My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Non fa per me, non mi piace

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

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.

nope - too much swearing.

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

Ikkje mitt favorittalbum av Ye

i hope he takes his medication and says wholesome not-bad things

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

I have never listened to a Kanye album and I am 100% not going to start now. This is a real bummer because I was really looking forward to listening to something new today. At least there is only one more certified nazi album I have to skip on this list (that I know of). It is kind of strange that both Kanye albums I have gotten have been pretty soon after one of his major meltdowns. I can't wait to see what happens right before I get Yeezus. Lowest 1 imaginable.

"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.

Because I can’t give zero stars

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

gas

very good. POWER is so fucking good. Def would listen to some songs on a daily basis

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

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.

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.

Not for me at all. No thanks.

Was good until he started rapping.

I can separate the man from the art. Or I think I can. I usually find his stuff ‘ok’ but this was tiresome

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

Wow I love this album

love the album, sad for the artist

A reluctant five stars. This is a great album by a very complicated protagonist. I'm going to put it in the sarcophagus.

First time listening, pleasantly surprised. Lyrics are questionable at times, but the production is top notch.

Absolute garbage

KW's best. What happened?

Difficult to listen to someone who has become a Nazi.

I don't think I've ever heard the P-word on an album as much as I have on this one. The production sounded good, but I'm not into this.

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

Just couldn’t bring myself to listen

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!!

Never heard this album before, probably won’t listen to it again. Scratch that, I’m sure some trainer on Peleton will mix this into the next cycle class. Ho hum.

Elements of this were OK. The overall music was good, the supporting vocals were good, production good. Then the rapping began! Tolerated it for a bit but had to turn off. I am no fan of hip hop. I don't like it, I don't get it. Because Elements of it were OK it gets 2 stars

Kanye West is complicated artist and person. He's created some of the most influential, inspiring and divisive music in the 00's. That being said this is an amazing album. You absolutely have to separate the artist from the art.

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

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

Kanye is nuts, but I remember enjoying this 💿 in 2010. Upon relisten… it holds up really well. Surprised.

Production on this album is insane, as everyone before me has already said. Everything sounds very intentionally crafted, and it really pays off. It's incredible how many iconic songs from the early 2010s all come from this album. Rating this is hard, because while the production is insane and the songs are very iconic, he's a trash human being, and I think that slips out into his lyrics every once in a while. I don't think it's a 10/10 because of that. But God damn is this a really good album. It's also just incredibly high quality from beginning to end. Even the non-hits are just really good songs. Favorite Song(s): POWER, All of the Lights, Devil in a New Dress, Runaway

Time reveals strange things.

Not a nice dude but what an epic journey

4.5

Reiferes Rap Album. Weniger N-Worte und mehr Musik und mehr Melodie verbunden mit netten Experimenten. Diese Mischung macht es, trotz des schwierigen Genres teilweise hörbar. „All of The Lights“, „Runaway“ und „Blame Game” versprühen einen Hauch von Musik.

I can't name a best song, so the worst song was Lost in the world.

“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.

“Greatest ever” gets thrown around a little too easily sometimes, but greatest rap album ever? Definitely on the Mt. Rushmore. Fuck this dude on every level as a human, but this is a no skips album. Monster” has lived rent free in my subconscious for a decade and a half.

I always thought this guy was weird and outside of a handy recapping of all the kinds of lights that there are, I sure got no use for him now. There's some good beats here and there, such as the Afromerica on Power, Mike Oldfield on Dark Fantasy, which really showcase his strengths as a producer. He's got strengths on the microphone as well, but this dude is clearly not a genius. This kind of hip hop album is aspirational that serves to hype people up but Kanye is not a smart, calculated, thoughtful person, so the accomplishments don't feel earned. Look, if Kanye got on the mic and acknowledged that he was a menace, and nothing more, like he does on the track Monster, this would land hard. Instead he goes off about how he's a complicated Godly man, full of misunderstood purity and none of his identities hold water anymore. Fast forward to now, this guy is still contradicting himself. Bottom line is that when I heard this the first time in 2010 I heard a talented man with a cringey god-complex. 15 years later tell me I'm wrong. This album works best when there are extended instrumental sections that remind you of the artist within, the problem is that Kanye never shuts the fuck up for long enough for those moments to last.

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.

Good stuff but cant stand the guy

Not for me

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

Ugh I like this but hate Kanye

kenya dear i like you as a concept but your music is giving me migranes

Not my taste

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.

Interesting. Music quite good. Lyrics interesting but not usually my thing - but also not a put-off

4/5 last good Kanye album before he went crazy? (Or was he all along)

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

Neću uopće trošiti riječi. 1/5, 1/10.

Meh. Not necessarily my thing.

Don’t care for this genre of music.

I can sum up what makes me hate this record in one lyric: "'Cause the same people that tried to black ball me/ Forgot about two things, my black balls" (from "Gorgeous"). I don't care. Congratulations... and people ate this shit up like he was a god-like rapper and lyricist. Look, this isn't my favorite genre, it wasn't fed to me along with my fentanyl-laced fruit loops. I don't know who the guest spots are by, I just listened based on pure sonics and lyrics. It's funny to think a few albums ago in my list people were complaining about the lyrics to a Motorhead album. These are a thousand times worse. The lyricist here comes off like a horrible, juvenile, misogynistic, paranoid, narcissistic, sociopathic person, there's just no way around it. And a lot of the lyrics are obviously references to little petty squabbles. That shit just isn't going to stand the test of time. The backing tracks are varied and interesting, at least. I was actually interested to dive into this partly because I'd always heard Yeezy was such an innovator back in the day. Man. Actual innovators need to take note of "Lookin' at my bitch, I bet she give your ass a bone", "I sent this bitch a picture of my dick", and other golden aphorisms. I guess it took big balls to stretch a 3 minute song ("Runaway") out to 9 minutes, or use a Black Sabbath melody to spruce up a hypnotic throwaway x-rated jam ("Hell of a Life"). "Lost in the World" ended up being the only tolerable, fully-formed track for me. Maybe because Gil Scott Heron was invoked? ... but then the last track just straight-up lifts GSH's message, perhaps trying to bring some gravitas to a record that doesn't have any. This record makes no sense and has no merit outside of the time, place and context in which it was made. Will they be teaching it in 400 years like Chaucer is taught today? I doubt it.

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.

I don't know... this just isn't my cup of tea. Just from a production standpoint I feel like it's all too over produced. And I don't think I can separate what I know about what kind of person Kanye is from his music. Not sure he can be separated though because who he is really comes through in his lyrics. Sexist, megalomaniac. I enjoyed "Runaway" because I once used it in a Bud Light spot and the Bon Iver track was ok.

Didn't think it was good. Rhymes were so-so. Production was nice. First Kanye album I've ever listened to but I do trend towards JARV and Aesop Rock and Blackalicious more.

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

enjoyed much more than i thought i would. 4/5

With the benefit of hindsight: was the King Crimson sample a plea for help?

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

Meh had some hits

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

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.

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

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

Great album

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.

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

Hate filled man has breakdown .mp3

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

The hits carry the album

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

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)

Can’t give 0 but atrocious album and human

Fck Kanye

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 ...

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

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

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?

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.

Lots of noise and beats. Runaway was okay

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.

nah

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.

I was surprised by this album. I liked it. Maybe its 20mins too long but not bad

No

Solid

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

Not a Kanye fan at all, but Power and All of the Lights are certified stadium bangers, the rest is kinda forgettable for me. Loved the instrumentals for most of the songs but I hate his voice in most of them

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

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

8.2

Not an interesting album by Kanye standards. It takes the spirit of Graduation and Dropout (both amazing albums) to push recycled tropes in a directionless manner. The album intro: an airy voice providing a bit of non-sense narration has been done sooo many times. But does he do something inventive? Does she become a character like on ATCQ:Midnight Marauders? No. Does she reappear later to provide insight or relatability? No. Does she provide any value at all besides clicking off the cliche check-box? No. She's included only to say: what follows is semi-clever fully-confused claptrap. This is just the first three seconds, I know. But everything on here is a rehash, and it just gets boring. Unacceptable for anyone calling themselves the GOAT.

Better than I expected.

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.

Fuck Kanye but I can see why his fans are so annoying about him

Kuntye

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

Mir ist dieser Rap etwas zu funky.

You had to be there to fully get it, I think. And I mean that literally. Not that you aren’t able to get it if you weren’t there, but I can’t really describe the impact of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to anyone who wasn’t a hip-hop fan in 2010. At the time, I didn’t know this was the beginning of the end. This was the last CD I ever pre-ordered. The day it came out, I took the day off from my after-school barista job, took the back exit to the senior parking lot so I could leave campus first, and drove down to the FYE at the strip mall by the grocery store where my mom worked. After admiring the packaging for what felt like forever, I put it into the CD changer, reclined the driver’s seat, and listened. It was a very 17 year old way to listen to an album, especially one you anticipated to be an instant classic, but I couldn’t have asked for a better first listen. I remember the weather being unusually warm for New England in the November (at least at the time) and the sky was a gorgeous shade of pink as the sun sank and I listened to Kayne rap about his biggest insecurities, which were also his biggest accomplishments. I listened a second time as soon as it finished, and got half way through a third listen before my Mom came out from her shift, and I took her home, since I split the car with my parents, and thus has to turn off that “noise” while we drove. Once I was home, though, I immediately switched to watching the ✨film✨ that came with my pre-order. To say My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was brilliant is one thing, and to say it was an instant classic is another. But to say I was obsessed would’ve been the understatement of the century. As an album, as music, I’ve heard this 1,000,001 times between its release in 2010 through 2016, which is around the time when I first realized his antics and ethos no longer aligned with mine. I returned to his other albums from time to time, but MBDTF was like a bug in amber. I’d heard it so many times, I knew every note. I was obsessed– why would I need to revisit it any more? MBDTF prayed on that very obsession. If you liked music in the late 2000s, you were obsessed with Kanye, obsessed with his media spirals. Sure, Kanye’s debacle of 2009 feels decidedly tame 15 years later, when he’s a fascist addicted to nitrous who poses “girlfriends” as pornographic props and makes mind-bogglingly atrocious music that is completely– for lack of a better way of saying it– ideologically conservative, but for the time, the Kanye of 2008-2010 felt just as insane, just as encompassing, and certainly demanded and commanded more attention from the general public. If you were up on pop culture, you were up on Kanye West, and if you were up on Kanye West, you were up on the minuscule details about the situation, which meant you knew that he was a “jackass,” to quote Obama, but also, a generational talent in the music world, and if you liked music, you had your fingers crossed that his tortured genius would produce great art. That great art– this album– literally depends on you knowing the pop culture context of Kanye, to know the details and gravitas as it was happening in real time. It expected you to have an opinion, to know where both defenders and detractors stood, and to have chosen a side– and it didn’t even necessarily ask you to choose Ye’s side, either. It wasn’t going to go over those details, you had to do the homework before class started, but that homework was required to understand a goddamn thing we were going to talk about on this album. And that’s what I mean when I say you had to be there to get it. Literally, you had to be alive, reading the tabloids and the blogs and watching MTV. It was a time before Rap Genius, before you could look up the fish sticks line, when the weight of “MJ gone” was just the attitude du jour, when Kayne’s bars could be schizophrenically celebratory and suicidal and you knew why based on everything you knew from the tabloids, the blogs, and MTV. You also had to know about the hype around Kid Cudi at the time, the renewed chart success of Jay, the Datpiff buzz around Nicki, the hipster kid buzz around Bon Iver, the importance of Pusha T showing up solo from the Clipse, etc etc. I’m sure when people listen to MBDTF today, once they’re able to separate the horrible artist from the art when it was still good and he wasn’t so obviously terrible but rather broken, it still sounds good, as music, as hip-hop. It is lush, with immaculate production and engaging beats. It’s been almost a solid decade since I revisited MBDTF in earnest, and yet I still remember all the nerdy, behind-the-scenes studio breakdowns that made this the album it is, all the liner notes and samples and references, and they’re all still impressive to me. That said, I’m shocked how muddy I found the mix by today’s standards, but there’s still a clear level of maximalist glory that washes over you. As music, it still sounds ornate and overpowering. But today, does the content – the fascination with Kanye West as a tragic hero – hold any cultural value or have any actual impact on the listener, who might not know the Kaynetothe forum chatter? I don’t fucking know. I’m physically incapable of listening to MBDTF in a vacuum and rating it fairly. It’s not even my favorite Kanye album, and it’s still a perfect listen to me. But I say all this to say, I don’t know if it deserves the acclaim it’s achieved over the years, and that I also understand why someone would hate this album, not only on ethos and principles about listening to an antisemitic dirtbag, but for not giving a fuck about the context or the content. I, however, am incredibly biased, because I was there to fully get it when it first dropped.

My favorite of his albums.

Potentially a perfect project

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.

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

Slightly annoying that some of the tracks on this are really quite good (e.g. POWER) because the guy is clearly an absolute bell.

how did this garbage even end up on this list

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.

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

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...

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.

Well, that was something. Another recording where it felt that not only was it not intended for me but it was explicitly not intended for an audience of people like me. From what I have learned, this album represented a change in direction for Kanye West. Quite an array of contributors. The anger over injustice is intertwined with self importance and sex. Still a lot of talent, but I don't need to hear KW's whole catalog in my life.

jel se treba

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.

Jeg var ganske spent på det albumet her siden jeg elsker Power, men det her gjorde ikke så mye for meg as. Ikke så overraskende, det er langt ifra min sjanger. Jeg satte pris på skalaen på albumet og generelt hvor mye variasjon det er i ideene, men det blir litt slitsomt og repetetivt i lengden. Hadde sikkert fått en annen mening etter flere lytt, men får se om det blir noe av mer av det. Beste sanger: Power, Dark Fantasy og All of the Lights

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.

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

Very good. Kanye is a musical genius

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

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.

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.

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

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"

I'm going to (attempt to) ignore the fact that Kanye is kind of a piece of shit for this review. I'm trying to give this a fair shot. Dark Fantasy is a decent album opener - I'll give Kanye credit for surrounding himself with lots of talent. My only note on this one is that Kanye must be absolutely tone deaf. His rapping has always been his talent, but he can't hit a note to save his life. Gorgeous is boring. I'm torn about Power. On one hand, it does a really interesting job taking a classic King Crimson song and transforming a song around it to modernize the sound. On the other hand, King Crimson did all the hard work here. How much of the reason that this is a good song is because of people other than Kanye? All of the Lights is fine until, again, Kanye tries to sing. Fergie is great on this track. It is a good song overall. Monster and So Appalled are fine. Very rap, which isn't really my genre. All the substance of Devil in a New Dress is sampled. I think Runaway is the first genuinely great song on the album. For as long as it is, it's cohesive and impactful. Hell of a Life isn't a huge standout for me, but I do think it's a significantly better use of sampling than some of the other songs on the album. The inspiration/borrowed melodies and sounds are obvious, but the song is still original; it's not just rapping over a backing track of someone else's song. Blame Game is not interesting. The outro spoken word part is gross. Lost in the World is actually pretty good. Thank you to Bon Iver for the melody and sample on this one. Kanye's ego is absolutely fucking ridiculous. Anyone who didn't see his complete psychotic breakdown coming, even back at this point, is deluded. There are moments when I can see what people mean by his "artistry" on this album, but his head is too far up his own ass most of the time to let a song, never mind an album, be completely good. Credit where credit is due; Kanye can put together a solid group of talent. The best songs on this album had some heavy lifting by other artists and sampling. Unfortunately, I don't think this proves that Kanye is a good artist, and I don't know that I can call this a good album. 2.5

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

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

More musically varied and interesting than I was expecting. Found the language in the lyrics difficult and alienating, although it does explore a concept and is a proper album. And it’s too long!

Very good. I know he’s an asshole but his music is great. Loved all the collabs on this album.

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.

Tracks: No matter how creative the programming - robot music leaves me feeling cold. Rhymes: Is the threshold for being considered a genius making 30% of your lyrics meaningful and interesting?

One of the best albums, ever.

I actually really liked this album. Powerful music, with beats and lyrics that land hard. Perhaps I'll add to my rotation.

Not listened before, better than expected but not my thing.

Fire album. Hope he gets off that nitrous

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

first album okay - can we get much higher??? middle was kinda ehhh i think all of the lights is okay tbh like idk didn’t speak to me monster is kinda gas LMFAO WHAT IS NICKI DOING HERE BYEEE didn't really speak to me unfortunately

Crackin' album that

second half not great tbh

Non stop choons!

Nice album! I know a lot of songs from this album! Classic

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

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.

9/10 kanye’s best album imo

He's really not the genius he says he is.

8.5/10 Good

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

Pretty good. Enjoyed some of the slower songs I hadn’t heard of before 7/10

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

I try to listen to it as how a fan of this genre would. I guess it would be great, but it's just not for me. I gave up a few songs in. Make no mistake, I do listen to rap, the Filipino artists like Moro Beats, but Kanye is, well, Kanye. And life is too short to listen to music that doesn't move you.

I really did not like this album. There were moments that were ok, but every song felt two-three minutes too long. It wasn’t like the songs were dynamic enough to warrant how they just went on and on. Also I’m not sure if I’m supposed to sympathize with Kanye’s inability to see women as human beings, but that’s the vibe I got.

What a laste of time.

Love the beats a few songs are catchy.

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

Amazing album fuck kanye tho

Ye at his best.

It was all right, but my cultural background prevented me from really getting into the lyrical content. I have to say that the sampling and his flow was nice

I don't like the man, only sampled the first couple of songs, and rap is not my thing but I can see how this album would be appealing to those who do like it. This would be on the higher end of the over-abundance of rap albums offered up here. 2.5/5

Disgusting, Awful, No, No, No. Can I give negative stars?

not for this piece of shit

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 won’t give listens to this asshole. It may be phenomenal but fuck Kanye

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.

I tried but I can’t get around my dislike for Kayne.

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

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"

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

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.

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.

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

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

idk сначала казалось хайпом, потом гавной

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.

Horrible person.

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.

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

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

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.

Admittedly, I will not listen to this. He's a disgusting human and I will not give one cent to him by playing it.

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

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

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

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.

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

All the lights by Kanye West has some sounds that kinda sound like wooden drums like the ones you would use in elementary school. Or it could be digital but either way its very interesting. It adds a nice complement to the other instruments and it sounds up-beat. Nice back-up vocals also. I would say I would 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 pop songs? If so, then this is the album for you! The songs have a really good beat, and all of the music components together sound amazing! The singer (s) voice (s) are amazing, and they hit the pitches so well! The instruments are amazing too! So that is why I recommend that you listen to this album.

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.

Here's another artist where I break from the pack. I do not like Kanye on the whole. I think he's an extremely overrated, egotistical, pampered artist that's been told he's a genius so long that he thinks he's a god. And all of that comes across in his work. His rhymes are decent (if self-indulgent) and his delivery has that lazy "I'ma get to it when I get to it" cadence which isn't my favorite. The production is, of course, off the charts good because it's a Kanye record. It's telling that the best moments on this record are the ones where the guest artists bring heat. The production really IS phenominal, though. And, when I stop and listen to THAT instead of trying to evaluate this record on Ye's bars (like I would any other rap artist), I like this album a lot more. I just can't with these lyrics though. So much shit. Giving it three stars because the production is huge.

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

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

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

Best Song: POWER Worst Song: Ball Game

better than i thought itd be at the start? i started to enjoy it with whoever was on those female vocals, seccond song with what i assume is kanyes vocals seems less fun, but its fine. song 3 - kinda hard to listen to, i tend to like hip hop but this is a bit rough, way less good than i expected seeing the reviews.. 5? really? i dont see that yet. song 5 - its fine, i feel like it gets better whenever kanye isnt singing but when he comes back it gets mid again, bit of an issue that is. wtf is monster this intro is ass - this album is so shit lmfao i undestand the beats are fun, but this is really not for me wtf this is so uncanny - AGAIN kanye shuts the fuck up and the music gets better - get it niki fucking get it HAHA maybe i just hate men idk these vocals are just not hitting it for me im so appalled by song 7 look at me im funny PLEASE this album is shitty intro to song 8 is fun okay okay icu runaway is a bit of a banger, heard it before, but its nothing like the rest of the album and its sill a bit mid its fine i guess, nothing ill listen to again.

The Donald Trump of music. One star, I wish I could erase you from my life, and all the sheep following too. All I hear is ego. Only stuck with it to see what Bon Iver contributed.

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

One of the best rap albums, does fall off a bit at the end.

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!

More pop than hip-hop and more diversified and therefore more listenable than other hip-hop/rap albums. But still not my prefered gengre and way too long.

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

One of the best Ye

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.

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

Bubblegum pop with f bombs

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).

A little better than the previous one I listened to. Two Kanye albums in the same week is torture...

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

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.

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

Wish Kanye wasn’t a scumbag

Not for me. 1/5

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

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.

Some of the best songs in this album are some of the best songs in modern rap music, but overall it's super overproduced to the point of being annoying. I do not like

Boo

I tried to come at this one objectively putting aside how I feel about the man. Putting aside biases towards the artist, I still didn't love this one. Some Kanye admittedly slaps. This album just didn't do it for me.

This one didn’t do anything for me.

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.

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.

If I’m being honest, I’m not really a fan of rap music but I’ve always believed that any genre of music can produce something worthy of listening to. Sadly this isn’t one of those occasions. Perhaps my judgement is a little coloured by negativity surrounded by this artist, although I don’t know much about West apart from allegations of misogyny and violence. To its credit the production is slick and many of the tracks tuneful but then he starts rapping. I can appreciate that this is a form of poetry and there’s certain skill attached to its composition and performance, but as an ageing white man I can find no cultural connection to this apart froma sample of 21st Century Schizoid Man.

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

I didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would.

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

no pienso escuchar una canción de este hombre en mi vida por muy influyente que crean que es

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.

Perfect album. Ten out of ten

Yeezy got my pussy reupholstered

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

This stinks.

I expected it to be awful but it was more just sad, especially the song with Nicky Minaj and the one after. Some people really can’t handle getting famous.

A masterpiece

"I miss the old Kanye"

Ye the producer 10/10 Ye the artist 2/10

5/5

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

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

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…

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

5 stars for carley rae!

BOOOOOOOOOOO shamelessly boycotted this one! Not a completionist and idc!

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.

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

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

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

En pitänyt musiikista mutta rakastan artistia

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

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

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.

Decent hip hop album but not world changing

Massively overproduced but some quality there.

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.

Enjoyed "Dark Fantasy" and "Monster." Other tracks not so much--just as douchy as the dude.

Love it

Not my bag.. I’m out in this guy

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