MBDTF

In 2010, Kanye West dropped his 5th album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This project is my favorite album of all time. It is also undeniably one of the most influential albums of the past decade. In this post, I will be going through the album track by track, and giving my thoughts on each individual song.
Dark Fantasy

This was a great way to start the album. The beat along with Kanye’s flow, make it an easy song to get into and bop your head to. It was good for what it was supposed to be. It’s not a hit, but it’s a good solid song to set the tone for the rest of the album.

Gorgeous

This is one of my favorite songs on the album. I think this song is underrated. It’s rarely discussed among Kanye’s best songs, but I think it should at least be in the conversation. It’s one of my favorite Kanye songs as well as one of my favorite songs in general. It seems like it’s impossible for Kid Cudi and Kanye to have a bad song together. Both of Kanye’s verses were great, and the hook by Cudi was just as good.

Power

The sample on this song is sick. I liked this song a lot more when it first came out, but it’s still very good. One of his classics. Looking back, this was kind of like a prequel to Yeezus. In terms of how brash and unapologetic he was.

All of the lights/Interlude

The interlude to this song is beautiful, I get goosebumps every time I listen to it. The violin added a really cool sound. The production on the actual song is great (as it is on the rest of the album). There were a lot of different artists, on this song, but it never felt too crowded. Everyone played their part well and everything meshed well together. Back in 2010 when this first came out, I didn’t have great music taste, but this song always felt like a big deal to me. It’s always been one of my favorites. This song will always have a special place in my heart, one of Kanye’s classics for sure.

Monster

Another good song. Nicki Minaj stole the show. Kanye did a good job with his verse, and the hook, but Nicki was the best part of the song. Jay-z was the weak link on this song in my opinion.  

So Appalled

While this is a solid song, this is my least favorite song on the album. Kanye and the features did well with their roles, but something about the song just didn’t connect with me as much as the rest of the album.

Devil in a new dress

Another one of my favorite songs on the album. The production on this song was amazing, the backing track was perfect. I could listen to an instrumental version and not get tired of it. While I’m not the biggest Rick Ross fan, he and Kanye really came through on their verses. This song has only gotten better with time. Another one of my favorite Kanye songs.

Runaway

My favorite song on the album, my favorite Kanye song, and my second favorite song in general. Everything about this song is perfect. His line “I was never much of a romantic, I could never take the intimacy. But I know I did damage, cuz the look in your eye is killing me,” is one of the coldest lines I’ve heard. The piano intro is iconic. The outro gives me chills, and it makes me feel his pain without him having to say a word. Pusha’s verse meshed perfectly with the rest of the song. This would have been a good way to end the album, but the actual last song on the album also was a good way to close, so I can’t complain too much.

Hell of a life

The backing track on this song is great. It’s a fun, light song to listen to, kind of the opposite of the song that came before. I think this song would be better off earlier on in the album, maybe between All of the lights and Monster. Although it makes sense to want an upbeat song after a song like Runaway.

Blame Game

Very good song. John Legend was the perfect guy to do this feature. The snippet at the end of the song was well done. The fact that it was Chris Rock made it hilarious even though the context made it unfortunate. I think this song also could have been earlier in the album. Either after So Appalled, or it could have just switched spots with Runaway.

Lost in the World/Who will survive in America

When I first heard this song, I didn’t have apple or spotify or any streaming service, so I had to go online and download it myself. When I downloaded the song, it attached the Who Will Survive in America part too. So it wasn’t until after I got Spotify that I realized they were technically separated. However they flow seamlessly into each other, which just shows how good the production was. This is another underrated Kanye song. I love Kanye’s first verse in this song. I also love the backing track to this song, the beat, and background vocals make it feel like a celebration. It’s a good way to end the album (although Runaway also would’ve been good).