Kanye has released an album after disappearing for a while, and it has lived up to the suspense. It is safe for Kanye fanatics to proclaim ‘Kanye is back’ after veering off his brand with 808s and Heartbreak. The album is a signature of Kanye sampling genius; it is RZA’esque. Kanye has abandoned the electronic music experiment witnessed on 808’s and Heartbreak and has gone back to soul hooks of The College Dropout and Late Registration. Kanye has poured his soul into this album, and he knows it. In one of the tracks, Power, he says screams from haters are theme music to his superhero film (Kanye 00:00:25-00:00:40). Kanye believes in his creativity and, in typical Kanye fashion, is not shy to make you acknowledge it.
The album has many references to Michael Jackson; in one of the tracks, All of the Lights, Kanye talks about, ‘MJ is gone, our Nigga dead’ (Kanye 00:01:02-00:01:20. It is interesting why Kanye is referencing a GOAT in so many lyrics. One possibility is that Kanye believes he is the heir to the throne; after all, the words Kanye and humility do not go together in a sentence. Noteworthy, Kanye has just come from the highly publicized Taylor Swift microphone scandal that prompted him into exile, where he records this album. In one of the tracks from the album, Runaway, Kanye says, ‘let’s have a toast to the douchebags’ (Kanye 00:01:08-00:01:20). In an unexpected turn, Kanye finds some remorse, but he still manages to sneak in a ‘toast’ to the assholes in typical Kanye. This album is a masterpiece and is one of Kanye’s best. This album is his Magnum Opus; Kanye is the holder of the hip hop throne.
Work Cited
Kanye West. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Def Jam, 2010.