Friday, November 19, 2010

ALBUM REVIEW: KANYE WEST/ MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY / ROC-A-FELLA/ ISLAND DEF JAM/ RATING: 5/5


A year ago, Mr. West became the music industry's public enemy No.1. Just days after his infamous- Taylor Swift -incident at the VMA's, Kanye got-the-hell-out-of-country and spent the remainder of the year out of the spotlight and doing a lot of self-evaluation . When it was time for Kanye West to return to the studio to make music, he had one goal in mind: Make music that will transcend, change and push the boundaries of hip hop like never before. The ending result is an epic masterpiece on wax. Kanye West uses My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as a platform to fight his inner demons ,and cement his name as a rap Goliath. The manifesto begins with the piano-driven ,old school bass line of "Dark Fantasy" Ye' boasts, "I'm just a Chi-town nigga with a NaS flow" or dropping clever lines like, "Too many Urkels on your team/ That's why your Winslow ( wins low)". The KiD CuDi and Raekwon assisted- "Gorgeous" finds West at his most lyrical." Is hip-hop is just a euphemism for a new religion?/ The soul music of the slaves/ That the youth is missing/ But this is more than just my road to redemption / Malcolm West had the whole nation standing at attention...I thought I chose a field where they couldn't sack me/ If a nigga a shootin' a jump shot or runnin' a track meet/But this pimp is at the top of Mount Olympus/ Ready for the world's games / This is my Olympics/ We make 'em say 'ho' cause the game so pimpish/ Choke a South Park writer with a fish stick...remind me when they had Ali enlisted/ If I wasn't the greatest/ Nigga, I must've missed it". The thing that makes Fantasy a force is not really driven by lyrical wordplay , because Kanye West has shown in year's past that he is one of the game's most gifted wordsmiths. What makes Kanye's fifth opus a true gem is the instrumentation.'Ye goes for the gusto by orchestrating a musical utopia of sonic sounds , that his peers have dared not to pursue. The triumphant horns of "All Of The Lights" and its "We Are The World" like numbers in guest appearances , hands down devours anything everyone else in the music industry is making, because everyone else isn't as crazy as Kanye West - and I meant that as a compliment. From the eerie backdrop of "Monster" to the distorted sounds of "Hell Of A Life", Kanye West has created a soundtrack that would make the greatest of Rock 'n' Roll God's blush. Only a talent of the likes of Kanye could have a guest list as diverse as found on Fantasy (i.e. Jay-Z to Elton John to Chris Rock) or hold your attention for nine mintues plus on "Runaway". With Fantasy, Kanye West has raised a bar so high, that even he might find it impossible to reach. But when your mind is as twisted as Kanye's (pun intended) , reaching for the unreachable is what is expected of you. Isn't that what being a genius is all about anyway?
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