#47: Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Dark Fantasy (West, Diggs, Wilson, Bhasker, Dean, Jones)
Gorgeous (West, Wilson, Dean, Jones, Smith, Woods, Mescudi)
Power (West, Griffin Jr., Dean, Bhasker, Gardner, Lewis)
All Of The Lights (interlude)
All Of The Lights (West, Bhasker, Jones, Trotter)
Monster (West, Carter, Reynolds, Roberts, Maraj, Vernon, Bhasker)
So Appalled (West, Wilson, Dean, Carter, Thornton, Young, Kasseem Dean, Diggs)
Devil In A New Dress (West, Harrell, Dean, Roberts, Jones)
Runaway (West, Haynie, Thornton, Bhasker, Dean, Jones)
Hell Of A Life (West, Caren, Wilson, Dean)
Blame Game (West, Franks, Mitchell, Dean, Stephens)
Lost In The World (West, Bhasker, Vernon)
Who Will Survive In America (West, Bhasker, Scott-Heron)

Produced by Kanye West, The RZA, No I.D., Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, S1, Andrew Dawson, Plain Pat, Bink!, Emile, Mike Caren and DJ Frank E.

Kid Cudi - guest on 'Gorgeous'
Raekwon - guest on 'Gorgeous'
Jay-Z - guest on 'Monster' and 'So Appalled'
Rick Ross - guest on 'Monster' and 'Devil In A New Dress'
Nicki Manaj - guest on 'Monster'
Bon Iver - guest on 'Monster' and 'Lost In The World'
Pusha T. - guest on 'So Appalled' and 'Runaway'
Prince Cy Hi - guest on 'So Appalled'
Swizz Beatz - guest on 'So Appalled'
The RZA - guest on 'So Appalled'
John Legend - guest on 'Blame Game'

Label - Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam

Prior to the release of this album, Kanye West had released the awful auto-tuned to the point of being completely unlistenable '808s & Heartbreak' (that it charted above 'Chinese Democracy' by Guns N' Roses is still a crime), and several controversy-courting incidents had threatened to destroy his career in a simultaneously fascinating and embarrassing explosion of self-parody. Mr. West needed to remind the world why it was everyone cared about his antics in the first place. Luckily, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is a true return to form for one of hip hop's current shining lights. It doesn't quite reach the heights of 'The College Dropout' and 'Late Registration', but it blows his previous two albums out of the water.

This is not your average hip hop album. Kanye is one of the few people working in the genre today who is willing to experiment with the formula that was established by N.W.A. over 20 years ago. It's as big and overblown as a 70's rock n' roll album, complete with a 9 minute track with an extended instrumental section that no one but Kanye would ever attempt. A reminder that before he was the superstar he is today, he was one of the most original producers in the genre. His willingness to experiment is probably the only redeeming factor of his previous album, and is really what sets this one apart from the competition.

I obviously do listen to hip hop, otherwise this record wouldn't be included by me, but as most people should know it's rock music that is my main passion. A hip hop artist has to have some serious crossover appeal to be able to impress me, and at this time Kanye is one of the few able to do that for me - along with Jay-Z, Eminem and Saul Williams.

As for the aforementioned antics, and ego? I choose to believe it's all deliberate and tongue-in-cheek. But this is probably because I don't want to believe anyone can be as deluded as he acts.

Listen Here: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy