In a move that had to be made for rap’s super producer/songwriter, Kanye West released “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” The album, which plays more like a fluid artistic peace, is the first album since his much maligned 2008 release, “808s and Heartbreaks.” Twisted Fantasy restored West’s good name as the best beat maker in the business and one of raps most powerful artists.
808s was a collection of highly auto-tuned songs worth an initial listen, but without much play back value for fans of West’s music. He had broken away from his signature style, a collection of funk and old soul samples mixed with modern drum machines and fruity loops type production, which made him a household name in the hip hop community. The album attempted to show Kanye as an artist with more soul and substance than songs like “Golddigger” and “School Spirit.” What happened was a album full of repetition that often felt like a series of tracks all trying to do the same thing.
Twisted Fantasy shines for West. To say he is simply back to business would be an attempt at discrediting what is an epic arrangement of sound; on what is easily his most confessional album yet. Twisted Fantasy tests the limits of West’s ability as a producer, and he smashes the challenge in every sense of the word. He mixes classical piano, with epic melodies, with the traditional beats that have been the framing for hip hops trademark sound.
While his abilities as a lyricist aren’t on par with many of his contemporaries like Eminem, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne, Kanye does manage to make up for it. His brutally honest, and oft arrogant, lyrics play well on collaborative songs. This album is what Kanye fans have waited for and a perfect elixir for 808s.