Jon Moreno
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Most fantasies stay just that; fantasies. However, for Kanye West, he is living it. It is beautiful, it is dark and it is twisted. He is living a life most people can only dream about and he is letting all of us know. His new album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” released Nov. 22 of last year, has been voted the best album of 2010 by Rolling Stone and rightfully so. With that said, let’s get into why.
1. “Dark Fantasy” – Female MC Nicki Minaj narrates on the opening track with the British accent she has made famous, and as cheesy as it may sound at first, you realize West is about to embark on a trip that the world simply isn’t ready for. 5/5
Best Line: “Too many Urkels on your team, that’s why your ‘Wins-low.'”
2. “Gorgeous (feat. Kid Cudi & Raekwon)” – West is no stranger to alternating his voice with studio effects and he reminds us of that on this song as all three of his verses feature a distorted Kanye West. The reason? I have no idea really. Maybe not even ‘Ye knows. Sounds great though and he spits three of the realest and sincere verses of the year. Raekwon’s feature was a bit unnecessary but he still delivered a solid verse. Kid Cudi on the hook is also a recipe for greatness. 4/5
3. “POWER” – This song first dropped in June, months before the album was out, and it was the perfect song for Kanye to come back with after his debacle at the VMAs. It was his usual cocky and witty lyrics that told everyone he wasn’t going to succumb to the media’s scrutiny. Powerful track. 4/5
4. “All of the Lights (interlude)” – A nice listen the first time but then just a track you skip to get to the good stuff. 2/5
5. “All of the Lights” – With too many features to even name, West tries something a bit different (shocker) and layers the voices of many of his favorite singers to make one thick voice on the hook. The most noticeable voices here are Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi and Fergie. Oh yeah, what other rapper gets Elton John to play piano at the end of their songs? Only Kanye. Best song on the album. 5/5
6. “Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver)” – How do you follow up the best song on your album? Easy. Get Jay-Z to deliver his best verse in months, show the world why Nicki Minaj is nothing to play with and get one of the most talked about rappers of the year in Rick Ross to only spit four bars to introduce you. Yeah, sounds about right. Minaj totally destroys Kanye’s and Rick Ross’ verses and is up to par with Jay-Z’s. This song’s a killer. 5/5
7. “So Appalled (feat. Swizz Beatz, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, & The RZA)” – The beat gets gritty here in a song that is strictly for the streets. Swizz Beatz opens up the track as the hype man and ‘Ye comes through with a verse as raw as the beat. He also throws some of his own artists from his G.O.O.D. Music label for good measure. 4/5
8. “Devil In A New Dress (feat. Rick Ross)” – It seems with every track on this album, West pushes the envelope a bit further. With a soulful sample on the beat, he delivers a very smooth song that is capitalized with a minute long guitar-solo followed by a Rick Ross verse just because, well, he’s Kanye. 4/5
9. “Runaway (feat. Pusha T)” – This song was the song he chose to perform at the VMAs a year after the Taylor Swift incident. Genius. “Let’s have a toast for the douchebags” became one of the most popular lines of 2010. It was his way of admitting his mistake but in typical Kanye fashion, also reminding everyone that he can’t help but express his feelings; whether the timing of it was wrong or not. 3/5
10. “Hell of a Life” – By far the most entertaining song on the album. Kanye expresses his desire to one day marry a porn star. The chorus is more catchy than anything I’ve heard in recently memory. The beat knocks and the word play on this song is daring, ridiculous, and funny as hell all at the same time. 4/5
11. “Blame Game (feat. John Legend)” – Kanye’s verses on breaking up with a woman he loves are completed well with John Legend’s voice on the chorus. Kanye once again takes advantage of today’s technology in the studio and throws his voice around the speakers from left to right during his last verse. It drives you crazy at first but as you begin to make out his lyrics, you realize that it may be his way of putting the listener through his thinking process as his brain goes crazy trying to make sense of his recent heartbreak. Beautiful. Plus, Chris Rock’s hilarious segment at the end once again proves why this album is going to go down as one of the greatest in history. 5/5
12. “Lost in the World” – It takes a while for the song to pick up but once it does, your head won’t stop bopping back and forth. The beat is perfect for the clubs and West’s verses are perfect for a poetry contest. The combination makes this song the perfect closer to an album that is twisted and dark with the right amount of beautiful. It truly is Kanye’s world, we just live in it. At least that’s how you feel after listening to this album throughout. 4/5
Overall: 5 Owls out of 5.
