Tagline: ‘I do have a goal in this lifetime to be the greatest artist of all time, [but] that's very difficult being that I can't dance or sing.’‘Rhythm, you have it or you don’t that’s a fallacy’, raps Del the Ghostrapper in Gorillaz’ 2001 song ‘Clint Eastwood’. And some people do have it. Take for instance Kanye West. Despite some obvious shortcomings he has set a name for himself in music and gained heaps of critical acclaim over the years. And in addition he is far from shy of spreading the word. Now, talent can justify a certain amount of arrogance, and let that be one thing West does not lacks off. The guy has developed some strong narcissist tendencies over the past years when it came to his contribution to the music industry – and by extent the world. But there was reason to be suspicious this time. Sometimes confidence can turn against you, not least in terms of criticism. And in that respect he needed to redeem himself just a little after his previous album ‘808’s & Heartbreak’ – a heavily auto-tuned synthpop detour. Lyrically West expanded his horizon, but the arrangements sounded just a tad uninspired. And for a self-proclaimed genius. okay just doesn’t cut it. Meanwhile, in popular culture he was fast becoming his own caricature. God’s gift to humanity, a pompous jerk who couldn’t even let country pop featherweight Taylor Swift have her moment of shine (in an incident that didn’t even concern him in any way).
But that’s all behind us now. 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is an excessive, rich, over-the-top, exaggerated Wiedergutmachung. One of the strengths of the album is probably that Kanye West returned to his core business – hip hop – leaving behind the synths and auto-tune systems that somewhat messed up his last album (at least soundwise). It was a commendable effort, but it was not his best work, simply because it’s not his area of expertise. But what he put forward now is of a totally different caliber. In 'Hell Of A Life' we hear a vintage Kanye as he muses about a life with a porn star - 'Baby, we'll live a hell of a life'. Not that it's all egocentricity. The rapper/singer shares his insecurities as well and opens up significantly ('Runaway'): it's good to have that counterbalance. Although the haters can still kiss his ass ('Power'). But what really makes this album above average is West's towering ambition, not least on display in 'Runaway', nine minute introspective. With the song, which was at the same time the second single released from the album, went a gorgeous 35-minute video, showing West on top of a piano, with a group of ballerina's performing an interpretive dance to the song. Deeply moving!
And then there's the selection of A-list features on the record (Jay-Z! John Legend! Bon Iver!). Jay-Z and Kanye West's collaborations give us a preview of the soon-to-be-released joint venture 'Watch the Throne' they're currently working on (or do they as first single 'H.A.M.' contains completely different influences?). And Nicki Minaj – ‘hotter than a Middle Eastern climate’ – surpasses herself in a schizophrenic 32-line (!) rant in 'Monster' – another top track on this album and accompanied by an equally impressive video (the dead models! Minaj holding herself hostage!). Even Bon Iver - not the most obvious collaboration - fits in perfectly in 'Monster' and 'Lost In The World' with the result sounding credible and convincing. But make no mistake about it, despite the consistent excellence of the collaborators, noone is able to upstage West. The way even noted over-actor Beyoncé is reduced to a mere support act in 'See Me Now' - faut le faire!
Suffice to say that this is a pretty terrific effort. True, nobody can love Kanye the way Kanye loves himself. But at the same time we witness introspection, modesty and even some vulnerable moments. And he produced 13 mindblowing tracks. Of course this album stills predominantly feels like a lash out to all those less talented. But that’s because he plain is better than all the others. Like him or not but West showcased why he can still be considered one of the artists of his generation. ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ is not a perfect ten, but it is one of the top albums of 2010. A sincere ‘F-U-C-K’ seems appropriate here.
Tracklist
1. Dark Fantasy
2. Gorgeous
3. Power
4. All Of The Lights (Interlude)
5. All Of The Lights
6. Monster
7. So Appalled
8. Devil In A New Dress
9. Runaway
10. Hell Of A Life
11. Blame Game
12. Lost In The World
13. Who Will Survive In America?
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