{"id":2429,"date":"2020-04-08T15:27:57","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T19:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/?p=2429"},"modified":"2021-03-04T11:29:58","modified_gmt":"2021-03-04T16:29:58","slug":"arachnophonia-kanye-west-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/2020\/04\/arachnophonia-kanye-west-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy\/","title":{"rendered":"Arachnophonia : Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> Arachnophonia<\/a> is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library<\/a>\u2018s collection.<\/p>\n

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question<\/a> or to additional relevant<\/a> information from<\/a> around the web<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s installment of Arachnophonia<\/a> is by student worker Colin (class of 2021) and features Kanye West’s 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy<\/strong><\/a>. Thanks, Colin!<\/em><\/p>\n

Kanye West<\/a><\/p>\n

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kanye<\/p>\n

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (MBDTF)<\/a><\/em> is my favorite Kanye album. Many fans, reviewers and artists in the industry also agree with me that the albumis both technically amazing and culturally significant, with many music publications reporting back in December that MBDTF<\/a><\/em> is their top album of the entire 2010s, such as Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em> and Billboard<\/a><\/em>. Why I believe this album is worthy of this praise is two-fold: first, the album continues the musical genius and masterful production that were present in The College Dropout<\/a><\/em>, Late Registration<\/a><\/em> and Graduation<\/a><\/em>; and second, this album marked Kanye\u2019s public apology for his previous wrong-doings and public controversy, while apologizing in the most \u2018Kanye\u2019 way possible; self-reflection upon fame and ego.<\/p>\n

I would be remiss in writing about MBDTF<\/a><\/em> if I did not first acknowledge the character and artist behind the production of the album. Kanye has had his fair share of headlines throughout the past ten years or so, between his support of Donald Trump<\/a> and the idea that Democrats have \u201cbrainwashed\u201d black Americans<\/a>, to his laptop being \u201cstolen\u201d by his cousin who leaked private videos of him<\/a>, to his famous Twitter tirades in which he has attacked figures such as Wiz Khalifa<\/a> and the company Nike<\/a>, to his ongoing bouts with Taylor Swift<\/a>. The list is long and could have been expanded upon further. Kanye is rarely in the news for positivity, but I argue that his albums should be judged separately from the creator. It is actually the last headline, his history with Taylor Swift, which started the production of MBDTF<\/a><\/em>. In 2009 at MTV\u2019s Video Music Awards, Kanye infamously took to the stage to interrupt Swift\u2019s acceptance speech for Best Female Video, proclaiming that Beyonc\u00e9 should have won the honor. This prompted nationwide outrage against Kanye, which prompted an apology tour soon afterwards. He then took off to Hawaii that same year in the form of a retreat, in which he began working on MBDTF<\/a> in Honolulu\u2019s Avex Recording Studio<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"\"

Kanye West Performing at SWU Music Arts Festival 2011 by Renan Facciolo – Kanye West – SWU Music & Arts, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=18137550<\/p><\/div>\n

MBDTF<\/a><\/em> is a journey. First, many elements of his previous albums can be identified on tracks throughout this album, indicating a feeling that the work in its entirety could be considered Kanye\u2019s magnum opus. It borrows on the soul and experimental hip-hop aspects found in The College Dropout<\/em> and Late Registration<\/em>, mixed with the unrestricted emotional and innovative gleam evident in Graduation<\/em> and 808s & Heartbreak<\/em>. Second, the album explores themes such as wealth, prominence, decadence, excess, escapism, self-aggrandizement and self-doubt. An interesting understanding I found in my research is from Andrew Martin of Prefix Magazine<\/em><\/a>, in which he notes in his review that this work \u201cderives its intrigue from the shortcomings of its creator\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s a meditation on fame.\u201d Topics from previous, and even future Kanye albums, explore social issues that plague the world, such as abuse of drugs or the ongoing mistreatment of people of color. However, the \u201capology album\u201d that MBDTF<\/a><\/em> was expected to be allowed Kanye to reflect on the personal characteristics of his life, and to recognize that he is not perfect. <\/p>\n

Focusing on specific tracks, the album opens with the aptly titled \u201cDark Fantasy<\/a>.\u201d Nicki Minaj<\/a> introduces the first track through spoken-word, which then transitions into Kanye rapping about his images of grandeur as a child, and how the population perceives the fame, he has experienced incorrectly. Continuing through the album, \u201cAll of the Lights<\/a>\u201d is my personal favorite track. Between the masterful uses of synthesized sound bites to the lyrical story of a convicted man due to physical assault charges, the song is amazing in my eyes and by the public, receiving many accolades such as Best Rap Song at the 54th Grammy Awards. Another noteworthy track is \u201cRunaway<\/a>,\u201d which appropriately premiered as a live performance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards<\/a>, a year after Kanye\u2019s public condemnation for his action against Swift, which prompted the creation of this album. Many reviewers laud \u201cRunaway\u201d as Kanye\u2019s best song, placing emphasis on the ego of himself in a statement of lyrical apology for his public figure, but referring to the flaw of human nature of self-absorption that caused his problems. Some other album highlights include \u201cMonster<\/a>,\u201d \u201cDevil in a New Dress<\/a>,\u201d and \u201cLost in the World<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n