Reviews (page 7 of 14)
Good up there with other great rap albums probably outstanding for its time. Good mix between rap and melody.
Tää taitaa olla ajalta, kun kaniksen trollausvaihe oli viel maltillisemmalla tasolla. Hyviä biisejä, vaikkei tässä kyl mitään syväluotausta johonkin läbändeeruspuoleen ehtinyt tekemään ja en tiiä jaksaako kiinnostaakaan. Ehkä liian pitkä kokonaisuus, että jaksais kertaistumalta kuunnella.
He was a lot better when he was openly dissing the Orange Monster.
Kanye's last great album before his descent into insanity. Some outstanding tracks. Very raw in places.
Too bad some people will instantly disregard cause the artist or the genre. Long before he was whack job he was a seriously talented artist. First half of this album is a 5 then is trails off near the end. Will revisit for shre
8/10 - terrible human but great album
Got caught with 30 rocks, the cop look like Alec Baldwin They rewrite history, I don't believe in yesterday And what's a Black Beatle anyway, a fuckin' roach? I don't really give a fuck about it at all 'Cause the same people that tried to blackball me Forgot about two things, my Black balls
muy bueno el negro
Some bangers, some not (monsters). Pretty damn good as far as rap
One of my all time favourites! Monster sounds dated now, though it was one of my favourites when it first came out. So Appalled and Devil in a new Dress are also weaker than the rest. Runaway 10/10 Hell of a Life 10/10 Gorgeous 10/10 All of the lights 10/10
Kanye West is a genius. But geniuses have been know the flirt with insanity. There is no song on this album that won’t get your foot tapping or your head nodding. And the list of collaborators is a who’s who in music.
- Verassend goed, veel herkenbare dingen - 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM
Can't stand the person, can't deny the talent.
God help me, I think I need to turn in my progressive card because I legitimately enjoyed the hell out of this. Really loved the composition but found some of the lyrics a bit cringe. I understand now why they called him the GOAT, too bad he had to throw it all away
He’s insane but the album is good 7/10 points docked for his personality
I have to separate the art from the artist. Kanye’s a horrible and mentally ill person but this album is fantastic.
I really liked this one. It reminded me of albums like Igor and Because the Internet that are full of lush production that pull from different inspirations. Some of the songs were a bit too self aggrandizing for my taste but overall well made album
Okay what I like most about this album is all the nasty lyrics about pussy and fucking and stuff. :P 4 stars
so extra, so maximalist, so grand, so all over the place. 4.5/5
Not the masterpiece everyone makes it, but enjoyable. It's too over-produced and too long. Also, fuck Ye.
I think the beginning of this album is fantastic; I really dig pretty much everything up to and including "Monster". After that, it's a bit shakier for me, and I certainly start to feel the length. I suppose my only hot take is that, while I love the outro of "Runaway", I'm not a huge fan otherwise. I respect some of the sincerity of the verses, but the chorus totally takes me out of it. I certainly don't see myself rushing to listen to it again any time soon, but in time, I think it could potentially rise in my estimations. 3.5/5
I've never knowingly listened to Kanye before, so I was going into this completely blind. It was much better than I had expected, but it still is not my thing. Monster was a lot of fun, especially the Nicki Minaj section.
I really didn't want to like this album. As a rule i want very little to do with Nazi sympathisers. I liked the album but i won't be listening to it again
To cite my prologue from Eric Clapton, Kid Rock, and many more - bad people can make good music. Kanye West is an amazing producer, a good rapper and an okay writer. That's fine, he brings in a ton of features and cowriters to fill the gaps and puts together a good album that even though personally, I'm not a fan of his style I did enjoy. 4/5
There are some underrated bangers on this one, like POWER and Lost In The World. His production and samples are on point - I especially liked the King Crimson one. It doesn't get a 5 because the quality isn't really consistent through out. Couple of duds in there
Not my kinda music but I can recognize peak
kannski ekki elst vel. en mjög metnaðarfull. synfónískar útsetningar. fíflið er frekar slakur rappari og auðvitað ömurleg persóna. fílaði mjög á sínum. kann ekki við að lækka mikið vegna fyrri áhrifa.
yeah it was good
You can't deny the production quality, the smooth seamless vocals, the excellent beats that support the message and the cutting edge lyrics. What I didn't realise is how "Trumpian" this album was. If you want to understand Trump listen to this. It isn't pro trump, it's if he was channeling trump. "I'm a monster, you knew it you wanted me anyway so stop crying". It's excellent but disturbing and while it doesn't align with my political views you can't deny it. Monster hits it on the head. A must have.
The guy's a fucking idiot, but he still could make a decent record back then.
Good but not my fav album
Kanye West might not be a crazy lyricist or necessarily that good of a rapper, but he's a fantastic producer and absolutely knows how to make a catchy song (well, at least used to know). This album is full of extremely memorable bangers. The fact that the rapping here is not that special is compensated by this lush, maximalist production, which I absolutely love. Since hip hop is mostly focused on vocals, a lot of rap albums have very simple, rudimentary production (or at least used; I don’t really follow hip hop that closely, so I’m not entirely sure; most recent albums from the genre I’ve heard put a lot more effort into production), which is kind of boring to me. This album focuses more on the instrumentals, which I prefer. The only problem with this album is that it falls of a bit in the second half and becomes too slow and dark for my taste. It really is a shame what happened to Kanye. He used to be such an amazing artist…
Corny at times but still good. Kanye is a really, really good producer. But the lyrics are corny porn addict shit and it's kind of embarassing. There's a reason 14 year old boys love him so much. But it still sounds pretty modern 15 years later and that's impressive.
This was a good album listen and the early inception of Kanye's thought processes. I miss these early album years Kanye.
Tried to separate the music from the artist. Great in it’s time, no different now if I’m being honest
What can I say
Flöt lite förbi tbh, men det var bra
Das müssen eigentlich 4 Sterne sein. 4 Sterne definitiv!
Horrible person, but even though I don't usually listen to this type of music regularly I liked the majority of the album.
Never listened to Kanye before, all I know of him is it sounds like he’s gone crazy in the last couple of years. For the most part I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. There were a couple of duds but the songs that I did enjoy were brilliant. Top Track - Lost In The World
Yeah, it's my favorite genre. Music for ads
This is my first time listening to Kanye, and gotta admit, this is some fantastic stuff. It sounds great, the lyrics are fun, compositions are complex, I guess other than the crazy he's become, I'd have to say I'm a fan
psa for mental health awareness
0 points for Kanye and 0 points for the misogyny…but listening to this just for the music it was almost a 5 for me
Psa for mental health awareness
nasty person, great musician
Good tracks
Really really good. A lot of bangers on here and has a lot of relistening value. I was not the biggest fan of the latter half of the album, so I give it a 4 instead of a 5.
He may be evil but damnit this album is amazing. 9/10 (leaning down)
Great album. Not what I listen to day to day, but every song on here is incredible.
One of my favorite Kanye West albums.
Fantastic record. Lots of great collaborations on this record, and also a lot of well-produced and hype tracks. It's sad that someone so awful could produce something so amazing. Favourite Track(s): POWER, All Of The Lights, Blame Game Least Favourite Track(s): Runaway
3.5
I was actually pleasantly surprised by this album . In fact I was actually expecting a far more mid reaction to it which is my usual Kanye ratings. I do like some of the stuff but as a whole I'm not a fan, even when he wasn't controversial. First thing I think this album starts off and ends absolutely spectacularly "Dark Fantasy" and "Lost in the World"/"Who Will Survive in America", are above and beyond what I expected. I also really enjoyed the first four tracks on the album up to "All the Lights". This album to me works really well when it's pretty much crossing over the hip hop and pop landscapes. Starting with "Monster" through "Devil In A New Dress", along with "Hell of A Life" however it kind of gets into the typical rap that I'm not really drawn to, though I did like the guitar work on "Devil". "Runaway" I also enjoyed quite a bit, especially the last four minutes goes into musical textures I honestly think is brilliant. If it wasn't for the stretch of songs, which if I were more into rap in general I'd probably dig it, I could see myself going much higher. (8.4) ★★★★
Wonderful production, good variety. 4.5 stars
Nice rare blockbuster album effort for the 2010s. Kanye is at the top of his tormented braggadocio game here and there are loads of great features and samples throughout. King Crimsony-assisted Power and Runaway are the runaway standout productions but All Of The Lights and Aphex Twin derivative Blame Game are also brilliant tracks.
Great album, have to knock a star off because he’s a bit of a cunt
Putting aside the person Kanye has become, this is a great rap album. Not exactly sure how much I'll go back to it, but there's a couple of tracks (Power, for example) that I can't help but put on sometimes.
If I were to separate the art from the artist for a sec, this album is very good. Shame he’s so problematic and controversial, as he is actually a talented rapper.
I know a lot of King Crimson fans were NOT happy with "POWER", but I thought it was a good way to let people know of the band's influence. For the most part, I think this album was probably Kanye's pinnacle. He has a lot of great guest stars, uses some good riffs and samples, and the production is masterful. I could have done without "Blame Game" and the Chris Rock bit (don't get me wrong, I think Chris Rock is hilarious. It just seemed to not fit in the song for me.). Am I going to listen to this album again? Probably not, just because... you know, Kanye. But I will not deny that it is a good album, and probably his best work. Top tracks: "POWER," "All of the Lights," "Monster," "So Appalled," "Lost in the World," "Who Will Survive In America"
So was this when Kanye fully came out as an ahole? He sure doesn't shy away from the fact that he can be a real ahole - embracing his bad boy role (with some help from Jay-Z and the Dark Knight to make the point). The sexual violence and depravity is a bit much at times though. The start of the album is really well orchestrated, some beautiful melodies and sampling along with some sublime rapping and lyrics. For those reasons, Dark Fantasy might be favorite of all the songs, with Power a close second. Gorgeous and All of the Lights are also really good (great vocals from Rhianna on the latter). I didn't totally love Monster - all the beats and featured vocals didn't come together quite right. From there I was less into the album, it's like he took his foot of the orchestration gas and just through more straight ahead stuff at us, but the layers and complexity in the first few songs was what made this album so good. Runaway and Blame Game were two exceptions - simple piano notes and a subtle drum track in each, with soft vocal styles from Pusha T or John Legend that perfectly complement Kanye's rapping. Lost in the World had potential but was auto-tuned to hell (sorry Bon Iver). Who Will Survive in America was a cool ending. Apt title for this album - Kanye arranges some beautiful songs but the lyrics (despite being very clever) are real dark and twisted. If he hadn't lost his way in the middle of the album I'd probably rate this even higher.
It's time again for everyone's favorite game: Separate the art from the piece of shit artist! This an outstanding album from a horrible person. It even helps get under the veneer of his horrible personality, but unfortunately it wasn't redemption - he only doubles down (and then some) over the ensuing years. Still, let's review only the music. Mostly excellent. I'd basically call Dark Fantasy through Monster a nearly perfect stretch (Gorgeous goes a little long, but the lyrics are powerful). First of all, Ye is a prog fan? Mike Oldfield and Jon Anderson on Dark Fantasy? Power based on 21st Century Schizoid Man? I enjoyed watching a video of Greg Lake starting a concert with Power and segueing to him singing and playing 21st CSM. Power was the first song to really hit me - very powerful (pun not quite intended?). All of the Lights was a super-catchy track and Rihanna sounds great. Monster was a fun, cool track and Nicki Minaj's section made me laugh. The rest of the album has a lot of good moments, but the lyrics got to be a little too much (Devil in a New Dress, settle down Kanye, plus the end of Hell of a Life. Ugh). Blame Game was crude as hell (although Chris Rock is never not funny). Lost in the World was catchy, but I HATE AUTOTUNE. Who Will Survive in America was a powerful closer with some disturbing imagery (all from Gil Scott-Heron's spoken word poem Comment #1 from 1970). I recognize that in the world of rap albums, this should be a clear 5. However, I was less of a fan of the second half (except perhaps Runaway, but it went a little too long), hate autotune, and feel I can't give Kanye a 5 since he's such a piece of shit. Guess I can't fully separate the art from the artist. Favorite tracks: Power, All of the Lights, Monster.
I enjoyed this album. I hate Kanye West as a person, but I enjoyed this album. I already owned two songs from it (Power and Runaway).
He can be hit or miss, but when he hits, he HITS.
Excellent collaborations. Varied themes and styles. Kanye’s best album
Solid album. Personally, I prefer College Drop Out, Late Registration, and Graduation, but this one is a banger too. Shame the twat went crazy. That CTE is a mother fucker. 4.5⭐️
There’s some good and some meh on this album, but there’s no denying that a few of these tracks are going to stick around for a long time. Even with how off-the-rails Kanye has become, this album is just a good piece of work. Like with many artists, sometimes you have to separate the person from the music, and I say that as someone who FUCKING HATES Kanye. That said, it’s hard not to wonder if he’s been telling us something all along, “POWER” feels like a mirror into his ego, and jumping out the window at the end? Maybe a little foreshadowing. We as a society can only hope it comes sooner than later.
I wasn't expecting to like this. I also wasn't expecting all the songs to be so long.
A lot of pleasant songs
1. Dark Fantasy - 8 Great opening track. This is classic Kayne. Solid flow, all sorts of cultural references sprinkled throughout. Intro is a little too long for my liking but this just a great rap track. The choir coming in and out of the track is really really good. Bridge is a little weak but the beat overall is amazing. 2. Gorgeous (feat. Kid Cudi & Raekwon) - 7 Another good track. The guests on the track work so well in between Kayne's deep raps and they generally compliment him so well. The interesting thing about the track is the guitar and bass, which lead the beat over traditional snares or drums like in most traditional rap. Track feels filled with Kayne's hateful rage, which compliments the dirty sounds of the guitar he has on the track. 3. Power - 10 Best track on the album and probably one of the best tracks Kayne ever made. Drumline is immense on this track. Background vocals lift the track. Lyrically this track is unbelievably strong, drifting between societal problems and Kayne's own struggle to create this very track. It's just an absolutely epic song. 4. All the Lights (Interlude) - N/A Bridge track. Not meant to be rated. 5. All the Lights - 8 Solid track. Instrumentals aren't balanced and a bit overpowering on the track which drowns out of the vocals at times but it's still a good song. Opening verse is the biggest part of the song. 6. Monster (feat. JAY-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver) - 4 The beat on this track is great but it's lyrically very bad. The opening 2 minutes is lyrically some of the worst on the album. Chorus is absolutely dreadful as well. JayZ's verse starts out poorly but ends well. Nicki Minaj's verse is absolutely awful. 7. So Appalled (feat. Kanye West, JAY-Z, Pusha T & Prynce Cy Hi) - 7 Much better track. Lyrically the flow is so much better and the lyrics themselves are so much stronger. Beat is great and this is more a return to what this album has built itself as than the previous track. Last minute is the weakest part of the track. 8. Devil in a New Dress (feat. Rick Ross) - 9 Awesome track. Lyrically it's absolutely amazing. When Kayne is describing the devil in the new dress he fades between rap, signing a line like a gospel song, and then another like it's casual conversation. The imagery the song paints is crystal clear. Instrumentally it's great and the guest verse this time is just as strong as Kayne's at the start of the song. All around excellent. 9. Runaway (feat. Pusha T) - 7 The opening verse is the worst part about this song but the whole second half of the track lyrically is very enjoyable. Instrumentally it lasts too long at the end. Pusha T's vocal are a great compliment to the track. 10. Hell of a Life - 6 The use of auto-tune here is awful. Absolutely kills the choruses but the verse still contains that same flow we've come to love from a Kayne track. Beat and instrumentals are very good. 11. Blame Game (feat. John Legend) - 6 John Legend's vocals really carry the song. Kanye's verses are pretty solid as well. Instrumentally it's pretty sound. The song gets overly repetitive at times after the choruses but overall it's a pleasant listen. The monologue goes on for way way too long at the end. 12. Lost in the World (feat. Bon Iver) - 7 Decent song. Instrumentally and lyrically it's good but it comes to a crescendo around 3 minutes in that's just too many sounds. Track tends to drown itself out because of it. Overall though, a better song than Blame Game with a seamless transition into the final track. 13. Who Will Survive In America - 6 Decent song with a preacher painting metamorphic images with his monologue. The song is short and it's a solid conclusion to an otherwise decent album. Not terribly too much to dissect as the track is only 99 seconds long but overall it's a good way to end the album. Average Rating: 7.2 Adjusted to a 5-Point Scale: 3.6 Rounded Up: 4 stars
Before Kanye went crazy-Ye, he really was a gifted artist. I guess that's still in there somewhere. Monster will always be a complete jam.
A polarizing figure, but you must admit this album is a masterpiece.
Overall: 8/10 Honestly, I don't really feel like listening to Kanye lately. I used to adore this man's music and now he just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I still listened to it, and I still added songs to my playlist, but man. I just don't like nazis. It's sad too because he was so talented and this album is soooooo great. It probably would have gotten a perfect rating but, again, I don't like nazis. Fav Song: Runaway Least Fav Song: Devil in a New Dress
Favorites: Gorgeous, Devil in a New Dress, Runaway This album would be perfect if it cut So Appalled, Hell Of A Life, and Blame Game. They make the entire record feel more bloated and mediocre than it actually should be. Otherwise, this is some damn good production and a record that houses some of my favorite rap songs of all time.
OK, so no one should listen to Kanye because he's a garbage human being. Having said that, this one's pretty great. Some of his best songs are on here, though as a whole I've never loved it as much as most people do. Plus, I hate that stupid Chris Rock bit. Shout out to Nikki Minaj for her career-making turn on Monster.
Pretty good. Some boring songs. 4/5
This album has been the love of my life, I love how Kanye changed each way he rapped and sounded on each and every song. My top song are monster, hell of a life and gorgeous
A strong 4, first half was super strong but faltered towards the end
Great album that changed the genre sadly also has multiple skips. Not top 3 Kanye for me
Kanye's magnum opus, for better or worse
High level rap. Really great production
what to do with this one in the year 2025, huh. in my past, i was a mild kanye fan and i think he can be brilliant. lately i want absolutely nothing to do with him, and if you're paying anywhere close to attention, you'll understand why. but when this album came out, i liked it. not as much as everyone else seemed to, as this is always in contention for "greatest album of all time." i've never been quite there. there is some good stuff on here but i am more of a fan of his earlier production and songs. there are definitely some high points here for me ('power,' 'all of the lights,' and 'runaway') but a lot of the album cuts don't do a whole lot for me. his rapping is generally pretty great on here. the jay-z verse on 'monster' is genuinely terrible. did we really have to listen to several minutes of chris rock talking about reupholstering pussies? i haven't listened to this album in well over a decade because i liked his earlier stuff better in general, so upon relistening, i'm still sort of in the same place. musically, this was never a 5/5 for me, and for the express purposes of this project, i try to remove the art from the artist, even though who he is currently is pretty deplorable.
PRE-LISTEN: Ooh, problematic! I have never "gotten" the whole Kanye thing. Granted, I have not really tried to "get" it, but the music of his that I have heard has not made me even slightly curious to check out any more. And everyone just accepts it as FACT that he is a "genius." I was intending for a while to try to give his alleged classics a serious listen to see if I could figure it out and then he went full Nazi and I basically forgot about it. I guess this project is as good an excuse as there will be, so let's see... LISTENING: Hey, I recognize "POWER"! Never paid attention to the lyrics before. Holy shit at all the guests on "All of the Lights." And then "Monster" too. OK, I see why this album was such a big deal. I kind of like "Runaway." OK, I think I get it. This album is really good. But what a weirdo.
I enjoyed that rap album. Rap? Hip hop? Still not quite sure what the difference is
I remember really liking this album at the time, so I’ll rate it 4/5, but I do not listen to this artist anymore.
Almost 5 stars for the album. 0 stars for Kanye.
- I am sorry to say it...but this album is just fuckin' fantastic. So much going on in every track. So many inspired sounds. So much passion bleeding through it all. - About ten different high points. "Dark Fantasy" starts it strong. "POWER" gets you jumping. "All Of The Lights" cranks up your heart rate. You get slapped with the emotion of "Runaway." Bon Iver (of all people) hits you with a brilliantly shining steel chair known as "Lost In The World" and then you shatter on the final track ("Who Will Survive in America"). - Giving it 4 because Kanye is a huge problem. And he is admittedly so stupidly sensitive to the smallest beefs...that does take me out of it at moments.
Fav: Devil In A New Dress Least Fav: Blame Game Loved this album, but things like that terrible Chris Rock bit at the end of Blame Game can really ruin the flow. However, most of the other songs are pretty much perfect, just needs cutting down a lil. Also shout out to JAY-Z’s verse in Monster, man really took the time to name as many monsters as he can remember
A game-changer when it came out but I feel like so much of it is overlong and self-indulgent to a degree I don't have patience for anymore (end of Runaway, Blame Game). Trying to separate the art from the artist, there are still some parts of this album I just don't want to listen to on a second listen and that keeps it from a 5 - which is good because I didn't want to give that Nazi a 5 anyway.
its a nice mix of cockiness and vulnerability
As much as I'd like to hate this, I enjoy the music of it. The lyrics are quite silly at times but I'm less bothered by that side of things, which is why hip hop is such a struggle for me in the first place.
I wish Kanye West wasn’t the biggest piece of trash to walk this planet
I tend to talk out out sides of my mouth when i comes to kanye. Overrated narcissistic psychopath. But also visionary, once in a generation talent. My beautiful dark twisted fantasy is an iconic piece of music. A bookend to the 2000's and unshering in a new era of Ye for the decade, again before the psychopath became manifest. Its a wonderful look into the mind of a successful rap star, rags to riches. Lovely album if you seperate art from the artist. Dark Fantasy, Power, All of the Lights, Monster, Runaway. All BANGERS.
Fantastic, but not quite there for me. Getting into major asshole territory.
Enjoyed listening to this while sitting in the sun. Obviously, Kanye has gone completely nuts of late but this is a good reminder that he was once a credible performer.
Als je niet naar de tekst luistert is het best een leuk album.
Despite my dislike of the man, this is an impressive album.
Wanted to knock this down to 3 for a few reasons but it’s undeniably excellent, so here we are
😬😬😬😬
what happened kanye...
Hard to rate, as I really despise Kanye West but I truly think he is musically talented and I admit I really like some of these songs, perhaps because I grew up with them. However, I realized how much his character showed in the lyrics and I found myself frowning multiple times.
some nice bits
One of the last albums before the descent into lunacy.
un bel 4.. ci sono chicche interessanti
While I am not a huge fan of hip hop, this album had some pretty nice moments. Low 4/5.
I don’t like that I like this so much?
I desperately want to give this a 5...but there are one or two throw away tracks and Kanye is also just one that I can say is a primo individual.
an incredible album.* *well, first, you have to understand it as a work of fiction. the Kanye on MBDTF is a Kanye who looked at himself and saw someone who needs to change. really though, we know for a fact Kanye looked at himself and saw someone who was Fine, Actually, and who eventually managed to suppress any actual sense of awareness but with all the ugliness of still seizing the headlines and doubling down on his worst tendencies, both creatively and personality wise. the introspection was an act, something for the cameras that breaks like a character. the bowie comparison always seems spooky to me, partially cause of the K. West sign, but because it's so easy to put the image of a "different character" on every era of West. one of my favorite pieces of Kanye-related art shows him in his various "eras" represented by the bear, modified with a discoball mask for Donda or playing a piano and Jheri curled for 808s. for MBDTF, he's sitting on a throne, bored and languishing. as we know now, looking inward, the self-awareness and post-VMAs "change" was as much of an era as, like, doing autotune R'n'B. so yeah, it's a great album. it's a bit slow near the end, but the concept's strong and the tracks are radio slam dunks that i still get chunks of stuck in my head ever since i learned of "POWER" or "All of the Lights". but it's as much of a performance as Ziggy Stardust. after all these years, i feel like we're finally beginning to meet the real Kanye, one too far gone to care about performing past provocateur antics and stupidity, and guys? it's been miserable. fuckin' ridiculous, even.
great album, sucks he's a nazi runaway clears
I feel guilty for liking this, Kanye West has been a pretty terrible person, but there are some excellent tracks here.
I'm really into Kanye's way of sounding, despite the public's attitude towards him
Not a good person at all but he made some music
For hip hop this has a lot going on in the mid range. Great. Makes it more musical. Kanye is crazy, but he knows how to make music. Favorite song: power
Unfortunately incredible minus one star Kanye tax
Boy it’s hard to listen to him
Ja Classic halt. Anfang ist fast perfekt, dann nach den ersten beiden drittel wirds bisschen schwächer und Jay Z Part auf Monster ist Arsch. Früher Dark Fantasy, jetzt Devil in a new Dress Lieblinglied.
"I've never even seen this part of Pussy Town before"
Kanye is really fucked now, but back in the day he was only kind of fucked. And he (and a seemingly a semi-communal group of many talented people) made this album, which is very good and was a very big deal. It’s super well made - the instrumentals are diverse, maximalist, clever, and hooky collages - drawing from wide sources leading to an original and memorable sound, while also fitting in the songs perfectly. Solid rapping from Kanye and his many guests, with themes of celebrity: the excess & decadence, maybe a bit of introspection and questioning yourself behind that hedonistic narcissist front. It surprisingly tight around the theme and feels like it could be considered a concept album. I’m certainly no Ye defender or fan boy, but this album is good. For as good as it is, it is also tough to listen to a guy who praises Hitler and wears a trash bag.
I wish he wasn’t an absolutely terrible person, because his lyricism is insane. I haven’t listened to a lot of Kanye outside of the occasional song or ear worm i hear on social media, so sitting to listen to this album really unfortunately opened my eyes as to why he still has so many followers despite his.. problems. His mind, at at least some point in time, was genius. The lyrics alone are crazy, but he pairs them with a sample that is pleasing to the ear, and a flow that’s great. Dare I say he was a little ahead of his time. I can see why he’s an artist that you often hear “separate art from artist”, because some of these songs are just crazy good. All that being said, it still has its issues. Some of the songs ran a little long, and I think that’s due in part to there being too many features on a song. This problem also made some of the song repetitive. All together it’s a pretty good album, but I don’t think i’d actually listen to any of these songs individually, because again, they tend to run a little long for casual listening.
This is a great fucking album, this is actually one of my favorite Kanye albums, before he went crazy and became an actual nutcase monster, it sucks because I don't want to support him but it is good music and had he not gone off the deep end I feel he could have kept going with great music, sad state if affairs, I stopped listening to his albums after this one so, and I think this is prob him at his best!
Unfortunately a really good album
Some very good tracks but a few duds hold it back from a 5 star review. Also hard to give a 5 and separate the toxic personality from the talent.
Peak Kanye. His ego had already blown up and you can feel it on this record but it doesn't take away from it. I have never been a huge Ye stan but this album got a lot of play in my house when it came out.
Je n’aurais jamais écouté d’album de Kanye West sans ce défi. Je le trouve méprisable. Mais je dois admettre que j’ai aimé l’album. La production est impeccable, la narration accrocheuse, les artistes invités en pleine possession de leurs moyens – au point d’éclipser Kanye parfois. Je le respecte comme parolier et MC, même si je doute de réécouter sa musique à l’avenir
First of all, dude's an unhinged nazi and aside from re-listening to him for the purposes of this project, I make a point of not listening to his stuff because I don't even want to give him $0.0001 for listening to his stuff on Spotify. Don't feel good even spending fractions of cents to bankroll his platform. But for the purposes of this project, since his awful views aren't present in the lyrics/materials of his albums included on this list, I will rate them based on the art present (whereas previously I got a Serge Gainsbourg album that has lyrics talking about grooming and raping an underage girl. Regardless of the quality of the music, that gets a 1 from me). All that said, this is an all-time classic of an album. So many great hits. POWER, All of the Lights, Monster, Runaway. This was Kanye at his absolute peak. Sure there are still the cringe bars that Kanye always had, but damn if this album isn't catchy and amazingly produced. The vibe/instrumental of So Appaled is insane. Shoutout to Nicki Minaj's verse on Monster, easily the best verse in her career, absolutely blowing both Kanye and Jay Z's verses on that track out of the water. Bon Iver closing out the track is just icing on the cake. There are a few songs that aren't as solid as I remember, Hell of A Life and Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America, although still good. Blame Game did not need that outro. But still a fantastic album.
I’ve been meaning to listen to this album for a long time. I’ve repeatedly heard from my brother how critically acclaimed it is. I knew a few tracks as I listened already. I definitely enjoyed the songs I knew more. The highlight for me was Monster. I enjoyed the bass and drums on that track. I wouldn’t listen again because it’s not my genre but glad I listened!
I understand the hype behind Kanye, this is what rap should be about
Separate art from the artist challenge, level: hard
Few albums are accompanied with more baggage than this one. This is not the best Kanye record, though it makes its case for one right out of the gate, “Dark Fantasy” has such a sweet refrain from Alicia Keys. A few songs later, “Power” insists that Kanye is a corrupted, greedy, highly flawed narrator for this whole project. This songs little vocal chant lead was so pervasive that it dominated everything from radio stations to edm festivals. Just as much can be said about the following “All Of The Lights” with its simple horn lead. “Monster” and “So Appalled” have the most 2010 instrumentals of all time, they’re beats that could’ve belonged to Lana Del Rey as much as anyone. “Devil In A New Dress” is the old Kanye in a new album, backed by a slow, string-laden soul sample. Then comes “Runaway”, when Kanye pulls back the curtain to let a rare sense of true self guide him to making this opus. It’s the type of rambling honesty that makes you want to take your 2025 Time Machine and go back to have an intervention with THIS Kanye. “Hell of a Life” follows as a lowlight, with a clunky interpolation of the Iton Man melody. “Blame Game” goes on to sample one of my favorite songs of all time, with mixed results. The bit with John Legend singing right along with the melody is catchy, but I think everything else going on here kinda muddies the serenity of the piano melody. It also sort of weaponizes the same honesty on “Runaway” for evil instead of good. “Lost In The World” is such a peculiar collaboration that managed to happen well before rappers openly admitted they listened to alternative artists like Tame Impala or Mac Demarco. This is the best slice of production work in my eyes, even if it’s just a bit different with those more upbeat drum break samples and colorful bits of chorus vocal processing. It ends off with a vocal sample that leads to the last track which is all a bit hard to take seriously as a message Kanye really meant from the heart, all things considered now. It now comes across as shallow and tokenistic, ruining an otherwise powerful speech and important message. But I suppose morally ‘shallow’ is apart of the Kanye experience from this record onward. I always felt a sizable tonal shift after “Graduation, when his mom passed. Not attempting to humanize someone who’s gone off the inhumane end, just tracking the events that presented this albums sense of grand tragedy. Soft 4 stars.
Pretty dope so far. Too bad this dude went completely fuckin nuts and is a literal Nazi now. Almost feel bad giving him streams but the royalties from one listen on Apple Music aren’t even doing jack for him. Plus I never listened to this when it came out. I can’t believe I’m 5 years too late.
I hate to say this, because he's not my favorite person, but this album is great.
Hate to admit it but this is a great album
I never would have listened to Kanye on my own. Gotta admit, this is really good.
Devil in a new dress used to be my favorite damn song.
8/10
As crazy as Kanye is, he’s a musical genius and he knows it. Every album just hits. Can’t even put my finger on it-whether it’s the beats, the lyrics, the message of those lyrics, or the shock factor of some of the songs. Something just WORKS! This is an album I played on repeat to try to find a favourite song, but couldn’t narrow any down because they’re all great. Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: yes Favourite Song: I went with All Of The Lights Interlude, because having an orchestra instrumental on a hip hop album is gold.
Too bad he's a psychopath
Kayne is super fucked up. But this album is one of the best ever.
I think we are at the time where everyone has more or less forgotten about Kanye's X crash out (since nobody is talking about it) so i don't think it will be too controversial if i say that i think that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a great album. I have had a somewhat mixed opinion on a lot of Kanye's lyrics but i will say that they in this album are not nearly as bad as the ones on Yeezus, but not as good as the ones in The College Dropout. However, what i think is better than both albums is the production. It took a massive step up and delivered some major bangers in basically all of the songs. Kanye might not be the greatest person but this album sure is his greatest. Best Song: All Of The Lights Worst Song: Dark Fantasy Side Note: And since this is the last of the Kanye West albums i will be looking at, here are my rankings 1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 2. The College Dropout 3. Yeezus
Wow. This album is crazy across the board. The production is so varied and unique. The features are all used so well. What an inspired album front to back. It sucks that this guy is so good at what he does, cause he really kind of sucks. Standouts: POWER, Monster, Runaway
Overall, this is one of the better albums I’ve heard from Kanye. He’s made tracks that I’ve really enjoyed, but he’s one of those artists I have a hard time taking seriously. He’s always out there rocking the boat, stirring up controversy just to keep the spotlight on himself, to the point where I find it hard to even want to listen to him.
Pre-listen, 3 of these tracks are already on my liked songs list. Solid album. I'm not a Kanye-as-a-person fan, and I wouldn't really consider myself a fan of Kanye-the-artist, but this album is good. Can't deny it. 4/5.
Ok, I'm no Kanye fan, but the front half of this album slaps. The back half gets real weird, and you can love it I think if you're thinking it's conceptual but with the time thats passed....not shocking that it's turned out this way. However, beside the weirdness, still good. Putting as a 4. Would probably be a 3 in rock, but for not liking a genre or a person...still wild and that counts.
I have listened to this album plenty of times. This album probably one of his best. I am not listening to Kanye these days.
Proof a broken clock is correct twice a day, and the poster child for an argument for the separation of art and the artist
I actually really liked it as much as I hate to admit because Kanye’s an asshole nazi piece of shit
(i liked it sorry sorry sorry sorry)
This is definitely an album by someone who lives in a Dark Fantasy…
I like Kanye West or Ye and a rapper I like his tone. I have his first 2 albums and Yeezus but lost interest in his later stuff. This album passed me by has some great songs on there however tails a bit off at the end and over long. A pleasant suprize.
I very much hate that this man makes (or made) really good music. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5 Kanye as a person: -100000000/5
Production is really wild, opulent and experimental, no doubt Kanye is top tier musician, that said it feels like every song is 8 minutes long and they don’t all hit
In his current mental health system, he's a terrible human being, I really hope he can get the help he needs. This album is objectively amazing and it's sad he's fallen so hard since.
I’m a casual hip hop consumer at best. Enjoyed this album but the first half was just ok. Standard fair guest artist featured w Kanye on fair/good tracks. Second half of the album saw styles expand, get more creative and move away from standard hip hop tropes. Second half was preferred.
Of all artists to feel conflicted about, Kanye West might win the Most Conflicted About award. I really used to be a huge fan, and this album was my favorite. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, because he is way past “off the deep end,” and I really don’t fuck with Nazis. But most of the things I used to love about this album, particularly its production and certain verses and samples, I still love. It just feels tainted now; it used to be a victory and now it’s a tragedy. The fact that Kanye used to be self-aware to such an extent just hurts to witness. He could have responded to the feelings that created this album in a better way. Oh well. He enjoyed being a douchebag, an asshole, a scumbag, too much and disappeared into that persona. RIP. Anyway, despite no longer feeling like it’s a five-star album, I do think it’s still a must-listen, if nothing else than as a cautionary tale. #81.
Masterpiece.
i hope he takes his medication and says wholesome not-bad things
very good. POWER is so fucking good. Def would listen to some songs on a daily basis
Too bad Kanye was and continues to be crazy cuz he clearly knows how to make an album. Chris Rick’s bit goes on a bit too long tho.
First time listening, pleasantly surprised. Lyrics are questionable at times, but the production is top notch.
Very sick. I knew some of these before but I'd never listened to the album outright. I definitely found some new bangers. And loved all the bon iver and other features!!
Kanye is nuts, but I remember enjoying this 💿 in 2010. Upon relisten… it holds up really well. Surprised.
Not a nice dude but what an epic journey
“This week has been a bad massage, I need a happy ending.” “Head of the class and she just won a swallowship” I mean, it’s a shame that Kanye is a straight up Nazi.
Ugh I like this but hate Kanye
I already love this album so this is easy. This is the album where Kanye finally figured it out. There's no skits thank god, but almost everything else you love from Kanye is here. Hard-hitting, sample-heavy beats? Check. Decadent verses that paint perfect pictures of the highs and lows of fame? Check. Tounge-in-cheek humor interspaced throughout? Super check. Not only does Kanye do some of his best rapping on this one, but the features all understand that we are here to make some of the best raps ever. Except Hov, I don't know why his verse on "Monster" is bad, but it's just lackluster to me. Other than that, everyone else kills it. My favorite track is probably, "Devil In A New Dress." The Smokey sample, the bassline, the breakdown with the strings losing their minds, how Rozay comes in after that insane Mike Dean guitar solo. Just everything. Is this Ye's best? No, but this is his purest album. I used to say this album was too perfect. Everything you'd want from a rap album is here, you don't need much else.
Can you separate an artist from their art? Hard to say. Some amazing tracks here, masterfully produced. Runaway, Monster, Power. Lots of self-aggrandizing, getting high on money and fame, at first glance doesn't seem to be one of Kanye's more vulnerable albums. On a closer listen, he's talking about negotiating mental illness when his sickness and his creativity go hand in hand; getting rich on being outrageous, provocative, leaning into psychosis. Why tone things down when mania feels so good (and makes him so successful)? Great collaborations in this album as well. Hard to fully enjoy knowing that Kanye is a racist, antisemitic, sexist, narcissistic asshole.
4/5 last good Kanye album before he went crazy? (Or was he all along)
still a classic but my god. he sounds soooo pathetic
Not every song is a classic (no, I'm not that hot on "Devil in a New Dress") and reminiscing about it makes harder to swallow the fact that Kanye is less than a shadow of who he used to be now... but it's still packed with bangers and one of the albums that introduced me to the endless possibilities offered by sampling. So... yeah, classic album.
enjoyed much more than i thought i would. 4/5
With the benefit of hindsight: was the King Crimson sample a plea for help?
Well, that was good. I tried getting into Kanye a few years after this came out and I didn't get it. I think I do now
Big sound and impressive production.
Not my style, but I thought it was undeniable in sound and production. Kanye West is a force as a producer, but only adequate as an MC. I think his talents outshine his boringly self-centered lyrics and average mic work to make a very impressive album.
нормалек. никогда раньше не слушал этого чела, относился предвзято, как и ко всему хип-хопу этих времен. оказалось довольно прикольно. еслть красивые мелодии, местами даже напоминает тейм импалу)
I really think Kanye is a genius. Some of the songs on here are incredible. I just wish he’d clean it up.
Ok, so this was super surprising because I can't stand Kanye as a man. So I never listened to this album before. There are SO many guests on it. I really liked all the songs except 2. This one was an hour and 8 minutes. Some bangers on here. "All of the Lights"... It was produced by West and features additional vocals from several other recording artists, including John Legend, The-Dream, Drake, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, Kid Cudi, and Rihanna; the latter two are credited on the official music ...
Wow. Never been a hip-hop guy, but there's so much to unpack here. And I know that he's kinda problematic, but this is a really good record. I guess it's all about being problematic, in a way, about what it's like to be Kanye, with some thoughts about how he got like that, but how everyone wants to be on his record anyway. Was he forgiveable in 2010?
I was surprised by this album. I liked it. Maybe its 20mins too long but not bad
8.2
Fuck Kanye but I can see why his fans are so annoying about him
My favorite of his albums.
in my opinion, the most overrated ye album. it's too long (see: runaway second half (sorry!), hell of a life, blame game), and the entire thing has this low-fidelity, grainy rock sound on it in service of the maximalist theming. that being said, it's still pretty damn fantastic, and absolutely deserves its spot on this list. also, see me know is one of ye's best bonus tracks - that asphalt line kills me every time.
all opinions of the man aside, this is a great album. i still think either Yeesus or 808's is his best but i think im in the minority there...
Kanye may be crazy, but is music is original and powerful - I very much enjoyed this album. Just NSFW!
one of my favourite rap albums already, listening again is just so fun, 'Power' and 'All of the lights' back to back just makes you feel powerful.
Very good. Kanye is a musical genius
7/10 - One of the lyrics was "And I don't know how I'ma manage, If one day, you just up and leave." And I for sure thought he would say vanish because it is a slant rhyme and sounds so much better. This album was significantly better than I thought it was going to be. I loved the first 4 of the first 5 songs. If the whole album was like this it would have been like an 8. However, it went downhill at Monster. I can 100% see how people think this album is great. I also liked Lost in the World a lot. I did not like blame game very much.
Kanye the rapper and producer at his most self-aware. Its a shame that he turned out to be a REALLY shit person. Kanye went into a self-induced hiatus from the public (the Taylor Swift incident occured the year prior) and after getting all his favorite people to come out to Hawaii and help him with the album...the results are amazing. (He even got Elton John to work on "All of the Lights" with him.) The Production is incredible, the features are amazing (Kanye even said that Nicki's verse in "Monster" is the best one. Which coming from HIS ego is impressive), and the songwriting is fantastic. Kinda ironic that Bon Iver worked with Kanye on this album and would later work with Taylor Swift on "exile" 10 years later. I do believe that Chris Rock's part goes on for too long (it probably could have been cut out.) This album was integral to my music taste in high school. I still believe "All Of The Lights (Interlude)" is one of the most beautiful pieces of work and the intro to "Runaway" always gets me emotional and brings me back to high school. This rating is actually a 4.5. Loved Songs: All of them except for "Blame Game" , "Lost In The World" , and "Who Will Survive In America"
Very good. I know he’s an asshole but his music is great. Loved all the collabs on this album.
I actually really liked this album. Powerful music, with beats and lyrics that land hard. Perhaps I'll add to my rotation.
I have a soft spot for this album because when it came out when I was living in another country and my friends and I rocked the shit out of this album. It was nice to revisit it. I forgot how good the hook on Dark Fantasy is and I was totally good with it just going on for the last minute or so on its own. POWER with the King Crimson sample crushes Runaway is almost a classic but the last 4-5 minutes of autotune mumbling the chorus is unnecessary. I feel like this could have been a 5 star album if you cut out the skits tacked onto the ends of a track and beats that just continue to outro for multiple minutes, but alas, Kanye did not. Solid album though
Crackin' album that
second half not great tbh
Nice album! I know a lot of songs from this album! Classic
Very interesting
Huuuuh Great album. Quite a few songs were 5/5 but others dragged it down a bit. I'll probably listen to this one again. Also Runaway is always a classic
Kanye brings the heat! They call him the GOAT for a reason. I definitely enjoyed this album, but a few songs fall short for me. A solid feature list with banger songs. The end of Blame Game with Chris Rock was strange tho, but I guess Kanye is a strange man.
8.5/10 Good
Pretty good. Enjoyed some of the slower songs I hadn’t heard of before 7/10
Surprised myself by enjoying this. Melodic, a bit of fun, really dialled-in. Not especially coherent as an album, but overall it was a good listen. Seems like he hadn't devolved into a complete twat at this stage, or at least it wasn't in your face in the album. 3.5/5
I like the Chris Rock part
This is better than Yeezus.
“My presence is a present - kiss my ass” Monster is a baroque masterpiece.
I am not into hip-hop and the ones I liked the most are oldschool rap from the 90s. Despite of this I tried to listen to this with an open mind and ears also because I read how important this album was when it came out. This album is extremely well produced and for this reason it was a joy to listen to. I didn't care for the lyrics or the songs individually but the songs flew together very well and it works well as a hip-hop opera. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's between 3 and 4 personally but I will round it up to 4 because the production is really top notch.
five star album, knocked mostly because of who kanye is as a person but also because i had to hear the phrase "yeezy reupholstered my pussy"
production goes crazy. pretty even split between poetic bars and the stupidest (for better or worse) lines you've ever heard. wish there was less gooner shit but i suppose that's essential to the experience.
It was prolly peak i didnt listen
I'm not a fan of Kanye these days, due to politics and him being kinda a psycho... but I have to admit this album is pretty solid. Also a shame this is the most representation Bon Iver gets on the list.
Pre-Kim Kanye, so before he lost his mind and started believing his own hype to such a degree that he made shit music. Although this album is long, it is varied and has enough supporting artists to make each track distinct and memorable. Some elements are self indulgent which drops a star
高中時聽過了 大部分的tracks在現今來聽依舊前衛、獨樹一格，經典的kanye風格，很難想像它是2010年發行的作品 現在到了大一再重聽一次 感覺有稍微不一樣了（前幾年養成了聽experimental的美感習慣）不過某些曲目還是有點 underwhelming，不過整體還是很棒，最喜歡的是all of the lights, dark fantasy, 和 runaway
I don't want to like it, but it's great. Dammit!
Do you like Hip hop? if you do then this album is for you. Turn off the lights is fireeeeeeeeeeee, I like the beat, the lyrics, and I like Kanye voice. Monster suck to be honest that´s the only song I don´t like from this album. Run away tho is fireee to everthing about it is great. This alum is 9/10 its the good I recommend this album.
the album runaway is pretty good because I like the beginning it sounds like the theme for Michael Myers but then it changes and its kinda like a mysterious feeling the reasons I think it good is because of the lyrics they just sounded good and fit the instrument and the instruments are also good cause of how they fit perfectly with the lyrics I think this album was good and I would recommend listening to this album
Do you like Hip-Hop/Rap? If so, this album is definitely for you. In my opinion, I REALLY like this album. I love all of the other singers added to this album. Nice diversity. I also like this album because I like the beat and all of the music in the background. It has good beats too. I highly recommend that you listen to this album.
One of the best rap albums, does fall off a bit at the end.
One of the best Ye
Is er een muziekfiguur in de 21e eeuw die aan de ene kant zoveel verbindt, maar ook zoveel verdeelt? Kanye West is de spil in het voortstuwen van het Hip Hop genre, in een tijdperk dat het internet en de computer hoogtij vieren. Het brengt zoveel elementen samen die voorheen niet met elkaar leken te rijmen, en zoveel popartiesten die vloeken met het originele format 'Hip Hop'. Zijn voortstuwende werking van het genre bedoel ik dan ook vooral op gebied van modernisering, of het nou echt beter is voor het OG rap-genre is de vraag. Daarnaast is hij zo vaak onderdeel geweest van een cultureel momentum, waarin z'n stijl, doen en laten, en 'professionele' aanpak altijd het middelpunt leken te zijn van een rage. Maar juist daarin verdeelt hij ook ontzettend, en is Ye ondanks een 'stralend' brandpunt ook een man die van controverse zijn middelnaam maakt. Dit moest even vermeld worden, want dit is ook de context waarin ik veel van zijn muziek beoordeel. Het eerste deel, waarin zijn pioniersfunctie in de moderne Hip Hop niet onderschat mag worden, doet mij hinken op twee gedachten. Aan de ene kant vind ik veel van zijn werk echt extreem dapper, en is hij een soort 'art pop artiest der hip hop', door de gangbare popmuziek telkens een beetje op zijn kant te draaien. Daarnaast moet ik toegeven dat veel artiesten waar ik normaal niet echt wakker van lig, opeens wel stralen op zijn albums. Hij heeft een fantastisch oor voor wat wél en wat niét werkt, ook al brengt hij dat laatste dan ook gewoon doodleuk uit (zie zijn laatste albums, in het speciaal). Die eclectische mix aan artistieke invloeden overschaduwen dan wel vaak weer het rap-deel van Hip Hop, wat mij een liefhebber maakt van het originele genre. Zijn lyrics zijn vaak cringey, de vocalen missen enige vorm van passie, en zijn rijmschema's brengen zelden de muzikaliteit van zijn nummers tot een hoger niveau. Goed dat hij nog hier en daar wat goede rappers uitnodigt om dat enigszins te verbloemen. Het zijn de sublieme orkestraties die zijn albums vaak redden, en de muzikale plot-twists, en niet het menselijke aspect. Wat wat mij betreft wel vitaal is voor een goed Hip Hop album. Er mist een bepaalde flow. Het tweede deel, over zijn controversiële imago, is ook belangrijk mee te nemen. Want wat ik ontbreek aan rauwe persoonlijkheid op een album van Kanye, wordt voor een groot deel goedgemaakt door hoe hij zich presenteert rond een release. Hij heeft waanzinnig veel karakter. Tuurlijk, hij is een sociopaat en een ontzettende hondenlul, maar hij heeft wel karakter. Dus een album leeft altijd wel in de psyche van de mens die hem een klein beetje kent, zonder het muziekstek zelf heel veel 'soul' bevat. Dit album heeft denk ik de grote hoogtes bereikt wat het heeft bereikt door zijn uitgesproken identiteit, en niet perse omdat het een waanzinnig Hip Hop album is, in ieder geval niet in my books. Het is een sleutelstuk uit een unieke muziekcarrièr, getekend door net zoveel hoogte- als dieptepunten. En ik denk dat dit de plaat is die zijn gevoel voor wat de trends waren van de tijd, om die te presenteren in een Hip Hop context, het beste tentoonstelt. Het duurt mij net iets te lang, om alle prikkels die het verzend een plekje te geven, maar het is wel een ervaring. Een 'Hip Hop opera' werd het al ergens genoemd, en die theatraliteit, inclusief robotstemmetjes, James Blunt-pianootjes, en Nicki Minaj, hoort nou eenmaal bij 2010. Of, Kanye West heeft gezorgd dat het er vanaf dat moment bij hoort, want die invloed heeft hij. Ik vind het een moeilijk album om goed te beoordelen, en moet het echt los zien van veel andere, reguliere, rapgenres waar ik van hou. Daarom 4 sterren, voor het artistieke lef, maar niet perse voor de Hip Hop. 8/10 Highlights: Gorgeous POWER Runaway Lost In The World
Kan je Kanye haten, en dit toch een episch album vinden? Dezelfde twisted fantasy maakt Ye die knurft die hij nu is, maar maakt dit album legendarisch... Ik ben geen rasechte hip-hopper en heb zeker geen intrinsieke voorliefde voor mainstream hip-hop, dus het is vast een stukje nostalgie dat My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy altijd wel goed is aangeslagen. Volgens mij is de reden daarvoor best simpel... de tracks op deze plaat zijn uniek. Dat vind ik er vet aan. Het is geen klassieke hiphop-beat. Mede door de vele samenwerkingen bevatten de nummers ook veel rock en horen we (gelukkig) niet alleen maar Kanye rappen. West is volgens mij (daarvoor rijkt mijn kennis niet ver genoeg) niet perse een hele goede MC. De teksten heb ik -heel eerlijk- nooit echt goed naar geluisterd. Dan blijven met name de lekker harde en opzwepende tracks over. En die vind ik altijd weer verrassend voor een hiphop plaat. En godsamme, hoe vet dat Bon Iver hier op vier nummers mee doet. Zijn verdraaide stem past eigenlijk bizar goed bij deze muziek. En godsamme, gelukkig staat die samenwerking met Chris Martin hier niet op. Dat scheelt weer een ster. 8/10 Highlights POWER Monster (het rapstukje van Jay-Z is vet) Runaway Lost in the World
Super solid
Kanye may be a garbage person but boy can he make a music
For all that Kanye West is such a powerful cultural force, I’m not really acquainted with his music. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I turned this on. I won’t say I’m a fan of all of it (ugh, Blame Game), but I couldn’t turn away from any of it. The album has a real pull. Monster in particular really blew me away.
Power is a great track, and its a showcase of the great production shown elsewhere on the album really shining. That said, the whole album is bloated, has some distasteful pieces and is a problematic listen only 14 years later (I could have written the same thing 5 years ago).
Wanted to hate this as Kanye is a massive cunt, but this a good album. The production is top notch, with great guest performances. Favourite track is Runaway 4/5
Honestly thought it was way too "pop" on the first listen, but this has been in my rotation for well over a year atp and honestly the production is super impressive and fairly uncommon at the time. Amazing samples and guitar instrumentals from Mike Dean, some of the best features from the 2010's (namely Pusha T and Rick Ross) and generally great performances from Kanye. Blame game is annoying as fuck but I mean I guess it's sorta funny? Also Dark Fantasy unfortunately got ruined from the memes.
The star of the show is the production. Impressively immersive, huge sound. I've sometimes been a hip-hop hater, but I can appreciate why this album is talked about highly.
I dont like hiphop, but all these melodies were cool, the voices too. I never heard this guys music, only the memes
Hard separate the musician from the music. This has a lot of my favourite songs I put lights, monster, runaway power, dark fantasy, and gorgeous. It’s too bad what Kanye has become.
Yeezy got my pussy reupholstered
"I miss the old Kanye"
It is a weaker Kanye album. Thats why it is just 4
Kanye might be a terrible human but the music’s good. 4.16
Felt like I should be doing a power hour in Kerst. Could have been 5 stars but I felt like just couldn’t connect with the material…
Great album, I forgot how solid it was. Not really something I like to listen to much but it's really good for it's style.
Fantastic album - production is immaculate and so many epic tracks. Thought it did have a couple of skips, and thematically was a bit much for me at times though. 7.75 / 10
Not my usual jam but I actually enjoyed that
I liked this slightly more than College Dropout. There's a lot of strength in the features and production on this one.
It's hard to really separate Kanye West's sad mental health journey (and public persona) from his music, but taking this album out of this context is probably the best one can do. It's definitely more interesting and expansive than "The College Dropout" (listened to previously), and it has a few entertaining highlights -- "Dark Fantasy", "POWER", and "Hell of a life" (in part from the "Iron man" riff). The video/singles are also well-produced and entertaining ("Runaway" especially (didn't watch the whole 30-minute film, though) and also "Lost in the world", although "All of the lights" not so much). Much like "The College Droupout", it's waaay too long, with a number of very forgettable songs (and the latter half of "Blame game" is just downright unpleasant and tedious and offensive), but still a very solid album, if you can separate the person from the music (which I personally find tough, given how toxic he's been). The Wikipedia entry for this album feels like it might have been written by a very devoted Kanye West fan, as it rarely makes a lot of sense. Many of the sentences seem to start with one thought and end in the midst of another, with very little coherent in between. ("He elaborated that a minimum of 80 percent was genuine, with the remainder 'fulfilling a perception' for the public. West also insisted that he was not criticizing My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and instead failed to reach satisfaction, then openly revealed his idea of the truth." Or whatever.) But reading between the non-linear lines, it sounds like the production process was fairly tortured and excessive and expensive, which sounds about right. Kanye West put an entire fridge's worth into a blender, and I'm impressed with the strange, rich stew emerged.
sometimes i dont really understand how this album works, simply because it opens with nicki minaj doing a poor british accent but has some of the best hip hop of my generation, so idk. fuck kanye, but damn this album has some highs (including i sent this bitch a picture of my diccckkkkkk) 1.) runaway 2.) devil in a new dress 3.) blame game
Maybe my favourite Kanye, but still is Kanye
Pretty good, some legendary songs. Didnt like the latter ones as much but still enjoyable listen
Not really sure about this. Hard to reconcile what was actually quite an interesting and artistically meritorious album with the route that Kanye has gone. Feels like sipping tea while watching the mushroom cloud grow.
Annoyingly I enjoyed the album, he might be one of the biggest tools alive but back in the day he could craft a tune
Might be a lil nutty but he is a genius
Viewed in a vacuum this album would be an easy 5-stars. So good. Like give me chills at points good. But, unfortunately, Kanye has disappeared down a conspiratorial, MAGA rabbit hole. So, sticking to my guns, I have to knock it a star.
Yup, heard it a bunch. It's good, but not his best
Not my type of music at all but that was a damn good album.
not a lot of substance, but its a fun time, highlight is runaway
All songs are very enjoyable listens, without a doubt one of Kanye’s best albums. However, some songs were very weak compared to others, like Monster to Runaway or POWER. Overall, great album. 8/10.
4 love that there’s actual musical elements to the album rather than the incessant trap beats of current rap
Correct album with a commercial sounding, heavy production. Some song can be very long, overall very good.
80% Best: Gorgeous; POWER; Devil In A New Dress; Runaway; Hell Of A Life Must-Hear? Sure
This was a bit sad to listen to know where Kanye went. Great album, very tight throughout. Power has such an incredible vibe and I remember hearing a pull from King Crimson in it and wondering where Kanye was going to keep going musically.
Kanye West is very likely struggling with a diagnosable mental illness. He is not OK and really ought not be in the public spotlight. However, he is also a brilliant musician and it is really necessary to compartmentalize his music from his ... whatever the rest of his life may be. Certain musicians put their POLITICS into their music. I am not even going to imagine Kanye can not automatically feed his emotional states into his music, but that is what makes it what it is. An insane sort of beauty. Just in so long as you don't focus on the man, and just focus on the music, everything will be OK!
Really good. Some of the songs hit harder than others, and some parts really don't work for me, but others really are amazing. 4/4.5
Awesome beats, still a mid rapper. I liked it better than TCD.
Overrated by many, but still a great rap record.
Very close to a 5 but doesn't quite get there 88/100
Side A is better storytelling, side B is catchier. All in all, a solid solid album.
Fuck yeah
increíble álbum para tener de fondo cuando querés sentirte poderosa. buena compañia
Very good
Incredible way to start this off. Bangers piled upon bangers on this album. Every song feels consequential, and I love almost all of them. 4.6/5
Didn’t think I’d really listen to this album with any sense of enjoyment. I was surprised with the variety, the musicality and the poetry of his lyrics.
What a fascinating listen. There’s so much here, even before you get to the music. Has there ever been an artist, literally worth nearly a billion mostly built on his critically acclaimed discography, who decides to essentially throw most of that away because of becoming enamored with antisemitism and sexual deviance? That alone makes his story memorable, no matter how you feel about Kanye. Classic, “Do you support the art or the artist?” debate. In the end, I land on Kanye being one of the most talented producers and hitmakers of all time (not much of a rapper though; his flow has always been rudimentary to me), so I gotta give him his props for that. And this album is likely one of his early masterpieces; the title literally says it all. One of his best traits about Kanye as an artist is you don’t have to wonder what he’s thinking about; it’s all in the music for better or for worse. In the end, as the debate about Ye continues online where he still has his worshippers as much as those who’ve written him off, I land with the teenager who described him thusly: “Amazing artist, shitty human being.” Either way, his music is too good, too stimulating, too irritating at times, for me to write him off. He’s just too talented and like a car crash, I can’t help but check it out even as I pass it by.
Pop Rap, Hip Hop
I hate how good this is. I want to punish Kanye for being the person he is, but I can’t deny this album’s greatness. I can however give props to the many, many guests who elevate this material even more, most of whom are not problematic, I think? I just won’t google it. Problem solved.
I legit think Kanye is a creative genius. I disagree with just about everything about him as a person, though. This album is very good, but I don’t think it’s his peak. I think some of the features in the middle and near the end drug it down for me.
Very good start to this one. I get a little fatigued by the end of it. Will I listen to again: 60%
What happened to my goat :( Genuinely depressing listening back to this one, its like a completely different person made it. Hit after hit after hit. Legendary run of tracks. But it does have to be said the back half falls off pretty significantly after Hell of a Life, drags a bit after that. Such a fun listen but now I'm sad. Separate the art from the artist I guess. Dude was the soundtrack to my life for years. Fav Tracks : Dark Fantasy, Power, All of the Lights, Monster, So Appaled, Runaway, Hell of a Life
4 Runaway was too long
4.50
Great beats for a beast
Great album, seriously twisted dude.
Kanye West's first 5 albums were legendary. An amazing 5 album run. Is this the best album overall of his from those 5? Very hard to say. Basically, every one of his albums up until this one is great, almost perfect but not quite. This one is no exception, I LOVE the first half of the album but it just loses its way towards the end unfortunately. It's not a perfect album but it is very close, the highs are very high.
Shocked that I enjoyed this album as much as I did. Never heard a single one of these songs until today. Probably helped that there are so many cool people collaborating on it. Go figure.
Almost every track overstays it's welcome a bit, how are they all 5+ minutes sitting on the same beat. Even the best beat gets boring after that long. Didn't like the sampling of 21st century schizoid man, don't think it meshes well and just makes me wish I was listening to the better song. I like the use of the electric guitar on the album, not used to hearing that in hip hop. The album goes out on a high, perhaps the tightest tracks on the album. I don't know, the highs are really high but it feels pretty bloated. There's not a lot to keep me coming back to it tbh, other than a couple of tracks. 4/5
It's hard to seperate the artist from art and this album is a great example. This is a great album made by a crazy person. It is extremely original with the first song being an incredible opener. Each successive song keeps the pace up and are all really great. I can't rate it higher than a 4 though because I don't agree with many things Ye has said and done.
Great album. Power, Monster and Runaway are the big hits and lots of crafty lyrics.
West is a piece of shit. Ridiculous, misogynistic, manipulative, controlling, delusional, and quite possibly in need of support with his mental health - which may be the root cause of his flaws. He is also incredibly good at making his music. I have very little experience or knowledge of hip-hop as a genre, but I can spot good when it's presented to me, and this album is good. Very good. It is, of course, overly long and that along with the closing 'comedy' skit stops it being five stars, but it is a really solid four. Even though it is made by such a colossal piece of shit.
What an incredible album - lyrics were fun, flow was great, production out of this world. couple of songs were misses but overall, a stellar album. I finally get why people love his music.
I think I’ll always have a soft spot for this album, because it’s so closely linked to a specific time and place for me. (Summer 2018, Tokyo) I first listened to it on a total whim on a long bus ride - vaguely recalling that it was considered one of the greatest albums of the last 20 years, and curious as to why - and it grabbed my attention from the first track and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. I immediately listened again from the start, and I listened many times over those summer months. It was a transitory period when I was often sad and deeply conflicted, and something about this music in particular seemed to offer an escape. I can’t really rationalize or explain what it is I like so much about this album (although there are definitely objective measures by which it’s great), but despite everything surrounding its artist, it’s one of those that I’ll always appreciate for the role it played in my life. (This time, too, I listened through without stopping and listened a second time.)
Some of these tracks are true classics and it was a joy to listen to. Other parts of the album drag on a bit and some of the tracks I'm not a huge fan of. The tracks that work really work for me but there are a few skips in there too that bring it down a star.
4☆/5 07.11.2024
Bangers throughout.
歌真不戳，可惜人疯了
Would be a 5, but Kanye's ego gets in the way. 4/5
4.4
Cool, but less memorable than I remember
It is a very good album
La segunda mitad del álbum slaps hard damn son
Quizá aquí Kanye no tiene el flow que en CD, LR o Graduation, pero es otra faceta de su vida. Me gusta toda la orquesta, el uso de las cuerdas en las canciones, el uso de colaboraciones. Pienso que algunas pistas duran más de lo que deberían, pero detalles en la producción lo salvan.
Day170 -i was prepared to hate this and give it one star but it’s good. much better than either kendrick lamar album i’ve had to listen to
The hits are sure hits. The rest are….fine. Not bad? Not a perfect album by any means. I feel like this was KW’s highest height — the range of guest stars is insane, he was clearly at the top, and now all of that good will is gone. And rightfully so!
Very good
9/10 Incredible with a lot of catchy tunes. Kanye use a lot of pop sounds, as he did previously, but with a more impressive sounds. It seems like a testament for the hip-hop/pop culture. Maybe too much mainstream and not revolutionary, but this album managed to revive Kanye's destroyed career and make it more important and louder than before. In conclusion a solid pop album with a lot of artist and a bunch of contamination making it a perfect album but without that something extra
Unfortunately very good. Favourites: dark fantasy, all of the lights, monster, runaway.4/5
Would have been a 5 if he wasn’t a 0 of a person.
Not a fan but was good
Aham, nuca se capitalizó tanto un casquete. Tiene la cancion de la colonia esta. En verda temardos, i el perque el negri/nazi/loco este lo ha petao. Also, monotema de parlar de la seua pinga en cada tema ofc. na en verdá ma gustao prou pero ja cansa lo de que este tipo de musica estiga en el "Top 100" get som musical kulture dude.