My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Mindkiller

I'm a bit confused by the perfect reviews but I definitely think that 'Runaway' is the best thing Kanye has produced.

Pity about the auto-tuned warbling at the end.

VW 1

Only picked this one up the other day, as always (for me) with Kanye I hated the the album after the first listen...
So naturally put it straight back on again...
My favourite album of his so far for sure, thank god he ditched the singing after that 808s fiasco (the only album of his I dont like)
Some of the tracks are immense

MoyVilla9

I think the perfect critical reviews that the album has got has set the bar a little high for Hip Hop heads on forums like this. We all have our own standard of perfect (Me Against the World is my own) and when you see the reviews it has got you expect perfection, which it obviously won't be to anyone but Kanye.

PrettyBoy

"5 Mics" in The Source too...

CiaranMT

Was very apprehensive about this album, going by the build-up and ridiculous videos Kanye's been putting out for it. Didn't listen to any of the GOOD Friday stuff (my loss it seems!) when he put it out, didn't d-load any bootleg copies until it was actually released. I'd dismissed it.

In spite of all this I got it outta curiosity, and I gotta say he's back to his best. 808's wasn't bad but this album reminds me of why I loved College Dropout. Not saying it's on the same level, only on my 2nd listen at the moment, but it's brilliant nonetheless. Can't wait to stroll around with my cans and this on full. Really, really, surprised and glad of it.

Paully D

It's excellent.

MD1990

GOOD ALBUM..
be extremely overated by critics
they make out its a masterpiece

PrettyBoy

I'm not a big Kanye fan but it's a great album, definitely his best IMO. The critical reception is absolutely overwhelming, I haven't seen a single negative or average review. Judging by the reviews, most would consider this to be one of the greatest albums ever made, hip-hop or otherwise.

Completely agree with the poster that said the songs are too long, songs that should be 3 minutes are 6 minutes and others that should be 6 minutes are 9 minutes.

CiaranMT

PrettyBoy wrote: »

I'm not a big Kanye fan but it's a great album, definitely his best IMO. The critical reception is absolutely overwhelming, I haven't seen a single negative or average review. Judging by the reviews, most would consider this to be one of the greatest albums ever made, hip-hop or otherwise.

Completely agree with the poster that said the songs are too long, songs that should be 3 minutes are 6 minutes and others that should be 6 minutes are 9 minutes.

Can't agree with the first bit, College Dropout remains his best work in my opinion.

I agree in a way with the second bit in that songs could be cut down, but at the same time, it's good to see someone branching out and away from the formulaic 3-5 numbers.

CiaranMT

Just got the G.O.O.D. Fridays collection there, some very good stuff on this. Though 'Runaway' with Raekwon and Justin Bieber makes me feel awkward.

Boom_Bap

I can see how this album is being highly rated by critics. Productionwise, the sound is exceptionally crafted. Each song is pretty damn good, it all fits cohesively together as an album.

But there is just something that doesnt fit for me, i cant quite pinpoint it, sometimes his lyrics are almost playschool standard, that annoys the hell outta me.

Slogger Jogger

Just picking up this album now. Really like some of the tracks. You're not going to hear many of the songs on radio though unless after the watershed though. Is the explicitness of some of the lyrics really necessary. Can't exactly play it in the car with the kids in the back. :rolleyes:

Makaveli

It's relatively tame compared to most rap albums.

MoyVilla9

Monster video dropped today, albeit in awful quality. Expect better soon.

Hard to know what to make of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFqrnJW8kkI

fulhamfanincork

I loved the album. 5/5 no doubt. It's not really rap though.

Orizio

fulhamfanincork wrote: »

I loved the album. 5/5 no doubt. It's not really rap though.

You must of missed the dozens of rap verses on it then. Pick up the instrumental version by mistake?

Corholio

A very good album but ruined by little things in songs. Chris Rock's stupid narrative at the end of "Blame Game", "Runaway" being obscenely too long and i'd have left out that "Who Will Survive in America" skit too.

I'm not a fan of "Runaway" either, I haven't really figured out why a lot of people like that song. I've no idea how "Gorgeous" made the album, it's a complete waste of a song. Most of the other songs I find very good, even if some have very questionable guest appearances (Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj).

Id give it a 3.75/5.

Orizio

Orizio wrote: »

You must of missed the dozens of rap verses on it then. Pick up the instrumental version by mistake?

Just to add, as I probably mis-represented FFIC's point, but the album sounds very much like a Hip-Hop album as well. I think I have seen it described as a boom-bap album, but with an extra layer of Kanye's polish put on top. That description sums up most of the album perfectly imo, while tracks like 'Monster' and 'Devil In A New Dress' as are old school as Kanye's work has ever been.

CiaranMT

Corholio wrote: »

A very good album but ruined by little things in songs. Chris Rock's stupid narrative at the end of "Blame Game", "Runaway" being obscenely too long and i'd have left out that "Who Will Survive in America" skit too.

I'm not a fan of "Runaway" either, I haven't really figured out why a lot of people like that song. I've no idea how "Gorgeous" made the album, it's a complete waste of a song. Most of the other songs I find very good, even if some have very questionable guest appearances (Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj).

Id give it a 3.75/5.

Would agree with all of that after more listens, apart from "Who Will Survive In America". Like that bit a lot myself. Play "Lost In The World" before that track, incidentally, and it fits perfectly.

Some of the G.O.O.D Fridays tracks could probably have been put on the album and would've made it more complete. "Good Friday", with Common, among others, "The Joy", "Take One For The Team", "Christian Dior Denim Flow" would have all been great tracks to include.

On a personal note, I really like "Runaway Love", with Justin Bieber and Raekwon. A daft pairing if there ever was one but it works for me! Am I the only one? :pac:

Benny Lava

I find the Chris Rock part of "Blame Game" impossible to listen to. It's terrible. Also, the last three minutes of "Runaway" add nothing to the song and should have been left out (along with the long intro). I do like "Dark Fantasy", "Gorgeous" (perhaps has one verse too many), "All of the Lights", "Monster", "So Appalled", "Hell of a Life" and the original version of "Runaway".

For a five star rating it would need to cut out all the excess stuff I mentioned and would also need one more quality song towards the end. For me, the album is as good as over once "Hell of a Life" ends.

Seaneh

The only bit on the whole album that annoys me is the chris rock bit, wrecks my head.

Runaway could be shorted and the vocoder taken off but besides that it's fine, a lot more depth in the sound than the GOOD fridays version.

Shapey Fiend

I find the whole thing a little long and overwrought for my taste. It's pretty good but I don't particularly need or want to listen to it again from start to finish.

That said I've a notoriously poor attention span. Most of the hip hop I like best is 2 minute verse, no chorus, onto the next track type stuff.

Blisterman

Having had a few months to listen and digest it.

Have to give it four stars for the reasons previously mentioned. Far too many filler bits, like the runaway ending, the Chris Rock skit etc. Reminds me a bit of the College dropout actually, which I felt was slightly ruined by the amount of skits.

I'd Rank Kanye's albums like this

1. Graduation
2. Late Registration
3. College Dropout
4. Dark Twisted Fantasy
5. 808s and Heartbreak

But it's a credit to the man as an artist, that I think his worst album is still really good.

weemcd

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

I find the whole thing a little long and overwrought for my taste. It's pretty good but I don't particularly need or want to listen to it again from start to finish.

That said I've a notoriously poor attention span. Most of the hip hop I like best is 2 minute verse, no chorus, onto the next track type stuff.

Any suggestions? Sometimes you can't beat a good direct rap tune with no gimmicks

randomchild

Listened to it for the first time the other day. Not really the kind of rap that I like, but its as close to winning me over as Mr. West is likely to get. I think it is certainly an amazingly polished production and is definitely the work of an artist at the top of his game.

Hazys

Love the album 10/10 for me, probably the best album I have ever heard.


I surprised that people think the last few minutes of Runaway with the auto tune are pointless. I think its quiet symbolic about his relationship with Amber Rose.

The song is directly after Devil in a New Dress, where the relationship is straining and the writing is on the wall.

At the start of the song he's quiet defiant in acting like an asshole towards women and comes across like he doesn’t give a sh1t and its not his fault he's an asshole, the public persona we know him as.

His last verse, he's starting to realize he was hurting her and it was his fault that he couldn’t express himself.

The auto tune at the end is sad and imo it’s him trying to express his faults and say he's sorry but he's too proud because he's an 'asshole'.

My two cents.

Deus Ex Machina

Anybody buy Kanye West's latest album? I downloaded it recently and I think it's probably his best yet. Opinions?

CiaranMT

Thread already open here, enjoy

Boom_Bap

Threads Merged

Shapey Fiend

weemcd wrote: »

Any suggestions? Sometimes you can't beat a good direct rap tune with no gimmicks

Only saw this now. Get Earl Sweatshirt - EARL. It's free just google it. Best ish in years IMO.