5 Ways My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Changed Rap
Note: This article was originally produced as a video essay found below.
It’s been 10 years since Kanye West dropped his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and altered the course of rap history. It’s no secret that this album has had a profound effect on why I began talking about music in the first place. In my mind, it is a project that fully defines how transcendent an album can be, successfully carrying out a concept from start to finish. A tremendous amount of ink has been spilled over why this album succeeds and how its earned the high regard many rap fans have placed it in, so instead of recounting the history of this album’s creation or breaking it down track by track, I want to take the opportunity to talk about how this album has influenced music as an industry and an art form. Here are 5 aspects of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that have pushed rap forward.
One note before we begin, each of these aspects aren’t to say that Kanye is the first person to embrace any of these values, merely how Twisted Fantasy embodies these principles so successfully, other artists have incorporated them into their work. Without further ado, let’s break it down.
#1: Artistic Collaboration
Coinciding with the release of Twisted Fantasy was the launch of Kanye’s own music label GOOD Music, with the initial roster consisting of artists such as Pusha T, Cyhi Da Prynce, John Legend and Common. Twisted Fantasy was not just about Kanye’s drive to show the world that he was still among its top creative forces, but rather a showcase of the deep bench of talent that had not yet reached the mainstream. One of the greatest aspects of Twisted Fantasy was Kanye’s decision to lend opportunities for other voices to be heard to tell the story of the album. Whether it’s Rick Ross’ appearance on Devil in a New Dress, Pusha T’s breakout on So Appalled and Runaway, or Nicki Minaj’s iconic performances on the opening of Dark Fantasy and an all time great verse on Monster, this album is chalk full of some of the greatest collaborative work hip hop has ever seen. On previous albums, Kanye had enlisted some great talent to help elevate his own credibility and quality, but on Twisted Fantasy it’s brilliantly executed. Having other voices in the room is critical in building resonance over time and without input from other artists, the album’s story of the simultaneous execution and rebirth of Kanye’s ego would fall flat. Meaningful features and overall label collaborations have become a staple of hip hop. Without this album’s success there are no Cruel Summers, Dreamville albums, Odd Future tapes, etc. Resonate art is often done together and it often leads to our next value.
Number 2: Full Creative Commitment
The experimentation implemented throughout the creative process of Twisted Fantasy could warrant hours of discussion on its own, but let me try to give a few highlights. My all time favorite story that’s mentioned in conjunction with this album is RZA’s description of the recording environment. Here’s the short version: after a year in Paris and Rome following his infamous display at the 2009 VMAs (If you’re here, I assume you know what happened), Kanye fled to Hawaii to begin production of Twisted Fantasy. He would fly in hundreds of different artists, producers, and sound engineers to carry out his vision and no matter the makeup of the group that was there, every day went exactly the same. Every single morning, the crew would all eat breakfast together, reflecting on the work of the past day and what they want to accomplish in the day to come. After that, every single person would work out: weightlifting, cardio, hooping all together. Then, they spent time to do some charity work, in order to fulfill a good deed for the day. After spending the entire day together, starting around 4, they’d hit the studio without any interruption until early in the morning. They’d go to sleep and the cycle would repeat. It’s utterly fascinating understanding the measures Kanye took to ensure the album would succeed.
Building trust within collaborators and a shared artistic vision is something many artists have embraced since. I think to Donald Glover’s relationship with Ludwig Goranson or Travis Scott’s work with Mike Dean as examples of finding creative partners that are able to get the best work out of you. Once attaining this type of creative understanding, it often leads to deep experimentation. I wonder what’s next?
Number 3: Deep Experimentation
I love when artists take swings, and to say Twisted Fantasy is nothing short of attempting a grand slam is an understatement. I’ve always said that Kanye has carved out a place on rap’s mount rushmore for his ability to consistently innovate and shape trends rather than follow them. With a group of collaborators each at the highest echelon of their disciplines with a fundamental understanding of what needed to be achieved, Kanye was able to tinker with the album to its fullest extent. The degree of experimentation is most prevalent on what I believe is the album’s greatest achievement in Runaway. THE TRACK IS 9 MINUTES LONG. ON A RAP ALBUM. LED IN BY PIANO WITH ALMOST 5 MINUTES ENTIRELY COMPOSED OF VOICE MODULATION TO SOUND LIKE A GUITAR. It’s ballad of true self depreciation and admission of past mistakes and is sonically one of the most impressive strides I’ve ever heard. It’s the true antithesis of what we knew about Kanye to this point and demonstrated how successful a departure from what’s expected can truly be. Other tracks where Kanye takes leaps vocally are the layering elements on All of the Lights and the voice recording manipulation on his verse on So Appalled. Kanye goes to tremendous lengths to take risks on nearly every track on the album.
Incorporating other sounds not common in hip hop, when executed correctly, has been a barometer for true artistic success. I think to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly utilizing a tremendous amount of jazz or Childish Gambino’s Awaken My Love taking a more folk/funk driven approach as more recent examples following this model. This is all to say that experimenting creatively and vocally also leads to leaps taken in instrumentation.
Number 4: Sophisticated Beats
Birthed from hours of experimentation and perfectionism, came the emergence of some of the most sophisticated beats of Kanye’s career. The perfect example of this idea is embodied in the beat of All of the Lights. I love to think of this track as a Jenga tower. The song is incredibly dense with layering upon layering of instruments and backup vocals, that by the time its finished, its extremely delicate to the point where adding any other element might topple it completely. All of the Lights is probably the most impressive beat of his career in terms of the sheer amount of hours taken to perfect it. Other tracks like Lost in the World and Power follow a similar approach #1in the effort taken to maximize the sonic presence of each track.
The thoughtfulness employed in developing a soundscape has resonated with artists such as J.Cole and Travis Scott, notably on Born Sinner and Astroworld respectively, to create an album that flows well together and suck the listener into an experience when listening to it. Everything that was done musically on Twisted Fantasy has left a large impact on music as a whole, but nothing quite as clear as what this album represents.
Number 5: Embracing the Second Chance Narrative
After thinking about how Twisted Fantasy has really left its mark on hip hop history, there’s one message that has struck me most clearly: It’s never too late to reinvent yourself. I know Kanye’s stock is at an all time low at the moment and I find it difficult to reconcile between the Kanye that delivered classic album after classic album and the circus that surrounds him to this day. But what Kanye proved on this album is that even when your world comes crashing down, in his case: the death of his mother, the critical panning of 808s and Heartbreaks, and making a fool of himself on national television (again), it’s still possible to make art that lasts if its coming from a place of sincerity. It’s no secret that Kanye West is driven by ego, and when he was humbled and regained the underdog spirit that drove him to create College Dropout, he was able to recapture his creative spark. Since this album, we’ve seen many artists revive their careers in a major way such as 2 Chainz, Pusha T, and to some degree Eminem.
The world loves a comeback story and Twisted Fantasy is nothing short of a Hail Mary.
Conclusion
10 years is an excellent checkpoint in revisiting an album’s legacy and if you’re looking for a full deep dive into what I believe is the greatest contemporary rap album, go check out Season 2 of Dissect Podcast. They do an excellent job in capturing the album’s creation and telling the underlying story of the album.
If you’re looking for other deep dives into Kanye West and Rap as a whole, be sure check out our YouTube Channel. Additionally, if you’re interested in hearing from us in longer form, go find our podcast feed in the link below:
