The Beauty of MBDTF
This is the start of something I would like to continue, called Music Mondays, where I take the time to review your guys’ favorite albums and artists. Today, I would like to begin with my personal favorite album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (MBDTF) by Kanye West.
To start, I would like to emphasize that I will be as unbiased as possible with these reviews/opinions. Now, without further ado, let’s begin with what led up to this album and why this album was so important to Kanye’s career. MBDTF was Kanye West’s fifth studio album released on Nov 22, 2010, by Def Jam, which was the record label that Kanye was with during the album's release. Let’s remind ourselves that Kanye is very unpredictable and crazy. This album really captivates it with songs like Runaway, which in my opinion, is Kanye’s understanding that he is aware of his flaws. Rather than avoiding it or ignoring it, he completely accepts it and embraces it, almost setting up the album to reveal who Kanye is without really revealing who he is. The first five songs are where Kanye’s production ability and creativity are put to the test in the album, with songs like Gorgeous, Power, and All Of The Lights using fewer 808’s and more instruments, giving a stronger, more powerful, and emotional message. In a sense, you could see the music reflects Kanye’s hunger and passion for what he does. Being unapologetic for himself, you can feel it in Power as it uses more of a guitar-influenced background.
As you get further into the album, you hit songs like Runaway, which has a unique approach where Kanye finally becomes more open about himself. In this song, Kanye is basically opening up about his flaws and how much he is aware of them at that point in his life, but rather than trying to defend himself, he completely accepts it and even praises it. Finally, with the three final songs, you get this feeling of a send-off. Not a happy nor sad send-off, but more of a somewhat promising send-off.
After mentioning the final three songs, I will go into further detail with two of the final songs. Beginning with the song Blame Game, this song has a very nice subtle piano start with John Legend (singer/songwriter) to follow right after; the song Blame Game is a mellow production, putting the spotlight on the lyrical magnificence of Kanye and John Legend going through the experiences of a toxic relationship where both sides spend too much time insulting each other than working it out. After transitioning right into the song Lost in the World, it has a more uplifting and inspiring production with some 808’s and pure drums. Along with this, there is a nice harmony with Bon Iver (Indie Folk band). The song brings in this view of being lost but not refusing to keep marching for the future.
This album had so much, but it was a gamble for success, but it paid off and became an important part of Kanye’s case. But with this review, my conclusion and takeaway from this album would be that this album was a powerful album with great production and excellent lyrics and features. Overall this album is great, and anyone who hasn’t listened to it should give it a listen.
