"My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is unquestionably Kanye West’s magnum opus. Personally, I’d say my favorite Kanye West album is either "Graduation" or "Yeezus," but it’s clear that neither of them are as ambitious, epic or polished as MBDTF.
Once again, you may be asking yourself why I would review an album that came out six years ago. I don’t really have a good answer, I guess I just kind of felt like it? It’s a free country.
Anyways, music is difficult to review, so I’ve gone song-by-song through the album and rated each on a scale of 1 to 10 in how the song accomplishes two things: the sound and the Ye of it all. This means I’ve tried to judge how the songs work in terms of sound—whether or not it accomplishes what it was going for sonally.
I’m also judging each song’s Ye Factor. It’s fitting that Kanye’s magnum opus is almost entirely about his favorite subject: Kanye. For each song, I’ve asked myself: “How Ye is this song?” and rated it accordingly. These ratings are all opinions anyways, so with that in mind let’s get to it.
Sound/Ye Factor
"Dark Fantasy:" 10/8
Easily my favorite song off the album, a perfect start that goes from gorgeous choirs to a driving and unsettling beat.
"Gorgeous:" 8/8
The guitar riff and Cudi hook are both phenomenal. Bonus points for Kanye’s second verse, which includes his weird conspiracy theories about AIDS and some legitimately great commentary on American racism (“Let’s face it: Jerome get more time than Brandon”).
"Power:" 10/10
Goosebumps every time it starts. He claims he spent 5,000 hours writing and producing it. Dense, schizophrenic and the whole message of the song is “F**k you I’m great”. Easy 10 sound/10 Ye Factor.
"All of the Lights (Interlude):" 8/9
I feel like he just put this in to show people that he’s tasteful sometimes. That alone makes it hella Ye.
"All of the Lights:" 9/8
Rihanna murders this track, and the horns are unbelievable.
"Monster:" 8-9/9
This song is an 8 because of Jay’s verse. It’s a 9 because of Nicki’s verse. And the fact that Kanye loves Jay-Z so much that he didn’t force him to write something different is very Ye. Also Bon Iver just wilin’ out all over the opening is great.
"So Appalled:" 7/7
It’s a lit song, but it kind of stands out as being less interesting of a beat and less fun to listen to than almost everything else on the album. Maybe it didn’t need four verses, Kanye. At least Jay redeemed himself.
"Devil in a New Dress:" 9/7
I miss the Old Kanye/Straight from the Go Kanye/Chop up the soul Kanye/Set on his goals Kanye. Soulful and sexy, plus Rick Ross’s verse is dope. Great song.
"Runaway:" 10/12
Jesus. First off, do not listen to this song while staring out a bus window unless you want to think about everyone you’ve ever loved and if you’ve wronged them. My roommate’s British friend once said Kanye is not a genius and I made him listen to this song. He’s now a Kanye fan. Also, this is a 12 Ye factor because who else would write a nine minute song beating himself up and ending it with three minutes of him mumbling into autotune and saying “I’m sorry” over and over. This is maybe the most Kanye song ever recorded.
"Hell of a Life:" 8/8
Grimy, alluring, sounds like what a bad decision feels like. Amber Rose in a song.
"Blame Game:" 8/9
John Legend and violins was a great call. Maybe too much talking and extending the song no matter how beautiful it is. A 9 Ye Factor because he had Chris Rock on the track and also this song contains the lyric “Yeezy reupholstered my pussy.” Wow.
"Lost in the World:" 9/10
This song sounds like what being in love feels like. 10 Ye Factor because he allegedly emailed Kim the “You’re my Devil/You’re my Angel” part. Like, I mean that’s a hell of a gesture to send her this kind of love poem, but email? Really? That’s so Ye.
"Who Will Survive in America:" 9/9
Gil Scott-Heron is the fuckin man. Why not put him at the end of the album. Why not, Kanye.
