West creates a symphony with tracks layered on top of each other in a manner befitting a chamber orchestra. This record / track structure was unheard of in an age where hip hop was dominated by either jazz influences or straight up stripped back base and electro drum. Critics described West’s style as “maximalist” hip hop, where you are bombarded by operatic arrangements and complex instrumental pieces. Kanye and RZA took the “wall of sound” structure and applied it to hip hop. I cannot overstate how revolutionary the production of this record was for hip hop. Two major producers on this record were RZA and Kanye himself. Moreover, Kanye recorded this album in three or four different studios from Hawaii to New York, which must have made engineering very challenging. Some other notable credits go to Gil Scott – Heron, Rick James, Manfred Man, Carole King and members of Yes. This creates some of the best liner notes where one track can have Kanye, RZA, The Byrds, members of Black Sabbath and Bon Iver all credited writers. THe way Kanye works is that he and other hip hop artists write the lyrics, but he employs so many samples in backing tracks and choruses that he credits those bands as well. Due to samples and lyrics, there are an overwhelming amount of writing credits on this record. The amount of producers, guest artists, writers and studios is mind blowing. First of all, putting this record together must have been a Herculean task. Let’s get into all the nerdy liner note stuff behind this dark masterpiece. You can’t see it, but as soon as you let your guard down, it strikes. You know it’s out there, but you have no idea where it is. Much like the original Blair Witch Project the terror is in what evil lurks just outside of the frame. You are missing the gore, but the true horror is in the evil you don’t see on the screen. In horror film terms, his record is more The Ring than it is Friday the 13th. There are a couple tracks that focus on werewolves and vampires, but this is a psychological thriller. In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, we happily revisited the tracklist of this modern classic and ranked every song on the album from worst to best.Not your typical Halloween album, but West explores darkness as skilfully as James Wan or Clive Barker. The album was later certified double platinum in the United States and took home a Best Rap Album award at the Grammys. Billboard 200, selling 496,000 copies in its first week.
Upon release, MBDTF was an immediate commercial and critical success. As former Complex editor-in-chief Noah Callahan-Bever wrote in a 2010 cover story about the making of the album, “He’d holed up in Hawaii and was importing his favorite producers and artists to work on and inspire his recording. The songs on MBDTF were created in an ultra-collaborative manner. Even Sir Paul McCartney has gushed about MBDTF, revealing that he “envies” Kanye for making it. It’s the best album of the 2010s, and in the eyes of many, it will be remembered as one of the greatest albums of all time. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy isn’t just Kanye West’s best album. Ten years ago today, Kanye West released a masterpiece.