It’s my final FriYe y’all. For now anyway. We covered The College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation. Now we’re up to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
But Bre, what about 808’s and Heartbreak? WHAT ABOUT IT?!
In 2007, Kanye suffered the tragic loss of his mother. He went through a breakup with his fiance. He expressed his anguish on an emo album. I understand that. I do not listen to it. It was 808’s and Heartbreak and released in 2008. In 2009 he had his Kanye moment which sparked a lazy feud that lasted 1000 years too long with one Taylor “forever the victim” Swift. This gave Kanye the “crazy” label, even though he was 100% correct but whatever. It also made him look like an asshole.
In 2010 I wasn’t sure what this new album would be but I listened to MBDTF then. I knew there were a few “short films” instead of videos. And I was like “this is doing the most” so I didn’t listen much. But recently (like maybe 3 years ago) I listened again and this is a certified JAMMA. There are no jists to these songs. Everything is on theme of a beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy.
- Dark Fantasy – featuring Nicki Minaj & Teyana Taylor
The intro. With that crazy Nicki Minaj voice that she does. - Gorgeous – feautring Kid Cudi & Raekwon
Best Lyrics: I treat the cash the way the government treats AIDS/I won’t be satisfied til all my niggas get it, get it?
Kanye’s belief (in this case, fact) that the government is directly involved with the AIDS epidemic in the black community is mentioned in every album. It’s like Big Boi and his strong belief in the use of condoms.
And what’s a black Beatle anyway, a fucking roach?/I guess that’s why they got me sitting in fucking coach/My guy said I need a different approach/Cause people is looking at me like I’m sniffing coke/
It’s not funny anymore, try different jokes
But he was probably doing coke tho. - Power – feautring Dwele
Best Lyrics : At the end of the day, /god damn it I’m killing this shit
Yes sir! Also it samples 21st Century Schizoid Man and I KILL THIS ON GUITAR HERO. (Level: Medium)
This song gets you amped up before work so be careful in the car, and you will speed. Hard rock over a hard bass line that rattles the rear view mirror. Pointing at the white men in the car next to you and sing really hard when you get to “they say I was the abomination of Obama’s nation“. - All of the Lights Interlude
It’s just a musical interlude to prepare you for the opus that’s about to occur. And it calms you down from the Power hype. - All of the Lights – featuring everyone Kanye’s ever met basically
Ok the actual featured vocals are: Alicia Keys, John Legend, The-Dream, Drake, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, Elly Jackson, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, and Rihanna (per Wikipedia). In my casual listening I really only hear Cudi, Fergie, Rihanna, and Charlie Wilson.
This is a good song and the hook is probably the catchiest part but I did not realize that it was a popular song for young athletes to sing to get amped up for a game per the Gatorade commercial. I also don’t know anything about being an athlete.
Best Lyrics: Something wrong, I hold my head/MJ gone, our nigga deadNot that it’s a profound line or even clever. You just have to yell it. Also I currently yell this when I see Kanye doing foolish shit.
- Monster – featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver
It was nice of Nicki to let the guys go first because there was nothing left to do with the song after she finished. I generally have no feelings for Nicki one way or the other but on this track, on this verse…she goes off. Everyone knows it. Hell, even Adele knows it.
https://youtu.be/NvPAAJfOcNw - So Appalled – featuring Jay-Z, Pusha-T, Chyi the Prince, RZA, Swiss Beatz
This song is fine. Pusha-T probably has the best verse but I also felt like that on most other songs he’s been on. See: Clique, 2012 - Devil In a New Dress – featuring Rick Ross
By now, Kanye would have been separated from Amber Rose, so this would be a breakup song. Or a “she’s moved on cause I’m terrible” song. But those are one in the same. This is important to note because a lot of people base Amber as Kanye’s inspiration for this album (probably also aforementioned cocaine and just taking a break from the spotlight after the T. Swift problem and losing his mother) and it is <flame emoiji>. This is in contrast to his later work, after he’s married to Kim Kardashian, and I don’t even know the words for it.
Best Lyrics: Why you standing there with your face screwed up?/Don’t leave while you’re hot that’s how Mase screwed up
Because that is in fact, how Mase screwed up. See also: Bad Boy Records 1996-forever. - Runaway
I love this song. All 9 minutes of it. Not so much the lyrical content. It’s the production. Pianos and other production elements I don’t know, but I love how they sound. I know this is one of the songs that had a video with ballet dancers etc but I never bothered. One day I’ll bother. But until then, Best Lyrics are the whole third verse.
Never was much of a romantic/I could never take the intimacy/And I know I did damage
Cause the look in your eyes is killing me/I guess you are at an advantage/Cause you can blame me for everything/And I don’t know how I’mma manage/If one day you just up and leave
Damn Amber! - Hell of a Life
Meh - Blame Game – featuring John Legend, Chris Rock
Best Lyrics: “I’d rather argue with you than be with someone else”
And bonus bonus a skit from Chris Rock who isWiz Khalifathe new dude after getting Kanye’s ex and really winning cause Kanye worked on her girlfriend skills. Yeezy taught me! - Lost In the Woods – featuring Bon Iver
I only listen to this song to get to the Who Will Survive in America which is just a poem by Gil Scot Heron at the end of the album. Plus, every time I hear Bon Iver I think of Justin Timberlake playing him on SNL and putting himself to sleep.
ALSO! Fun Fact: Bon Iver’s “Holocene” and Kanye West’s “All of the Lights” were both up for Song of the Year for the 2012 Grammys, but lost to Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep“. (source) - Who Will Survive in America? – featuring Gil Scot Heron
This is an excerpt of Gil’s poem Comment #1 but today, right now, the answer is nobody. And that’s just how some dreams end.
In 2011 there was Watch the Throne, a collaboration with Jay-Z. In 2013, there was Yeezus. In 2016, there was The Life of Pablo (which I already listened to for #NewMusicMonth). I don’t care enough about those albums to type a post or even listen to them all the way through.
Let’s talk. What’s going on with Kanye? What’s your favorite album? What am I “wrong” about? What’s next?