Kanye West
– My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
4.5/5
There’s something apt about Kanye West sampling “21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson on his latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Clearly losing his mind in the public spectre, West has ditched the cold, cybernetics of previous album 808’s and Heartbreak to again, to tear a hole in the soul of himself and anyone in his way with swift lyrical rhythms backed by orchestral curves and body shaking beats.
First single, “Power” sees West rip himself apart behind tribal chanting and the aforementioned King Crimson sample, with some telling lyrics such as “I was the abomination of Obama’s nation/Well that’s a pretty dour way to start a conversation”.
Despite West’s arse-holic tendencies, his artistry on this record is remarkably redemptive as “Dark Fantasy” is brooding but warm and euphoric, “Runaway” is cathartic, self-destructive various scandals whilst “Lost in the World” cut and pastes a heart wrenching Bon Iver (kidnapped by Auto Tune) into the same breath as legendary poet Gil Scott Heron.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy makes for an unnerving listening experience that goes for the listener’s jugular. Although the album has been hailed by critics as the best album of 2010, are the highest of accolades too often wasted on kings of controversy? West answers his critics best in “Monster”, “I’m living the future so the presence is my past/my presence is a present kiss my ass”.
Written by Matt Petherbridge. Republished with permission: Reverb Magazine.
