, but every aspect of this song is amazing. Kanye famously claimed that this song took 5000 hours to complete, which may be an exaggeration, but if any song would take 5000 hours, it would be this one. In the last verse, Kanye ends with the line "so exciting" which echoes and begins to sound like "suicide" before singing in the outro about jumping out of a window. Maybe there is more darkness here than the bravado would lead us to believe. The other massive superhit on this album, amazingly, is the 9 minute Runaway, which features no beat switchups and instead has West humming wordless, distorted vocals for the second half after verses from him and Pusha T about being manipulative assholes. So much has been speculated about the meaning of this outro, but my favorite interpretation is that our lack of understanding the words through the fog of the distortion is precisely the point. Perhaps this is how Kanye felt his public statements were being perceived (of course looking back at this in 2025, some of his public statements seem pretty difficult to misinterpret). All Of The Lights is a song that I can't help but stare at in awe every time I hear it, even though musically it is probably on the lower half of this album for me. Gathering Elton John, Rhianna, Drake, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Fergie, and more into a single track and actually making it work cohesively is such an impressive feat. I need to briefly mention a personal favorite of mine, Devil In A New Dress, which has an amazing guitar solo and the best verse of Rick Ross' career at the end. The structure of this track is really great. It feels weird to call any song on this album underrated, but I think So Appalled and Lost In The World are the closest it gets. I always felt like including So Appalled right after Monster was a bit strange since these are the two posse cuts on the album, and this seems to have led people to underrate So Appalled, when really I think these are similar quality. So Appalled may not have any verses as good as Nicki on Monster, but it also doesn't have any verses as bad as Jay Z on Monster, which is the worst verse on this album. Lost In The World was my favorite Kanye song for a long time. I still think it may hold the place as my favorite production by him and depending on the day, it could be his best song. It's a complete journey, opening with relatively strained vocals from Justin Vernon before slowly opening up with more vocal harmonies and a bigger choir. When the beat really kicks in, it is electric and Kanye's verse, which was originally a letter to Kim Kardashian, is quite beautiful. In the end of the song, more tribal drums get incorporated as a Gil-Scott Heron sample plays, which leads into the outro track. The only kind of weak song is Blame Game, with Chris Rock doing a mediocre sketch comedy bit at the end (although "Yeezy reupholstered my pussy" is really funny in fairness). The beat is good with its Aphex Twin sample, but the song as a whole is never my favorite to listen to all the way through. MBDTF is an album that is hard for me to describe. It isn't my favorite album ever, but it's up there. It's an album that gave me a new appreciation for hip hop, which is one of my favorite genres now. I struggle to find any meaningful negatives with this album, so it's obviously a 5. Favs: POWER Devil In A New Dress Lost In The World Least Fav: Blame Game

nice vibes, this was very well produced

5-

A day will come when this album is considered hip-hop's greatest masterpiece. For now it's easily a top 5 in it's genre and certainly the best of in its era and genere.

He has gotten much weirder since this came out but this is a great album.

q pena q sea kanye q buena producción

I love it though

This album is a lot of things. Its ambitious, its experimental, its self referential in its lyrics, its raw, its also very buttoned up. More than anything, its a journey. The whole album flows and rides into the next song with different movements. The first half is where it really packs a punch. It’s excellently produced, fun collaborators and kind of this "stadium rock" vibe while being hip hop. The second half is where it probably reaches its highest and lowest moments. I love the old artist mixed with the new, some of these songs are the best on the record. Though it does start to drag here, it also does this at the end. It could have ended with the Bob Iver song but then it kind of keeps going. This album rocks. Ye in his prime made pretty killer records. I would probably give this a 4.5 because of the length, but.. I’ll round up.

It's tough to see Kanye for what he was based on everything he's become. Kind of one of those situations where you hate the artist but can't hate the art. Anyway, this is definitely a great album, among his best--I don't listen to his albums enough to say for sure whether it's better than the three early albums. But it's solid all the way through. Beats are on point, he raps well. And his inner mania and psychosis doesn't get as annoying as it can be on other albums. But it's also the beginning of the end. It's not a clean 5/5 like some albums on this list I've rated, but it's close enough to round up.

Minchia capisco perché era considerato bravissimo.

As a review from 2021 put it; Classic. Sadly, he’s crazy now If only they knew how bad it would get. The same man who created one of my favourite albums of all time is now a swastika touting twat, to the point I rarely return to his older work. That is a real shame, because I love MBDTF and TLOP. Thank you, 1001, for return me to this album. 5/5

You're telling me I can't enjoy All of the Lights or Runaway because this man stopped taking his pills 6 years later? Let me finish -- It is difficult to separate the art from the artist. But if Kanye had died before he stopped treating his mental issues, we would listen to this guilt-free. Tons of "acclaimed" men were was a huge piece of wife-beating shit (or worse) their whole lives. At least Kanye was within the bounds of acceptable when he made good music. Let me enjoy "george bush doesn't care about black people" Kanye. Let me enjoy "balding donald trump taking money from y'all" Kanye. (However, any music he made after he turned is fully unethical.)

Top 3 best rap albums

10/10

This is a great fuckin album. Kanye sucks but this album goes so hard

This is a strange time to be listening to--and praising--a Kanye West album, but I have to give him credit here. I'll also preface this review by saying that I am decidedly NOT a Kanye West fan, and never really have been, other than enjoying an occasional single. My opinion of him, at least as a person, has only lowered over the last few years. At a time when he was perhaps just starting to show the side of him that would eventually lead to the downward descent he finds himself in now, he released this album. And what an album it is. Every song is well-crafted, full, and meaningful. There are interesting blends of style/effect in songs and throughout the album, and some callbacks to some of his prior efforts. It felt like a culmination of all the music that came in the decade or so before while still being forward-looking. Even where the amount of things going on made me think it should feel bloated or overproduced, it still worked really well. There are songs that are brimming with artists and their contributions, dozens of instruments and effects, and multiple messages, but they are somehow better as a result. He does a great job of placing emphasis in the right spots to make the songs hit as they should, without wasting anything or leaving the lighter parts feeling empty. And let's not skip over the lyrical content- it gets deep and meaningful, even where it covers some heavily-trod ground in music (and this genre, especially). Even the more "generic" songs (like "All of the Lights") get into some pretty heavy topics. You can tell that it isn't just pandering or a product for the masses, but a personal perspective or experience that is being told. I found the weakest part to be "Blame Game", perhaps at least partly because I generally don't enjoy John Legend; combining him and Kanye is a tough one for me. Either way, the song didn't do much for me. The Chris Rock outro went on way too long and felt like a weird amount of self-praise jammed in unnecessarily. Other than that song, I would say that I don't find Kanye's "singing" voice to be very good, and really noticed that at the times he used it instead of his usual style. In sum, this album had powerful content, well-composed instrumentation/music, and was strong both in its separate parts and as a whole piece. I can see myself coming back to it and enjoying it again. There were some parts or aspects that didn't appeal to me, but even so I would call it a great album. Overall: 4.5/5

I have listened to this album enough before this project that I already know that this will be my first 5/5 star rating. The whole album being a reflection on fame and the way it makes people think and act is amazing. The maximalist production that draws from many influences to create a maximalist vibe, as well as the guest features that draw from many aspects of the 2010's biggest artists make this Kanyes peak. Some might argue that this is the start of Kanyes downward spiral, mental illnesses and just generally being a terrible human, but I am still sure that end to end this is the greatest album released so far in the 21st century - not a single track on this album misses. Now to listen to it again as part of the 1001 albums project.

Peak Kanye: 4.5

you already know

this and rumors are the two best albums of all time

Relistened to this. Still holds up like it did when it was released.

One of the greatest albums of all time. This was Kanye at his peak, it’s like he put all his eras together and created a super Kanye then gave us this masterpiece of an album. The composition, the production, rappers had some of their greatest verses on this album (I.e. Nicki Minaj & Rick Ross). Put aside his new deranged bigoted state, Kanye has always been one of the geniuses when it comes to this music shit. Flawless album that aged like the finest of wines!

‘I miss the old Kanye’ has become such a cliche he even wrote a song about it. But boy he had some great albums. Back in 2010 he was just a bog standard ego maniac and narcissistic who’d only just started on his journey to full breakdown. Prior to that, when he first appeared in the mid-noughties, he actually seemed to be more level-headed and self-aware than most pop stars. He’s a good study in fame and its impacts. Old Kanye was probably my favourite artist from about age 15-17 and MBDTF was the culmination of that, his last great album. Not sure he’s even done anything that I’d call good since. Simpsons: Yes

So appalled is where that live long enough you see yourself become the villain quote come from, love it, shout out to the interlude!! Love the strings. Monster was really good Nicki was amazingg on it loved that bit. The famous runaway is on this album!!! I actually do love it tho, the iconic piano motif and the never was much of a romantic, I could never take the intimacy, iconic honestly. And it’s not thaaat far off what I’d normally listen to (poppy / indie music) I’ve dabbled in rap and stuff, I think this is a bit different but in a good way, I like this album and would def listen to it again and maybe listen to some of his other albums! Blame game is really good but wtf was that last half lmaoo, overall good album, enjoyed it, but the swearing was off the charts lol

I’m miss the old Kanye ass album

Don't really need to say a lot because this is just the best rap record of all time. Also pest production ever. Very easy 10/10.

The last great Kanye album. Awesome sound, great production, a wonderful array of samples and references, with an all-star cast of features and collaboration. Surreal to hear Kanye name drop Trump in completely opposite fashion 10 years earlier.

separate the art from the artshole

i cannot deny it. Maximalist masterpiece, feels like the longest party ever where every thing goes wrong and you reflect your whole life

i hate that this album is really great given kanye being a total asshole, but props need to be given to him for making a really amazing album. production on this one is insane.

My favorite Kanye album

This is Kanye emerging as the complete public egomaniac celebrity asshole we know him as today. The first three songs are incredible though. Like who samples King Crimson on their lead single? The rhythm of his low on Monster is really good. Jay-Z is weak on Monster and So Appalled. Blame Game is good. Lost In the World/Who Will Survive In America also is cool, very rich in sonic texture. Wow an absolutely incredible & digestible album, that makes me feel very uncomfortable because this artist is a PRICK.

Separating artist from the art, this is my favorite hip hop album. 5/5

Lot of variety from blame game to all of the lights. Bunch of celeb collaborations and they all delivered. Favorite track: all of the lights other picks: blame game, power, so appalled, runaway

haha ye.. tehdäänkös vitsiä.. tehdänkös vitsiä henkilöstä haha.. outo politinen poliittikainen lausuntoja!! ei tehdä.. Julkisuustemppuistaan ​​huolimatta monet pitävät Kanyea ystävällisenä, myötätuntoisena yksilönä. Hän puhuu usein faneilleen ja on kaikin puolin aidosti kiinnostunut siitä, mitä heillä on sanottavaa, millaista heidän elämänsä on ja mitkä ovat heidän tavoitteensa. Tämä on joku, joka on viimeiset yhdeksän vuotta ollut kansan vihollinen numero yksi. Hänen olisi helppo mennä täydelliseen eristäytymiseen ja katkerasti kateuttaa kaikkia, mutta hän ei tee sitä. run way

Extremely influential hip hop record. With some crazy tracks like POWER, all of the lights and run away. One of Kanye's magnum opuses for sure.

Yes, modern Kanye is terrible. He was a genius artist that like most others struggles with mental health. Couple that with modern technology, social media, and general cultural toxicity and it’s no surprise what we got. That being said (required denunciation out of the way) this is a perfect album. This was the zenith of what Kanye could be. Creatively and culturally it is amazing. This is a triple LP on vinyl and well worth every side. He curated a trip through the mind of a genius (much like Stevie’s Songs in the Key of Life). We got everything: amazing samples, features, and Kanye’s childish but biting wit. I won’t apologize for this one. I remember when it came out, the video build up and the glory of listening to it on repeat for months. This one is still perfect even if the human is far from it.

dont tell anyone I love it

Not going too much into detail on this one. One of my favourites of all time and a gateway to hip hop some time ago. Thanks Kanye. It's modern baroque music. There's too much of everything and yet somehow it works amazingly. I didn't want to do the usual "music good, kanye bad" review, just a small note: Kanye's arch from a young and promising yet troubled genius to a fully psychotic attention whore who lost his mojo makes me more sad than anything. And yet the indignant reviews "im not listening to his music" make me laugh a bit - just a quick check in most of these guys pages and there's positive reviews of albums made by 70s rock bands full of rapists and pedos. Seriously?

i really do miss the old kanye

Great album - really breaking boundaries and has some masterpieces. Too bad Kanye is insane these days.

CAN WE GET MUCH HIGHERRRRR Dark Fantasy - 10/10 floating take me away Gorgeous - i always skip this song its pretty boring. lyrics have great meaning, and the guitar towards the end is sick asf. LOVE raekwon's verse too 7/10 POWER - love the samples, but realizing the entire song is kanye being cocky ASF. synth at the end is crazy 8.5/10 All Of The Lights (Interlude) - absolutely beautiful 10/10 All Of The Lights - rhirhi go crazy i love this song. the drums go absolutely crazy and all of the features and the production on this song is just beautiful 10/10 Monster - actually the first song i knew on this album bc of nicki. i am also a motherfuckin monster thank you kanye very nice 10/10

Favorite Track: Devil In A New Dress

Kanye West is a racist, narcissistic, egomaniac, and a terrible person. That being said, I am separating the artist from the art for this review. Especially because the majority of his unforgivable public behavior has taken place after this album came out. Kanye had a string of albums from College Dropout up to MBDTF that are fantastic. Just about every song on this album is a hit. It's crazy because of those albums I mentioned, this is not even his best imo. Kanye's use of sampling is unparalleled in the hip hop industry. Monster is probably my favorite song on this project but truly it's hard to pick because so many stand up to the rest of time even despite his antics in real life.

I hate that I'm about to do this because KW is such a shithead, but fuck me this is a great album. Musically, he's a unicorn. Everything about the album (songwriting, rapping, singing, producing) is uniquely and unmistakably Kanye.

Kanye didn’t just make an album—he made a spectacle, a maximalist odyssey where orchestras, prog-rock samples, and rap bravado collide in glorious excess. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the sound of an artist at his absolute peak, crafting a larger-than-life masterpiece that somehow justifies its own ego. From Nicki Minaj’s career-defining verse on Monster to the audacity of Runaway’s nine-minute self-indulgence, every moment is deliberate, every choice over-the-top in the best way possible. But greatness is a complicated thing. Once an album I played obsessively, MBDTF now gathers dust on my shelf, overshadowed by Kanye’s self-inflicted fall from grace. Can you separate the art from the artist when the artist won’t let you? That’s the lingering question. For now, the album remains a towering achievement—one that may be harder to love, but impossible to ignore.

No hace mucho West era el Rey Midas Discos excepcionales uno tras otro hasta The Life of Pablo. Este puede ser su mejor disco y Runnaway con esa introducción de piano su mejor tema. Dark Fantasy, All of the lights, la inquietante Blame Game, Monster... colaboradores de lujo para auténticas gemas musicales Un disco esencial sin duda.

An all time favorite of mine, I’ve probably listened to this album 50 times now. Kanye isn’t a good man but man is this album good.

This album is even better considering his situation back than and how he handled things. Sad how he turned out as a person. Music wise he was really on his peak and capturing the best out of people.

I know Kanye is a terrible individual but I really love his music. The production and arrangements are just so great, and I mean what’s better than a rapper sampling King Crimson? This is just so big and cool and interesting. Kanye is at his best here (I also really like 808 and heartbreak album, but that’s different). I’m not a hip hop expert but for me this is top 5-10 hip hop albums ever so easily five stars.

Oh Kanye. This will be my second Kanye album to review, and it’s his contribution to the list that I’m most familiar with. I was really blown away by this album when it came out, and it really shattered my ideas of what a hip-hop album could be. I got to see Kanye play at ACL in 2011, and I hate to admit it, but it was one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen in my life. The setlist was heavy on songs from this album, and the show was absolutely epic and grandiose in every way. I haven’t listened to this album in a while, mostly due to… *gestures at the general existence of Kanye in 2025* but I’m still excited to fire this album up today, because I know how much I like listening to this. It should be a crime for someone who’s as big of an asshole as Kanye to make an album this great. Seriously, what a waste of talent to make something like this and choose to be a Nazi scumbag. It’s infuriating. MBDTF is one of the most epic and bombastic albums I’ve ever listened to, and it sadly holds up incredibly well, almost fifteen years later. The production is my favorite aspect of this album. The beats, samples, and over-the-top musical arrangements are just a joy to listen to. I like the lyrics and rapping too, but the music is what hooked me on this album when it came out. “All of the Lights” is still my favorite song off of this album, if not one of my favorite songs of the 2010’s. Whenever that beat drops, I could run through a brick wall. I can’t think of many songs that are as pure of an adrenaline rush as this one. Those horns, the drums, Rihanna’s hook… everything about this song is fantastic. “Runaway” is in a close second to “All of the Lights” for my favorite song on the album. The opening piano riff sets the tone for the song so incredibly well, the beat is great, and the lyrics are fantastic. Granted, the self-reflection that Kanye seemed to exhibit in the lyrics don’t really seem so genuine these days, but at the time that this album came out, they really packed a punch. I still think they’re well written, even if they haven’t aged well. I’ll stop myself from writing more about the songs on this album, and wrap up by reiterating how much I love the music and production. Now I’m pissed off again that Kanye is a waste of talent. Even though I think this album is great, it’s not something I’ll listen to often, given who the artist is. Favorite line: “Too many Urkels, that’s why you’re wins low.”

To quote another reviewer, 5/5 album but 0/5 human being. Fuck the nazi bullshit.

Sigh, Kanye does some wonderful work. Too bad he's turned into a controversial king of sorts. I'm giving this album 5 stars because of the artistry. If I were to include the artists' proclivities of Nazi worship, it would be one star.

I miss the old Kanye

5/5 production, what can I say

Yeah I know…in fiction it’s a lot of fun and entertainment when a genius goes mad, in real life it’s just sad

Say what you want, but it's a surprisingly good album.

I love this album. Reminds me of when I was first getting into music and figuring out what I liked. I was so enamored by the sound of this album. The production is next level. The features are perfect - love Kid Cudi's vocals. Nicki eats. What a collection of songs. My personal favorite being Lost In The World, such a pretty melody and love Bon Iver's feature.

Kanye is one of those artists where I really have to separate the art from the artist. He was never a humble or well adjusted guy, but he has completely gone over the edge in recent years. This may be his greatest album, and possibly the last great album he will release. Kanye’s roots are in production and he puts those skills to great use here. Kanye is an ok rapper, but his ear for finding samples is among the best to ever do it.

the best rap album of all time, nothing will ever sound as arrogant or rich as this. the chris rock skit is a bit long but who cares, this album is great.

Too bad he doesn't care about anything other than seeking attention nowadays. "Name one genius that ain't crazy" I guess.

"He made Graduation, he made MBDTF..." It's sad and pathetic what he's become, but the album is unimpeachable. Kanye's sexual and emotional pathologies are on display here, and in hindsight it's clear he was doomed. "21st Century Schizoid Man" is perfectly apt, Kanye is finely attuned to the spirit of the age, sadly we live in degraded and stupid times. Great craftsmanship endures, idiots like Trump and Musk will die. His regrettable later output and antics don't matter, this album rocks.

HELLLL YEAHHHHH Hadn’t listened through it all in a long time and I forgot how good it is No bad songs

gas

Unfortunately, it bangs. Absolutely undeniable. Every time I hear a familiar voice and I’m like, “is that - ?”, it is. Rihanna, Chris Rock, Fergie, John Legend. The features are insane. The songs are catchy. The whole album sounds so goddamn good. Idk what’s going on in this man’s head but there was beauty there once.

Loved this. Never had it on before. Bonus King Crimson sample on Power

Wow I love this album

KW's best. What happened?

First one on here that I have listened to previously and still sounds as good as when I first listened to it. Yeah he sucks as a person, but this one has no skips and I’m only judging the music. Lost in the world a favorite

Απιστευτες παραγωγες με ροκ στοιχεια. Δεν μπορω να πιστεψω οτι τοσο καιρο αγνοουσα τα 3 4 κομματια που δεν ειχα ακουσει. Σγρα 5, κλασσικ

4.5

4.5★. No longer my favorite album, as it once was, nor even my favorite Kanye (College Dropout and Yeezus share that honor), and although there are some bathetic blotches throughout (black balls lines in Gorgeous, "picture of my dick" line in Runaway, that entire Chris Rock voice message on Blame Game, even though it's hilarious) this is still 13 tracks with not a single miss as far as I'm concerned. It's like Outkast's Stankonia in that sense, and while Kanye's rapping - outside of Gorgeous - isn't anywhere as impressive, the maximalist production is incredible.

Shame he’s a dick because this is excellent.

Back half is awful. Disrespected Aphex Twin. Groaner lines from ye all around. Classic.

>:(

1/13/25. This one is a classic for me, still remember when it came out and listened over and over again. Peak Kanye and appreciate him pushing the rap genre forward with this.

Great album

Despite the actions of Kanye this is a great album. Loved nearly everything on here. 5 stars

Modern masterpiece! So much I could say about this one… a thorough exploration (and critique) of fame and Kanye’s own psyche. Most of the album is him playing a character, but inspired by his past and his thoughts and the pressures of fame. Absolutely titanic rap album that completely changed the game

One of the best hip hop albums of all time. Truly groundbreaking in its style and music. So many exceptional tracks. So many phenomenal guest artists. Kanye is a bit nuts now, but that album will forever stand the test of time.

I don't think it's possible to defend Kanye or his behavior. However, this album would be less interesting if it was a defense, or an apology. I'm sure it's frustrating that he's so arrogant and misogynistic and crazy but that's what makes him a captivating and (not sure how else to describe this) well-written character. Musically this is a delight. I like the over-the-top noise on some tracks, and the haunting minimalist piano on others. He makes good use of samples and guest musicians. Even if Kanye himself hasn't aged well, I think the album has, with its bravado and undertone of mental illness. Or maybe the past fifteen years have just been the rest of the world crashing down to his level.

I'm gonna echo this person's five-star review from Feb. 2021: "Classic. Sadly, he's crazy now" I think this is a perfect album. Kanye's expressiveness is captivating, and his ability to weave in samples, features, and styles is unmatched. There are so many magical moments: the "so exciting/suicide" part in Power, Nicki's verse on Monster, the piano in Runaway... No skips, five stars.

I'm so excited this came up. This is kanyes magnum opus. It is a perfect representation of the music scape of the early 2010s.

Ye comes through again. Hey may be cray but tracks just flow out of that brain.

sags a bit after runaway, but it wouldn't be the best album of whichever decade it belongs to if we lost "yeezy taught me." an incredible album all the more because of its flaws, meanderings, and self-indulgence. he err... reupholstered the game with this one.

Solid

I once saw Kanye's magnum opus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, described as the first and maybe only prog rap album. It's an apt description for this perfect maximalist extravaganza. The production is lush, orchestral, and operatic. Ye has perfected using the human voice as the greatest of all instruments. 15 years after it's release, Fantasy remains so fresh it still sounds futuristic. It is now 2025, and in my view this is the best album recorded in the 21st century. That's not to say there are no weak points. Jay Z's verse on Monster and the skit on Blame Game are glaring misses. But these miscues stick out in part because they are surrounded by a sea of brilliance. Lyrically, Ye preaches his devotion to hedonism, and also explores the effects of his fame and notoriety. Kanye is in peak form, and delivers some of the most quotable bars ever written. He is more boastful than ever, which is saying a lot for a guy whose pride has pride. Ye also consistently manages to capture incredible work from his features. Nicki Minaj, almost everybody on So Appalled, and especially Rick Ross all arguably deliver career best verses. Fantasy proved to be the apex of a nearly perfect stretch of records for Ye. I guess you can be this unapologetic and arrogant if you make nothing but masterpieces. This pimp truly was on Mount Olympus. Favorites: POWER, Runaway, Devil in a New Dress Least Favorites: Monster

Prefer Kanye when the production is more out there but damn this shit hits.

Kanye is, as we know, is problematic, racist, sexist etc. He was also one of the most fun shows I ever went to and it was right after yeezus so we was still repping this songs on his concert. Equally grand, over indulgent, really personal, and insane, this is a hip hop album I'd recommend to anyone. A true stadium experience from a very troubled person. Dark Fantasy is an unforgettable intro. Power and all of the lights are fantastic singles with ridiculous samples and instrumentation (elton john??). Monster is one of his best rap songs with also problematic Jay-Z but a killer verse from Nicki Minaj. The Blame Game is beautiful. Devil in a Red Dress is cool. Gorgeous has a cool Turtles sample. Lost in the World and Who will Survive in America are great closers.

Potentially a perfect project

I'm pleasantly surprised. For me the name Kanye West was let's say controversial. Now I understand why he is so famous (for his work). Previously, I was not particularly thrilled about Rap/Hip Hop. 5 stars for making me reevaluate a whole genre. Just to stress this: Given how negative I view his behavior, it was an uphill battle. It's a complex album. Every song sounds unique. I will listen again.

Not too proud to say this but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the album that got me into hip hop. I was but a teenager, born and raised on the most milquetoast metal and rock bands imaginable, hand-waving rap as an extension of top 40 radio. How naive! The deep complexity of the genre holds incredible value, which some may view as unconventional or undeserving, but this is what made me open my eyes. A masterclass in sample-flipping, MBDTF finds the perfect pace, perfect energy, perfect placement for each song and beat incorporated into the tracklist. Features and guest verses are wide and varied, fleshing out each song and giving the spotlight to some excellent artists along the way. Even comedian Chris Rock delivers an incredible outro skit near the end of the album, providing some relief before the incredibly hard-hitting closing tracks. You really don't get an album with this level of quality from that many features, but here we are. Building on a number of themes revolving around fame, hedonism, and intimacy makes this a potent listen from top to bottom. It's hard to comprehend how thorough MBDTF is in almost every aspect. Is this the distilled essence of music as an artform in the 21st century? West makes a compelling case. Yes, there's an elephant in my room. Kanye West has since made this a difficult listen for me because of his actions in recent years. I did not stream this, but I still listened from a group of mp3s I had readily available. Hard not to recognize a man who was so great in his artistic vision and ability, but could not make himself into a better man otherwise. I hold this album in high regard, even to this day, but I also recognize that there's some tough realities that needs to be reckoned with alongside such an album.

jel se treba

Ja, Kanye West er en løk, men dette er dessverre fortsatt et veldig bra album. De første 5 sangene er en helt fantastisk rekke, og det holder seg bra etter det og (med unntak av Chris Rock sketchen, "Yeezy reupholstered my pussy" 🤮) Et rap-album like storslått og dramatisk som en av Eirik sine prog-skiver.

Incredibly nostalgic album for me, and upon listening again, it holds up remarkably well. It's an eerie and uncomfortable foreshadowing of the special brand of opulence and egotism that defines the 2020s, the artist that engineered this album, and several of its featured musicians. Instrumentally and texturally brilliant, but it's the atmospheric and cultural implications the album imparts that give it its uncanny quality. To those who heard it when it first appeared, listen now - it’s even stranger, and far sadder. It has too little innocence.

First Listen: July 20 2020 OMG PEAK WTF. god-tier album i don't have to say anything. back when kanye glaze was understandable

An album that for some reason is always described as maximalist. Not a perfect album by any means but the highs are so high. The first 3 tracks plus Devil in a New Dress are probably my favorites, mostly because the production is so good. The 30 Rock line on Gorgeous is a highlight. There are a lot of features and almost all are great. Overall an essential rap album.

Idk if y'alls schools did senior assassins but i ended up chasing after this guy through a park to get him out and my partner sent the video and put runaway in the background and it was lowk my social peak and that song holds sentimental value in my heart.

This might be the only time that Rick Ross shows up on 1001, so I just wanna say that his performance on devil in a new dress is actually one of the best rap verses ever. At the very least, it’s his best. Lost in the world is maybe my favorite hip hop (if you can even call it that) song ever. Runaway might be objectively the best hip hop song ever. This album does everything right, from the creativity to the production to the features to Kanye’s crazy performances on like every song. This might just be the greatest hip hop album ever; even my mom likes it. It just sucks that I can’t really listen because of who Kanye is now.

I really wanted to hate this as I dislike Kanye as a person and as a figurehead but... ...well this album is pretty good and I can't deny it. Damn! Eclectic collection of referenced cultural references and sounds- it's a non-stop barrage. This is a masterpiece and I hate that.

fave since it came out fave track: monster, nicki eats

9.7/10. One of the most creative rap albums of all time.

One of my favs. Have listened multiple times. Even though he is a total piece of shit anti semite lunatic, one of the greatest rap/hip hop albums ever made. Separate the art from the artist scenario.

One of the best albums, ever.

Fire album. Hope he gets off that nitrous

Non stop choons!

9/10 kanye’s best album imo

Incredible album. So well produced. From the first to last track. Every song on this album keeps you entertained and keeps your head bobbing.

Amazing album fuck kanye tho

Ye at his best.

An absolute must listen in the hip hop canon. Kanye at his most maximal. A star studded list of collaborators makes this an incredibly massive record. Super refined, and and a great listen.

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🖼️👾🟥 Production: 🤯🙂👌 Music: 🧑‍⚕️🧪🔄😈🏙️🔪🕵️‍♂️😱📜💔 Rating: 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪/5

Yes, yes, the man's a lunatic, and now certifiably in the worst way, but that is not the focus of this review. Of course, he was a lunatic back in 2010, too. Megalomaniacal. It's the only kind of person that could make this album. Look at the title. Look at the lyrics. Look at everything that was happening at the time of the album's release. Delusions of grandeur are this album's bedrock. And you know what? There isn't a miss on the whole damn thing. "Dark Fantasy", the overture, mercy me. But it gets higher. The classic psych rock sample on "Gorgeous". We see the the power of a 21st century schizoid man. We see all of the lights, extra bright. We get "Monster", where somehow, in a crowded room, Nicki steals the show. And that's the halfway mark. I could keep going, but I'm not even going to continue. It's just a triumph. The triumph of a fool king, but a triumph nonetheless.

goated

This is one of the albums on the list I knew going in I would probably end up giving a 5 rating to but I still tried to reserve some judgement until this listen through. This listen did not disappoint me. I didn't truly fall in love with this album until I listened to the season of the podcast "Dissect" that went over this album. I really recommend anyone curious to know more about it, or Kanye to give it a listen. It really made me have a lot of respect for him and this album. That said, there are many things I don't like about him, and I think he's truly unwell without the will to or the right support around him to get better. I have to say though after learning of his journey to this album and some of the more intricate music theory behind some of the choices on this album I can't help but still recognize that there is greatness in him too. I've never believed the two things to be mutually exclusive anyway, but I think he's a particular example of extremes. Anyway, Kanye himself aside, almost all the tracks on this album have some kind of genius to them in my eyes. There are a couple weaker tracks, but even they are not all that weak. For a long time "Monster" was the only track I was really all that into from this album, but I also was just starting to dip my toes more into hip-hop at the time so hadn't listened to the full thing. "Runaway" was the next one to catch my attention. There was something very raw and confessional there to me, and it remains one of my favorite hip-hop slow jams. Also, the contrast of that with the sparse piano playing against the dark and dirty excess of "Hell of A Life" is a hell of a combo. That's another favorite of mine. "Dark Fantasy", "All Of The Lights" (including the interlude), " POWER", and the ending combo of "Lost In The World" and "Who Will Survive In America" are also all especially great tracks. All in all I think a lot of clever word play, interesting samples, and a great introspective themes from Kanye's magnum opus.

5/5. A classic. It's only gotten better over the years. This was my introduction into rap and it feels like cheating since this is mostly just great songwriting in an epic concept album about the struggles of success instead of rap. It can be jarring at first, very direct and non-apologetic but when you re-listen, you see this man knows he is not a good person. He is having an identity crisis and over compensating, self sabotaging to avoid the attention or to try and match the personality the media has created for him. It is not an excuse and this album is his therapy, not a healthy outlet which is why this one feels so raw and emotional. Regardless of the concept, these are just well-written songs and it's a great front to back listen. I never pick a random point, I have to always start from the beginning. It's unfortunate who he is today but listening to this album feels like you can start seeing that side of him very clearly. This was the first sign of that decline. It's fortunate we get this album but at what cost for him? I guess we found out too late. Best Song: Power, Runaway, Monster

Perfect album! I like the reference to King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man

Thanks Taylor for the inspiration. You helped produce an album Kanye will probably never top. Got this on CD at an Oxfam in Paris for €3, and was reminded about just how damn good the album is. The first Kanye album I can remember listening to as a kid. I've since put on this CD with friends over and we all agree - it's just hit after damn hit. 5* for me, no bad songs on the album. All of the Lights (interlude) as my absolute favourite for sheer beauty. Well played, Mr West!

Not a fan of him as a person but this was a visionary album

Monstrous

This is Kanye's masterpiece and it includes his magnum opus and the greatest rap song ever made, Runaway. This album is the peak of Hip Hop and changed my life. Not perfect, but so so so close.

Kanye has said some heinous shit over the last few years, but he also said "Too many Urkels on your team, that's why your wins low", and we do have to respect that.

The greatest album all time….Kanye West woke up one day and decided to create the greatest rap album of the 21th century which will influence rap music for ever. Thank you YE

The random album generator said, "So, you've enjoyed that swinging jazz? Let's see how adventurous you are." Attempting to assess Kanye West's cultural impact is a fraught endeavor, but we are just dealing with 2010's epic release, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This 2010 release is maximalist hip hop from a figure who truly believes he is larger than life. On the heels of his Taylor Swift controversy, West released a monumental album that is packed full of grandiosity and anxiety. It is equal parts self-aggrandizing and self-deprecating. West feels deeply the rush of cultural power and simultaneously fears it. For a moment, you believe he could hold the balance. But we know better at this point. Sonically, this album is stunning and bold, a creative amalgamation of sounds, guests, samples, and themes. This is not for everyone. It is at many junctures raw and vulgar. As an artistic achievement, it is a reminder within the noise of current headlines of the occasional genius of Kanye West.

Perfect album. Ten out of ten

A masterpiece

5/5

Duh

Each song flows to the next. Such a great listen as a complete album.

Listen to before Highlights: all of it

Sasquatch Godzilla King Kong Loch Ness Goblin Ghoul A zombie with no conscience Dracula Moth man Dragon Basilisk Leprechaun Mummy Minotaur Werewolf Mermaid Frankenstein Troll Invisible man Ghost Xenomorph Abominable snowman Gremlin Chupacabra Manticore Cyclops Swamp man Cthulhu Giant snake Cerberus The monster from Cloverfield Hydra Balrog The creature from the black lagoon Pennywise the clown Mechagodzilla Tyrannosaurus-rex Giant squid Sirens Boogie Man Gargoyle Goat man Sand worm Medusa Skinwalker Skeleton Bowser Pumpkin man Scarecrow Chimaera Sphynx Centaur Candyman Pyramid head Bride of Frankenstein The Münsters The Rancor The Sarlacc Freddie Kruger The Babadook

I have major problems with this artist as a human being. His treatment of woman seems to be incredibly misogynistic. There is overwhelming evidence to me that he is mentally ill, but I still don’t give him a pass for how he treats people poorly. In spite of all that, I cannot deny that this is a gorgeous piece of work. Some credit goes to Bon Iver, whose influence is evident.

Kanye entering a new era, you can argue between this, 808s, and Yeezus, over which one marked the death of "old Kanye." Regardless, banging album. Put RZA on everything. Favorite Track: So Appalled Least Favorite: Blame Game

En pitänyt musiikista mutta rakastan artistia

such a shame kanye’s brain is swiss cheese bc this album is incredible. go listen to lost in the world and maybe you’ll feel better

Love it

Nothing to say. A masterpiece

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.

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

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

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

# 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

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.

Chalk full of legendary hip hop beats.

Awesome. Love it

The greatest (and the last great) Kanye album

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

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.

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.

Best rap album ever

Bring back old Ye

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 ⭐️!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Good album, and fuck Kanye. ✌️

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

I don't care if he's a villain

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.

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

100

Start to finish, great album.

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.

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.

Undeniably fantastic

nice

One of the greatest albums ever made. A perfect 10

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

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

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

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

Really liked this album. It was really good

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

Dark Fantasy POWER All Of The Lights Monster Runaway

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

Already listened. 10. Listened to pet sounds instead

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.

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.

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

A complex work in so many ways…

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

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

Again, goated

Not best Kanye still 5 stars

Overrated but still amazing

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

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

Last great Kanye album, such a relief to listen to something good (tried to listen to trout mask replica, last album i got). Every song has incredible production. Shame Kanye started acting out. Still really enjoy this. Maybe an unpopular opinion but i really like his stupid bars. Hip-Hop can be so serious at times, a little chessy and corny bar from Kanye breaks the tension very well. Nicki Minaj verse on monster is superb.

Olin joskus sitä mieltä, että tämä on kaikkien aikojen paras pop-levy. Ehkä en enää oo niin varma parhaudesta, mutta on tää parhaiden joukossa vähintään. Kanye on mennyt aika syvään päätyyn, mut taaksepäin katsottuna tässä oli uran huippuhetki. Skandaalien jälkeen erinomaisesti tuotettu levy, jolla ei oo yhtään huonoa raitaa. Hieno tasapainottelu rap-uhon ja nöyryyden välillä -- en tiedä oonko koskaan kuullut näin inhimillistä levyä supertähteydestä. 5/5

Like most people, I lost interest in Kanye sometime after this album. But the first five of his discography is pretty incredible, and it peaks with this album. Not typically my genre, but this album is just crazy good. And then he just went crazy.

Oh Kanye, you antisemitic, misogynistic, crazy-ass piece of shit... you had to go and make one of the great rap albums of all time. Hits from top to bottom. A crazy lineup of guest rappers, singers, and producers. One complaint is that it drags a bit towards the end with the John Legend song and that (too long) Chris Rock monologue. Otherwise...greatness. 4.5/5

Excellent album. Kanye is Kanye but he makes amazing albums and not just songs. This is before his work got more obtuse. Some great singles and an excellent cohesive sound throughout the album

ALL OF THE LIGHTS! A controversial album, from a controversial artist. Look, we all know I don't have to say this, but Kanye's always been a nut job. Even more so now, as he's gone bat-shit crazy, because of not taking his medication. Such a shame that instead of this, we get records like "Jesus Is King" and "Vultures" now. Hate him all you want, but the man has made, undeniably, 3 absolutely essential hiphop albums. Those being "College Dropout", "Late Registration" a more grounded and conscious Kanye, and of course "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". This is the first time we see the ego maniac Kanye on an album. "Yeezus" would continue this trend where he would compare himself to Jesus, and declare himself a God on one of the songs. Amazing lyrics and bombastic beats a plenty! This album's concept is executed perfectly. The production on here is one of the best of all time, ever. Kanye and his team work wonders here, there's not one bad song here. I mean, some of the guitar riffs consistently give me chills, they're just so good. I also can't forget "Runaway", the *iconic* Kanye song, with an atmospheric distorted vocal solo at the end, and it transitions perfectly to "Hell Of A Life" too. The features here, such as on "Gorgeous", "Devil In A New Dress" and especially "Monster", wrap it all up nicely, with a bow on top. Everything lines up to create, dare I say, a perfect album, this is still Kanye in his prime. If I was restricted to picking one hiphop album to listen to all my life, this one would be a likely pick.

this album is like a string 8 at minimum, this album was amazing, not quite a 10 al most might think but i think this thing is really good, 9/10

Possibly peak Kanye? just before the fall. Pretty much wall to wall bangers. Seminal.

look i think many are in agreement that it’s fuck kanye west and i’m in that number but this is a 5 star album

Has a nostalgic enjoyment to it. Kanye's lyrics have never been the best, but I do still like this album and come back to it every now and again. 4/5*

Seriously one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Great concept, beats, storyline, samples, guests, everything.

This album is an absolute classic, and while I am rating it a 5... Kanye's music has become hard to listen to with his downward spiral out of control and becoming an insane dbag. I even sold off all my Kanye vinyls because I just couldn't keep it in my collection with the stuff he began saying. Hoping one day this dude gets the much needed therapy he needs.

i miss when kanye was just an asshole who thought he was a genius. this album is great, but a little self indulgent. runaway does not have to be 9 minutes long, or the weird gap between kanye's and rick ross' verses in devil in a new dress. still like a high 80 something though. maybe like an 87? 88?

Meistaraverk, það sem kanye og kendrick gerðu fyrir hip hop er það sama og Bítlarnir gerðu fyrir rokk. Nota plötu formið sem listaverk en að ná en þá til almennings. Margvídd grein á stórstjörnulífinu, frægð, og sjálfs meðvitaðir textar um hugarástand Kanye á þessum tíma. Þessi myrki hedónismi frægðarinnar í fyrstu 8 lögunum og svo tilfininga og innri átökin sem sjaldnar eru sýnd í seinni hluta plötunnar. Einlæg greining án þess að vera of gildishlaðin. Fyrstu línurnar segja allt sem segja þarf You might think you've peeped the scene You haven't, the real one's far too mean The watered-down one, the one you know Was made up centuries ago They made it sound all wack and corny Yes, it's awful blasted boring Twisted fictions, sick addiction Well, gather 'round, children, zip it, listen Hann er svo æðislega barnalegur textahöfundur, besta línan á plötunni Praises due to the most high, Allah Praises due to the most fly, Prada Nicki Minaj með besta verse plötunnar á Monster Yeezus samt besta platan hans og Life of Pablo í öðru

Brjálæðislega gott albúm. Þetta er peak Kanye og 00's hip hop. Eins umdeildur og hann er verður það aldrei tekið af honum hvað hann lagði sig fram í tónlistinni. Það er ekki sekúnda af þessu sem er ekki útpælt.

Hvað sem segja má um Kanye, þá er þetta meistaraverk.

Let me get this out of the way: Kanye is a self-centered asshole. Always has been. I feel like I need to make this disclaimer every time a Kanye album comes up. But I really like this one. It's objectively full of bangers. It's also sort of nostalgic to me, based on when it was introduced to me (being 0% into hip hop prior to this). Easy 5* on the music alone. The outro of blame game is so weird (is that chris rock?). Also bon iver is in this album?! Highlights: dark fantasy, power, all of the lights, monster, runaway

Feels like a momentous record, even if it all didn't click with me on first listen. Dramatic, theatrical, with a fantastic list of collaborators. Is rap opera a genre? All of the Lights is a 10/10 single, including the intro interlude. Favourite tracks: Dark Fantasy, Power, All of the Lights, So Appalled, Runaway, Hell of a Life. Not perfect, but the highs are very high. Credit where credit's due.

Absolutely iconic!!

Devil in a new dress is top five kanye

One of my fav albums of all time Unreal from the beginning to the end Favs: Dark fantasy, devil in a new dress, Runaway, hell of a life, blame game and lost in the world 🔥🔥🔥

One of my fav, if not fav hip hop album. The way this album starts and ends is the reason for my perfect score. Bit of a lag in the middle for me, but I’m sure those songs are favs for other fans. One of the last Kanye albums I’d heard, and honestly should’ve been the first one. Gorgeous/Power/All of the Lights is a crazy sequence, and Lost in the World always gets me hyped. Very easy for me to throw this album on and vibe the whole way through.

The nostalgia that hits hearing dark fantasy start off is real. Gorgeous has some of the wildest Kanye lines referencing South Park fish sticks episode. POWER is still a fantastic listen on its own but flows well with the rest of the album. All of the lights is an all time rec room banger. Great transition into monster with a lot of other big rappers featuring getting their own verse. So appalled feels like a step down from the rest of the album. Devil in a new dress is made better with Rick Ross on the track. My god the piano intro on runaway. Could maybe do without the constant “look at ya” during portions of the chorus. Hell of a life distortion on the main beat is overkill. Blame game favorite deep cut on this album. Chris rock voicemail is funny from him but the girl only responding with “Yeezy taught me” is annoying. Lost in the woods has an amazing melody. Who will survive in America feels like a perfect closing track.

He’s such an asshole but this album really has no skips

anche se è la persona più problematica del mondo è una mina questo album

Non l’avevo ancora recuperato ma avrei dovuto farlo prima

Perfect album for tax day

it's really good. production is amazing. verses, while not *always* great (cough cough monster), i still think it's really solid. i just really wish this didn't financially support kanye considering what he's done lately.

Once again, I have an annoyingly deep connection to this album. Once again, I do find it to be a timeless classic. I still think that THIS version of Kanye West, before every single disgraceful and disgusting thing he's done and said in the 13.5 years since this album has dropped, is still pretty damn good; not as good as his College Trilogy work, and honestly for me, probably still not as good as 808s, but regardless... ugh, this album is another fucking 5. Yes, this Kanye certainly resembles a little more of the asshole he's become, but he was driven by that stupidity and that ego to create this piece of art instead of spreading hate. In that sense, I miss this asshole who tried to "redeem" himself by just making incredible music and not being a Nazi sympathizer for the fun of it. Still though; just classics on classics on classics on this one; Dark Fantasy is a stellar opener, and the 3-track stretch of POWER, All of the Lights, and Monster is such a ridiculous flex. Devil In A New Dress is stellar, Runaway will stick with me forever, and the 1-2 punch of Lost in The World / Who Will Survive in America is a great way to close out the album. Once again, I didn't listen to this album before giving it this 5, if only because I know it well enough to never have to give Kanye another dime ever again. It is once again, obnoxiously a 5, even if the man has dipped further into the negatives. So, uhh... this time, I chose to listen to Sean Kingston's self-titled debut album. I mean, honestly? Not bad. Pretty fun album; a lot of 2000s-era production quirks in there, some slang I wish we would bring back in the lyrics, and ultimately, some pretty solid vocal performances by Sean Kingston. It’s got some weird sampling choices, sure, but I feel like I’ve heard worse. A solid 7/10 album.

Lit

Definitely in peak Kanye era. Some of the songs have been played to death but for good reason. Even the lesser songs are still pretty unique. Rating: 4.8

Vermutlich war der Junge immer schon etwas crazy. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy war für mich persönlich sein letztes (eigenes) Album, das ich überhaupt wahrgenommen habe.. Bis dato möchte ich aber festhalten, dass er rein musikalisch ein absolutes Genie war. Ich kann mich auch noch gut an die Veröffentlichung erinnern. Ich fand das Album ab Tag 1 recht nice, an Gratulation, 808s & Heartbreak & Late Registration kommt es donnoch nicht ran. An Watch the Throne sowieso nicht. Beim Hören fällt mir trotzdem nochmal auf, was für Banger auf der Platte sind. Ich gebe einfach mal eine 4,5 und runde das ganze mal auf!

- Daaamn, ist das Album gut... - Ich fürchte man kann nicht über My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sprechen, ohne kurz das Thema Kanye anzureißen, also kurzer Exkurs: - Seitdem Kanye komplett freigedreht ist vor einigen Jahren habe ich ihn kaum noch verfolgt. Life of Pablo war 2016 das letzte Album, was ich bewusst häufig gehört habe. Das müsste um den Dreh gewesen sein, als er seine Medikation abgesetzt und so richtig die Kontrolle verloren hat. Ich kann Kunst und Künstler immer sehr gut trennen und wenn ich ein Album / Film o.Ä. gut finde, dann ändert sich das i.d.R. auch nicht so schnell. Ich kann auch z.B. problemlos Black Metal konsumieren und gleichzeitig die Leute, die dahinter stehen problematisieren oder kacke finden. Im Fall von Kanye ist es so: Der Mann war seit Graduation (was ich mir damals für 19,99€ bei Mediamarkt gekauft habe) neben Eminem mein absoluter Lieblingsrapper. Ich fand ihn nie sympathisch. Ich fand ihn auch als Rapper technisch nie außergewöhnlich stark, aber unheimlich flowy und auf seinen Beats 100% perfekt passend. Und das was ihn für mich so besonders macht, sind die die unfassbar guten Songs als Gesamtwerk. Extrem geile Beats, geil arrangiert, dramaturgisch toll und übertrieben gut ausproduziert. Das hat mir wirklich viel gegeben. Kanye hatte etwa 10 krasse Jahre, in denen jedes Album ein heftiger Banger war. Danach ist er einfach total abgeschmiert und ich empfinde den Dude einfach nur noch als eine armseelige, traurige Gestalt. Deshalb hab ich mich auch nicht mehr für seine Musik interessiert. Glaube aber auch, dass mir seine aktuelle Musik inzwischen abgesehen von der Privatperson Kanye West nicht mehr zusagt. That being said, kann ich aber immer noch auf seine starken Jahre zurückblicken und mich an der Musik erfreuen. - So auch bei My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Ich hatte mehrfach fucking Gänsehaut. Habe dieses Album damals so oft gepumpt. - Ich mag so ziemlich jeden Track - "All Of The Lights" ist mein Motivational Hip-Hop Track No.1 und findet sich in etlichen meiner Listen! - "Monster" ist nicht viel weniger motivierend und ein krankes Feature Linup mit Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj und... fucking BON IVER?!?!? Das ist mir einfach bis heute nie aufgefallen... - Insgesamt krasse Features auf dem Album, die den Mainact teilweise sogar in die Tasche stecken - Und mit POWER, Runaway, Devil in a New Dress weitere große Hits. - Mir gefallen aber auch die "kleineren" Tracks auf dem Album extrem gut - Insgesamt verliert das Album hintenraus ein bisschen, was bei Graduation und 808s & Heartbreak einfach besser gelingt; die sind in meinen Augen aber auch beide 5/5 Alben. - Also danke für den extrem geilen Flashback - nicht so sehr an Kanye aber an 1001 Albums und an die geile Mukke!! Rating: 4,75/5

**See Michael Jackson review for my comments on separating the art from artist. One of the biggest memories I have with this album is my freshman roommate Ravi playing the trombone part of “All of the Lights” in our dorm room and him thinking it was the coolest thing. Now despite how lame that story is, Ravi did surprisingly have a vast knowledge and appreciation for Kanye and we listened to this album so many times. I mean the bangers are all there. The production value is insane. Each song has so many different elements (choir, auto tune, orchestra, variety of instrumentation, synth, samples, etc.) I also forgot how long each song was. Like each song seems to be around 5 minutes but doesn’t necessarily seem to drag or lose my interest by the end of it. “Lost in the world”was one of my favorite songs at this time that I listened to on repeat. The bon iver sample is so sick. Thanks Ravi.

The first 5 star album of the list for me. Strong from the Nicki Minaj fairytale intro until the end of See Me Now. This is not my favorite Kanye, but it is probably the best Kanye. Between his rapping and production, this is his peak (alongside WTT). While his first few albums are very positive and he continues improving throughout them, his mom died before 808s (which directly preceded this album). That showed a big change in the hopefulness that came from his first few albums. 808s was his emo rap response to his mom passing away. This album is one step further where he’s on the edge between greatness and insanity. After this album, Kanye’s narcissism takes over and his albums reflect his deteriorating mental state (if you want to be kind to him) or his self-idolatry and obsession with controversy/maintaining relevancy. Now for the album itself - great production, good features, Kanye-tier rapping (which I wouldn’t consider to be technically good on its own, but very relatable and with all time punchlines) every song (except arguably 1 or 2) are great songs on their own. While Kanye isn’t as strong a rapper, (which admittedly is why I didn’t like him as much when I was at the height of my rap music listening in high school) he is undeniably entertaining and quotable. The album is relentless in giving you banger after banger. From All of the Lights (perhaps his best song of all time) to the radio hits packed with stars (Monster and So Appalled) to ballads like Blame Game. I came into the album thinking it was going to be a 4, but there simply aren’t that many rap albums that can compare across the board all the way through. I hate the cliche of me making a rap album my first 5 star, but I don’t mind the irony in Kanye dethroning T Swift for best album thus far.

Just gonna get it out of the way, it’s a five. One of the best examples of old Kanye being the best Kanye. Yeah, he’s hella problematic as a person, but this is a separate the art from the artist situation. I have so many memories attached to this album as a whole and to individual tracks. I bought this one the week it came out, which just happened to be my first Black Friday weekend at Target, and then bumped it on the way to work that whole Christmas season. And then of course all of the memories of hearing these songs with friends while being a teenage degenerate. This album has the radio hits, it’s got the deep cuts, the 2000s era Kanye production, and best of all it’s a fun one to go back to after a few years. Very glad it came up on the list, now I hope College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation are here as well.

I don't really have much history with Kanye. I didn't listen to him when this album came out, and I only know his radio hits. That being said, I think this album has seeped into my subconscious from my friends playing it so much. I knew way more songs on here than I thought I did, and the ones I didn't know were still great. You can see how someone can compare themselves to Jesus when they put out music as good as this. Also, only Kanye West could be someone who features Kanye West on a Kanye West song (So Appalled).

peak kanye, runaway and devil in a new dress are both all time great songs

Have to separate the art from the artist. The art is a five….the artist is an antisemite

Modern classic

Kanye in his prime. Somewhere out there is an alternate universe where Nicki Minaj leaned more into a rap career, and Monster is our only evidence of this. What a shame. Love this album though, always did.

An incredibly cutting edge album. Kind of heartbreaking to hear Kanye speak so self-awarely of his shortcomings. So SO many features on this album, a huge collaborative effort. Quite a few iconic songs like "Power" and "Monster" and "Runaway." Sounds very 2010s, but still very modern.

Look, it’s good alight

Honestly gorgeous

Kanye’s best album. No question.

His best work and one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time

Putting aside that Kanye being a pos human with zero moral compass, this album and music are really really good. I am rating the music, not the person. The person is a zero.

One of my favorite albums of all-time. Easy 5-star. It's a shame what's happened to Kanye in the years since, but this holds up incredible well. There are some dated / stupid lyrics here or there, but as a start to finish album, there are few works that top this. It's a true feat. A gift to the world

PURELY MUSIC-BASED REVIEW ONLY: man it is absolutely brilliant. One of the all time great recordings in music history. 0 skips (apart from Hov's verse on Monster). Favorite track: Devil in a New Dress

I regret to report that everything on this album (except So Appalled) still slaps

The hard part with the argument you should separate the art from the artist is sometimes the art is about the artist, and in this case hoo boy is it really about the artist. It seems quaint now to think there was a time when Kanye’s biggest sin was disrupting the MTV Video Award to say Beyoncé had a better music video than Taylor Swift (and nobody remembers he did it to Justice for “We Are Your Friends” too! smh), but he was humiliated so badly by the public, the president, and Lady Gaga that he had to decamp to Hawaii to build up an insane mythos with an insane roster of collaborators about this album that’s kind of…well, you know. It’s a maximalist epic of assholery that somehow follows a hero’s journey from Chicago to getting lost in the rest of the world, an album about Kanye’s own narcissism that somehow ends with him *not* getting the last word. It is, as many others will hyperbolically but correctly attest to, Kanye’s best work as a producer and curator, with the grandiose arrangements and huge drums and mental breakdown-induced vocal panning being matched only by how huge the guest list is. (Do you remember that La Roux sings harmony on “All of the Lights”? Now you do!) Lyrically, some of the jokes and references are tired, but there’s still great details throughout: the devil in the Chrysler LeBaron, different exotic fishes, you love me for me; could you be more phony? In the end, Kanye (mostly) takes responsibility for his faults and comes close to something of an epiphany, which makes everything that came afterwards of course more tragic and baffling and angering. Of course, this album didn’t end up being Kanye’s third act, and every move since has been in one way or another a hard right turn. I haven’t really enjoyed Kanye’s music since The Life of Pablo, and I absolutely haven’t enjoyed watching him turn into an avatar of bigotry. But, for better or worse, he made this album I still love about kicking and screaming against forgiveness, and still getting it anyway.

yeah the guys a piece of shit but have you heard the piano on runaway?

I want to dislike Kanye because he seems like a terrible person (at least now) but man this record is good. From the first Mike Oldfield sample I'm hooked. The samples are great, the guest rappers are also great. So many incredible songs: "Gorgeous", " All of the lights", "Monster" (with one of the best guest verses ever)... I feel like I'm just listing off the whole album. One thing that subtracts from the album is that the songs after "Runway" aren't particularly good. An otherwise 5 star ends skidding to a screeching halt. Still I think this is an Iconic album worthy of this list.

Yes

Kanye West's 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' proves that you don't need to be under the influence to create amazing art; Kanye's own mind does all the work. Even if rap's not your thing, the sheer quality and musical skill on this album are impossible to ignore.

One of the best albums I’ve ever listened too. The sound, production, features and tone make this amazing

Por fin un album bueno tu

Es la primera vez que oigo de motu propio no solo un disco, sino una mísera canción de Kanye. Sé que es un payaso histórico. No tengo un especial interés en el hip hop. Pero... Joder, que buena es esta mierda. Me ha entrado genial todo el álbum. Nada se ha sentido largo y nada se me ha hecho pesado. Gracias a esta página he descubierto un álbum que me ha gustado mucho y que casi seguramente no habría oído en la vida si no me hubieran obligado, así que ya solo por este descubrimiento puedo perdonar la cantidad de mierda que tengo pendiente en la lista.

4 best album oat, production is crazy, bars are crazy, flow is sick, whole album is amazing

10/10

He is has weird opinions concerning Hitler, but his music still kinda slaps

Mental health aside, Kanye is one of the best. I enjoyed every single track on this album. Prime Kanye was can’t miss.

Not a fan of this man anymore, but can't deny this is a great album.

What can I say? THE GOAT

Absolutely brilliant album. Kanye West is a garbage person, but he's one of the most talented artists of the 2000/2010s. I was wondering when this album was gonna show up - I was obsessed with it & the film, Runaway. This is artistry & lyrical genius. Every song is memorable and perfectly executed. Absolute banger. 5 stars.

“Kanye is a mess, why is he famous?” This is why he’s famous

Kanye's a dummy, but this album is one of my five favorite hip hop albums of all time.

Yeah Kanye, who will survive in America? This album has so many incredible highs, and just a few lows (primarily the outro to Blame Game, which is pretty grating on re-listens). I waver back and forth on how I feel about this album a lot, but I can't deny how much this shit will blast your hair back.

Kanyes best production