Review Summary: The "King" of Hip-Hop
Kanye has been known to have a peculiar and obscure obsession about replacing Michael Jackson as the new “King of Pop”. In his newest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, he seems to be well on his way to being just that; “The King of Hip Hop”. Fortunately, for this perfectionist, he knows that he is not the King, as he recently told MTV, "I do have a goal in this lifetime to be the greatest artist of all time, [but] that's very difficult being that I can't dance or sing."He's known to be opinionated, cynical, and indifferent to the world around him whether that be from intentionally overdoing it on the reckless New York and L.A. Scene, or it just being in his nature. He is constantly dressed, drinking and doing the finest of things with nothing but the best attitude. But this album proves to be one of the best in his 10 year career and distinguishes all of the elements to give Kanye the credit to continue acting with the ignorance that he wears so well.
He took some time off after the iconic Grammy faux pas between he and Taylor Swift. In this time of solitude, he prepared and recorded “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” to transcend him to the new level of musician that he was looking for. It seemed that this is his redemption without having to say just that. He uses lines like, “You're my devil, you're my angel. You're my heaven you're my hell. You're my now, you're my forever. You're my freedom, you're my jail. You're my lies you're my truth. You're my war, you're my truce. You're my questions, you're my proof. You're my stress, you're my masseuse.”Kanye truly aspires to inspire.
On this album, Kanye managed to transcend simple hip hop, rap, rock, and jazz to incorporate a new sound with everything from a vibrant church choir, to the electronic sounds of the mic to create a new modern sound that any artist would kill to come up with. The impeccable lyrics show masterful use of wordplay and exposes all of Kanye's insecurities and struggles that he continues to have between himself and his ego. The album shines the light on the impossible perfection of the American Dream that everyone strives for and exists in only that; a dream. This is definitely an album worth buying, knowing, and appreciating, for it is one that will truly pave the way and be remembered as our generation of music.
