Anyone else enjoying this album?
Say what you want about Kanye, but no one can make music as fascinating as he does.
There is also an excellent and visually stunning 30 minute video for “Runaway.”
Thoughts?
Pitchfork gave it a perfect 10, and I don’t disagree. Even having heard a significant portion of the album through the G.O.O.D. Fridays series and the “Runaway” single, I haven’t been able to stop listening to the album as a whole. Even songs that I didn’t care for that much as singles (“Runaway,” “Devil in a New Dress”) work wonderfully in the context of the album.
I really think the album is just phenomenal. If it’s not better than The College Dropout (and it might be), then it’s easily Kanye’s second-best album, and absolutely one of the best albums of the year. It’s an instant hip-hop and pop classic, and a record people are going to be talking about for years. I even sound stupid to myself giving such high praise, but it’s just that good.
As obnoxious, egotistical, and straight-up weird as Kanye is, his output this year has been staggeringly good. His big head is not unwarranted.
The only other album that even comes close to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy for being my favorite of the year is Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (incidentally, it was apparently the year of long-ass album titles). I probably like the latter a bit more, but it’s a toss-up. I think 2010 has been a pretty good year for hip hop, and Kanye’s album stands out as exceptional even in that context.
Album of the year for me, no contest.
The closest competitors are Hurts and Kelis and even their albums pale in comparison. It really is a staggering work of art.
I’m writing a piece for my music blog about it and I’m gushing like an idiot too - but if any album this year deserves over-the-top praise, …Dark Twisted Fantasy is it.
Gimme a break. “No one”? You really think that? Srsly? Of a guy who samples other artist’s best riffs, hits play on a drum machine, and then talks over it like an old school Bethel AME preacher?
:rolleyes:
You’ve definitely listened to his new album and as such, your opinions are completely well informed and insightful.
I’ll eat my hat if you’ve actually listened to the entire album. Or even have listened to more than 2 or 3 songs total of Kanye’s (and when listening, did it with an open mind instead of being determined to think he sucks no matter what).
Srsly.
We just had threads where there wasn’t even a consensus on the status of the Beatles. So Kanye may be the next Beethoven, but the claim that he’s some unmatched musical genius is still slightly overblown.
Anyway, sampling King Crimson automatically makes him a total hack in my book.
There’s a huge difference between expecting Doper consensus about Kanye’s musical genius (existing or not) and the extremely common attitude that it’s basically impossible to be a musical genius if your work is in rap or hip hop*. Coincidentally, the people who often have that attitude don’t listen to rap or hip hop and are ignorant of the details, history, styles, emphases, etc. of the genres. Imagine that.
- oh, and if you’re a black guy not doing jazz, old school blues or something, your music is automatically hip hop. Just like black women apparently don’t produce pop music; they only have r&b.
I think rap/hip hop can be creative. It’s the “musical” part that seems to be the sticking point, but that’s a can of worms best left unopened.
My point is simply that a claim that Kanye is superior to all other artists in any absolute sense is laughable at best.
ETA: In fairness, I doubt the OP literally meant that.
I’ve only listened to it once so far, and while I liked it, I’m not hearing the “genius” part yet. But it’s on my iPod, and I plan to keep getting familiar with it. Strangely, I find “Runaway” the weakest song on the album - “Monster” was the one that stood out to me on the first listen.
So far, my favorite album of the year is still Cee-Lo Green’s, but we’ll see after a few more listens.
What timing - I just bought a handful of songs from the album (Dark Fantasy, Lost in the World, and Runaway). I already had some songs by him, and I bought some other ones from other albums, too (The New Workout, Paranoid, Bad News, Homecoming, and Love Lockdown). I like some of his songs very, very much. I don’t know if I like rap enough to enjoy a whole album of his.
I’m a big fan of rap/hip-hop, and haven’t heard this album in toto yet, but I just Youtube’d “Monster”, and I gotta say…meh. It just wasn’t that solid, hooky, or creative to me. Maybe when heard as an album, the whole thing’s better.
Runaway is easily my favorite song, especially in conjunction with the extended video (the 8 minute, not 34 one). Something about the way the entire thing flows with the 20 odd ballerinas keeps me watching it over and over.
IMHO.
I’m not feeling it yet. It’s good, but it hasn’t hit me the way his previous albums have. Runaway is a clear stand out, along with Power, but the rest haven’t done anything for me yet.
You know, I just got back from a long road trip, where I burnt a bunch of CD’s, including Twisted Fantasy and Cee-Lo’s Lady Killer. I was drawn back to Lady Killer a lot more than Twisted Fantasy.
Lady Killer is amazingly consistent - a solid album in an age of filler.
FWIW, I got into the album on the third or fourth try. I’ve noticed that it usually takes me a while to appreciate music that sounds different from what I’m used too.
And Minaj sounds amazing on “Monster.” Her verse alone makes the track worthwhile.
Absolutely, though I should point out that “Pink Friday” (her album that was released the same day as Kanye’s) is awful. Makes me sad, because I really like her features on songs…but yeah.
Yes, I have. I make it a point to listen to lots and lots of music. Perhaps you’ve never participated in a thread about music here, but my tastes and experience are pretty far-ranging and inclusive.
I hope you like the taste of that hat.
I just don’t care for him. I don’t think he’s got much going for him as a rapper, for one thing. He’s nowhere near as good as Snoop, Eminem, Chuck D, or Chip Fu (but then, no one comes close to Chip’s talent, IMO).
As far as song writing goes, he’s mediocre at best. Without constant input from other people, and without sampling beats and riffs from other artists, he’s pretty much got nothing. You’ll notice that on this album, none of the songs is credited to him alone. In fact, on all of his albums put together, he’s only credited with writing 9 songs by himself. That’s hardly the mark of a musical genius. In fact, it’s more accurate to say that a whole shitload of people make music like he does, because without that whole shitload of people, you’d have just 9 songs.
If y’all wanna enjoy his album, go right ahead. But he’s hardly a musical genius, is my point. A marketing genius, maybe. But not a musical genius.
Black guys not doing jazz: Benji (Skindred), all the guys in Living Colour, Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage); how many more would you like me to list?
Black women not doing R&B: Skin (Skunk Anansie), Alexis Brown (Straight Line Stitch), Grace Jones; how many more would you like me to list?