My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
Kanye's most grand, orchestral, and honest album about a man navigating the hardships of fame, fortune, and being one of the most divisive figures in society.
Setting the Scene:
Leading up to 2010, Kanye West was dealing with controversy, grief, and a failing relationship. At the 2009 VMAs, he infamously interrupted Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech on national television, claiming that Beyonce deserved the award over her. In 2007, Donda West, Kanye’s mother, passed away from health issues and surgery complications. She was Kanye’s best friend, his first mentor, and his business partner, and many friends of the family have spoken about how close the two were. Adding to the difficulty of this time, Kanye was also in a broken relationship with model Amber Rose. The two would separate during the recording of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and the influence of the relationship can be heard on the album as well. With all of these factors in his life, Kanye decided to record this album in a self-imposed exile at the Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, choosing to live there. His plan was to sit with his own thoughts and clearly craft his response to his own actions. For collaborators on the album, he established rules for the house, such as “NO TWEETING” and “TOTAL FOCUS ON THIS PROJECT IN ALL STUDIOS”.
With the environment set, Kanye and his collaborators set to work on the album, and on November 22, 2010, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was released.
Personal Thoughts:
Clearly in a very challenging part of his life, Kanye was able to create an album that was an honest reflection after everything he had been through in the last few years. What makes this album stand out for me is its sincere expression of emotions from a complex man, who is often difficult to understand. However, he manages to reveal himself most transparently through the medium he knows best: music. Along with that, the writing is clever, the beats are genre-defining, and the performances feel grand.
On the song “Runaway,” Kanye reflects on his pessimistic and nitpicking nature. In the pre-chorus, he says:
“And I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong
You been puttin’ up with my shit just way too long
I’m so gifted at finding what I don’t like the most”
He acknowledges that his behavior is absurd, yet he finds himself unable to break free from these patterns. Recognizing his inherent inability to change, Kanye proposes an alternative solution to his partner at the end of the chorus:
“Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can”
Understanding his fault, he comes to the realization that the only solution is for his lover to leave him. He requests them to distance themselves from him because he knows he is not healthy for the person he loves. This level of honesty makes My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy the most personal Kanye has ever come across.
Regarding clever writing on the album, one example can be found in the final line of the second verse in “POWER”.
“With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
As I look down at my diamond-encrusted piece”
Here, Kanye uses a using a triple entendre with the lyrics “diamond-encrusted piece.” One interpretation is that Kanye is looking down at a diamond covered watch, symbolizing his wealth and success, as he contemplates the responsibilities he is given as a major-figure in hip-hop. The next interpretation is that Kanye is looking down at a gun, sometimes referred to as a “piece,” covered in diamonds and contemplating suicide, which is also alluded to later on in this song and in the outro. The final interpretation can only be found when listening to “POWER” because Kanye enunciates “diamond” as “dyin-man” which could refer to his famous Jesus necklace, also known as a Jesus Piece, showing he might be praying and seeking faith to guide him through this period of his life.
All of these interpretations are pertinent to how Kanye is grappling with the responsibility of fame, and each of them could hold true based on what we know about his character. Lines like these showcase Kanye’s lyrical mastery and the careful thought that goes into his verses.
I encourage you to listen to some of the tracks below to experience the grand beats on this album and also to appreciate a few of the incredible feature performances scattered throughout the project. These individual components mix to form a musical cocktail that feels both decadent and sincere. I hope this gives you a taste of what the album has to offer, and entices you to listen to more if you haven’t already. Check out some of the album with three of my favorite tracks below, and let me know your thoughts about Kanye West’s magnum opus.