My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy: Kanye's Twist on the Rap Game

"Is hip-hop just a euphemism for a new religion?"

-Kanye West in "Gorgeous"

Kanye West broke out of the producing scene and onto the rap stage with his revolutionary album, The College Dropout, in 2004. He quickly shifted rap away from the stereotypical gangsta sound and delved into more complex personal and social issues. After enjoying great fame, his fourth album lacked sparkle.  The Independent dismissed the album, calling it repetitive and miserable. Allmusic said, "the album is a listless, bleary trudge along West's permafrost." Ye's haters believed he was finished. But in 2010, Kanye released My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy, his most complex album to date, and by focusing on existential themes, unusual musical elements and his own vulnerability, created another fascinating facet in the hip-hop world.

Fantasy's  controversial album art is censored on iTunes
Source: http://www.fansshare.com

The first song of the album, "Dark Fantasy", starts off with an intro by Nicki Minaj, is a modified version of the intro to Roald Dahl's Cinderella in his book, Revolting Rhymes. 

"You might think you've peeped the scene 

You haven't, the real one's far too mean 

The watered down one, the one you know 

Was made up centuries ago

They made it sound wack and corny
Yes it’s awful, blasted boring
Twisted fictions, sick addictions
Well gather ‘round children, zip it, listen."

-Nicki Minaj's intro to "Dark Fantasy"

This introduction is appropriate for the album as a whole. Most rappers think they've broken into the rap scene when they make a hit, but Kanye would go so far as to say truly joining the rap scene is more than copying the style of rap: it's defining rap in a new way. Currently, the rap game revolves around the "twisted fiction" that making it is easy, and that the thug life is the good life. Fantasy is an honest, diary-like confession about the hardship of the industry and the struggle with identity. The current obsession with ego and making it big is a "sick addiction" because Kanye has found that he can never be truly satisfied with with have he has. In this album, Kanye is going to take a leaf out of Dahl's book and debunk the myths surrounding the hip-hop lifestyle. Kids, hold onto your to hats.

Still image from "All of the Lights" music video, sampling the several different kinds of light involved in rap history.
Source: http://pusha-t.com

"All of the Lights," the album's platinum track, continues with the themes of the dark side of fame, but adds musical complexity, featuring a whopping eleven guest artists. Kanye fearlessly crosses over the standard rap form of a guest artist chorus with rap verses and created the modern, juxtaposed, trans-genre potpourri that is "All of the Lights." The song is musically interesting because it mixes traditional, dramatic classical instruments like violins with more popularly used keyboards and synthesizers. The unusual pairing of the old and the new sets the perfect stage to combine unlikely musicians like Fergie, Elton John, and Alicia Keys. 

Lyrically, West tells his own story through the allegory of a man who is estranged from those he loves because he lives too large. In the pre-hook, the different lights surrounding this man life illustrate what modern rappers shine light on and expose as important.

"Cop lights, flash lights, spot lights, strobe lights, street lights, all of the lights, all of the lights. Fast life, drug life, thug life, rock life, every night, all of the lights."

                                     -Pre-hook in "All of the Lights"

 Nowadays, the rappers are all about clubbing, running the streets, and living outside the law. Thuggish behavior, drugs and partying have replaced the once substantial content of the rap genre. Most modern rappers selectively rap about these topics and paint them as glamourous signs of success. Kanye, however, wants his fans to see all of the lights. He's going to show his fans everything, even when it's not pretty. His shoutout to Michael Jackson in his first verse, "Something wrong/I hold my head/MJ gone/Our n*gga dead" is a further commentary on the modern hip-hop lifestyle. Jackson was the poster child for pop and hip-hop crossovers, and tragically got caught up in the fame, and eventually died from drug overdose. Fame made Jackson crazy and miserable, and his decadent lifestyle eventually destroyed him. Kanye and the rest of the music industry were greatly saddened by Jackson's death, and in response, Kanye is exposing the world of fame for what it really is. "All of the Lights" is one of Fantasy's top tracks and is a main contributor to the theme of the album.

"Runaway" single album art. Source: http://www.highsnobiety.com

"Runaway" is one of Fantasy's most popular tracks, but it deviates slightly from the previous tracks' criticism of modern hip-hop. "Runaway" is more central to Kanye and his personal struggles with living in the public eye. In the first verse, Kanye apologetically admits his faults and proclaims himself as a douchebag. Pusha T's second verse acts as a foil to the first verse, with Pusha brazenly admitting to what people accuse him of and shrugging it off, because, hey, he can get away with it. "Runaway" isn't as musically or lyrically interesting as some of the other tracks on the album, but it's important because it highlights Kanye's personal growth. He's been known for his crazy ego, and he's acted like most of the other self-centered artists out there. "Runaway" fits with the rest of Fantasy because it's Kanye's commitment to changing himself as well as the rap game. Though it lacks the complexity of tracks like "Power," "Runaway" topped charts by endearing Kanye to the fans.

One of the biggest criticisms of My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy is that the tracks are far too long and Kanye is not discerning enough when he adds guest artists. Sure, the album is artistic, but doesn't the artistry of it wear off after so many five minute+ tracks? Kanye's answer this was a loud "NO," evident by his short film entitled Runaway.

The thirty-five minute film incorporates nine songs from Fantasy into one story. The plot follows Kanye's character, Griffin, and his love affair with Phoenix, a half woman half phoenix whom he rescues from a fire. The film brings home the main idea of the album: rebirth in the genre. Through the somewhat trippy symbolism, Kanye hits upon themes of exile, personal struggle and a search for meaning a belonging. The film ties together the songs of the album and gives further insight to Kanye as an artist.

If, as Kanye says in the track "Gorgeous," hip-hop is indeed a religion, Kanye has set himself up to lead the reformation. My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy adds layers of depth that have faded from mainstream rap and hip-hop in previous years. From this album of twisted mainstream rap, fans of the genre can expect Kanye's fantasy to take root in reality.