Alright so My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy finally leaked. It leaked in clean, but you get the idea. I have only live blogged indie acts, so I figured I would try my hand at live blogging my first rap album. I’m gonna snag this bad boy on vinyl once it comes out and if you haven’t done so already, be sure to pre-order the album.
1. Dark Fantasy – Alright so the album kicks off with “Dark Fantasy”, the same track that kicked off his Runaway film. This one is just ridiculously hot. The opening is grand and epic, and once the beat kicks in, oh man. Kanye is just radiating good vibes out of every single pore. This is the way you start a fucking album. I want to just drive around all day to this one. 1:16 p.m.
2. Gorgeous (Feat. Kid Cudi & Raekwon) – This is one of the songs that leaked that I tried my best to hold off on. It had a dark moody vibe on it that perfectly suites Cudi. The line about choking a South Park writer with a fish stick is absolutely classic. You knew he wouldn’t let that one go. This is a solid track. Enjoyed Raekwon’s verse. That guitar has a lot of bite and sort-of makes the song for me. 1:22 p.m.
3. Power (Feat. Dwele) – We all know this one by now, but it still sounds just as epic and fresh as it first did. Smart placement, keeps the momentum going strong. 1:26 p.m.
4. All of the Lights (Interlude) – Pretty cool interlude of “All Of The Lights”. Beautiful strings. Who knew ‘Ye had it in him..oh wait…everyone. 1:28 p.m.
5. All of the Lights – Totally kickass transition from the interlude to the full song. Rihanna is totally a perfect fit, can’t imagine anyone else but her singing it. Here come all the guest features (for real, this time) and it’s pretty powerful. You know the saying “Too many chefs in the kitchen”? Well, that doesn’t apply here. Kanye has them all cooking up excellence.
6. Monster (Feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver) – A G.O.O.D. Friday track that has pretty much become classic already. I’m hearing some changes from that version and think that they’re definitely working to the songs advantage. This one just hits so hard, I love it. Nicki Minaj’s verse will never, ever, get old. 1:40 p.m.
7. So Appalled (Feat. Jay-Z, Pusha T, Cyhi Da Prynce, Swizz Beatz & The RZA) – Truth be told, this was one of the few G.O.O.D. Friday songs I didn’t spin enough. Really dark and moody, not sure how I really feel about it being placed where it is on the tracklist. Sort of long and disrupted the flow for me. Time will tell, I guess. 1:46 p.m.
8. Devil In A New Dress (Feat. Rick Ross) – One of my personal favorite G.O.O.D. Fridays. This new refined version is just smooth and classy. Yes, I said it. Classy. A potential sleeper classic. 1:52 p.m.
9. Runaway (Feat. Pusha T) – Take a deep breath, we got our hands on the 9 minute “Runaway”. Even the intro piano is extended. Building anticipation….wait for it…Bam. Kanye has thrown in some new things only making this song that much more epic. This song grabbed me from his VMA performance, but somehow I have grown to love it more and more with every listen. This song is growing to be not only one of my favorites from this album, but one of my favorite Kanye songs in general.
Now for this extended bit…It starts with some jumbled autotune thrown together with the songs instrumental piece. This may just be Kanye’s most polarizing moment on the album, by far. Need to see how this one settles. 2:02 p.m.
10. Hell Of A Life – Absolutely insane instrumental and beat combo here. You just feel cool listening to this. Could be the new driving anthem of the year. Love how he implemented “Iron Man” into the song. Only Kanye….Kanye hit this one way out of the park. Very solid song, I may have to put this and “Dark Fantasy” on repeat for the rest of the day. 2:08 p.m.
11. Blame Game (Feat. John Legend) – Rogo told me he thought this was one of Kanye’s best songs, ever! So I’m hyped to see what it’s all about. Lovely ballad of sorts with John Legend, who compliments things nicely. This is one of the most thoughtful, honest, tracks for Kanye yet. I think this is another contender for most likely to grow into a fan favorite. 2:16 p.m.
12. Lost In The World (Feat. Bon Iver) – I’m probably the most excited to see how the album version of this shaped up. It was already a phenomenal song when the original leaked, and it’s gained a whole new life with the little fixing Kanye did hear and there. Who knew that in 2010 Bon Iver & Kanye would combine to create a song like this? If you told me that a few years ago I would have laughed at you. Who knew. 2:22 p.m.
13. Who Will Survive In America – It’s pretty much a spoken word outro for “Lost In The World”. Interesting way to end the album. 2:24
Final thoughts: So this is an album already. Kanye West has created something fresh and honest. This album sits well as a whole and I think it’s totally going to place well in a lot of end of the year lists. I’m really pleased with. I think it has a similar vision that 808’s did, but it’s more of a comeback to Kanye’s original sound. So I think we got the best of both world with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I can’t wait to play the shit out of this for the rest of the year.
Call me satisfied.
Join the conversation