Can We Get Much Higher?

Kanye dropped My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on Monday, the clean version leaked a little over 2 weeks ago, but I haven't really given the thing a fair thorough listen until today. When I heard Pitchfork gave it a perfect 10 and Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars, I was immediately skeptical. I had heard a bunch of the singles and Good Friday tracks and while there were some great moments, by no means was it at a "best shit ever" type level that those ratings should connote. (The last album to get a 10.0 from Pitchfork was "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel" in 2002). Having really listened to it, shit is hot but not perfect.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy might be the best and most accurate album title of any album in the past few years. Each of these words alone can aptly describe the album, or Kanye himself :

My - This is Kanye's album. He is on top of the world and he aint making albums for anyone else. He can be a douche, he's arrogant, he knows it, but thats him and thats his music. I mean he solos on a vocoder for 3 minutes in "Runaway." But interestingly, while this album is Kanye West, more than any other album, he lets go of the reins. Every song has an incredible guest rapping a verse, singing a hook, or even laying the production. RZA is the principal architect of the perfect "Dark Fantasy," S1 led the production of"Power", and "Devil in A New Dress" is produced by bink!. For this I only have praise for Kanye. Ironically, it takes a lot to put some ego aside in the name of a better record.

Beautiful- A lot of this album is just beautiful. The instrumentation, the plush beats, the singing, the complexity. The re-emerging musical themes. The more chilling, barer and starker instrumentations. 

Dark- While everyone is quick to say how this album is such a celebration, especially compared to 808s and Heartbreak, Fantasy still a a darker element to it. Although Kanye has recently semi-apologized for his remarks about George Bush hating black people, you can tell 'Ye is still effected by racism. 

"As long as I’m in Polo, smilin’, they think they got me
But they’d try to crack me if they ever see a black me
I thought I chose a field where they couldn’t sack me
If a nigga ain’t shootin’ a jump, try runnin’ a track meet
But this pimp is at the top of Mount Olympus"

Beneath all the maximalism and ego of this album there's still a man struggling with race, fame, and identity. All narcissism is bedded in some insecurity. For him to acknowledge that is what makes his art relatable.

Twisted- Have you seen the album covers?

Fantasy- The album is indulgence. And maybe thats what we need. It's not flawless. It's not a 10. But its damn fuckin good. 

Hottest Tracks:

"Dark Fantasy", "Devil in a New Dress", "Power", "Monster", "Gorgeous"

Best line:

"Yeezy reupholstered my pussy"

mp3:

Kanye West - Devil in a New Dress