• Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Nov 22, 2010
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 45
  2. Negative: 0 out of 45
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  1. Sep 17, 2012
    100
    There is no question that this album is a game changer. It's Kanye West's greatest work.
  2. Mojo
    Apr 20, 2011
    100
    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is genuinely a great record. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]
  3. 100
    Like Picasso, he acknowledges that the chief enemy of creativity is good taste--which is just as well, since it's not a quality with which he seems over-burdened on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. For which we should all be thankful.
  4. Jan 13, 2011
    100
    Comparing him to other rappers is pointless: there are other guys with much more technically-sound flows (although Ye is as wickedly funny as he's ever been), but nobody else possesses the combination of hubris, imagination, neuroticism, and drive it takes to make a record like this.
  5. Cataloguing the perks of power he sounds as geeky as Mark Zuckerberg, and because grandiosity doesn't suit him deep down, the sonic luxuries of this world-beating return to form have no shot at the grace of The Collede Dropout or Late Registration. But because he's shrewd and large, he knows how to use his profits profits to induce Jay-Z, Pusha T, the RZA, Swizz Beats, and his boy Prince CyHi to admit and indeed complain that the whole deal is "f***in' ridiculous."
  6. XXL
    Dec 23, 2010
    100
    The end result is a body of work that pushes hip-hop in a bold new direction and puts Mr,. West back at the forefront of the culture once again.
  7. Dec 8, 2010
    100
    He celebrates his contradictions with such musical flair, it's a thrilling listen from beginning to end.
  8. 100
    He samples atmospheric noodling from Aphex Twin and bombastic nuggets from Black Sabbath and King Crimson, and he gets help from some of the biggest names in pop, rap, and indie rock. West crafts these influences into a fever dream with a crescendo around every corner - the Beautiful Fantasy of the album's title.
  9. Dec 7, 2010
    100
    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his most maniacally inspired music yet, coasting on heroic levels of dementia, pimping on top of Mount Olympus.
  10. 100
    Fantasy is the sound of an artist who is so far from shunning the spotlight that the firepower of the wattage pointed at him is a full-on supernova.
  11. Dec 7, 2010
    100
    The effort to canonize My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as one of hip-hop's all-time high points is already underway, and I'm confident that Kanye's new album can weather the backlash that all potential classics must confront.
  12. Dec 7, 2010
    100
    With his music and persona both marked by a flawed honesty, Kanye's man-myth dichotomy is at once modern and truly classic.
  13. Dec 7, 2010
    100
    Six years later, Kanye is undoubtedly the most openly self-aware MC. And the music world should be grateful to have him. I know I am.
  14. Jan 14, 2011
    98
    With My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West transgresses paradigms and defies the limitations of genre, thusly granting himself the highest compliment payable to an artist.
  15. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is exactly as advertised: it's a journey through West's deepest thoughts, showcasing all the facets to his persona (from his bravado to his insecurities) over a pristine collection of all his signature sounds.
  16. Dec 8, 2010
    95
    Dark Twisted Fantasy is an album full off melodic ideas, copious guest features, winding songs, unexpected twists, and improbable pairings.
  17. Dec 7, 2010
    95
    Needless to say, West has proved once again that he is most on point in the face of adversity.
  18. Dec 8, 2010
    94
    On Dark Twisted Fantasy, West surrounds himself with gruff collaborators like Pusha T of Clipse and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan.
  19. Dec 8, 2010
    91
    He's the kind of libertine who needs to live on the knife's edge just to feel alive, and Fantasy is gloriously alive.
  20. Jan 13, 2011
    90
    From nine-minute douchebag manifestos, to enlisting an A-list Grammy ensemble to piece-mealing his album out to the masses every Friday, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy defies logic and it ignores convention.
  21. Dec 16, 2010
    90
    Like many of Kanye's brainstorms, it's a crazy idea -- and like many of Kanye's crazy ideas, it works.
  22. Dec 15, 2010
    90
    Sonically, the joy comes from the triumphant, painstaking arrangement that undoubtedly went into the production of tracks like "Power," the aforementioned "All Of The Lights," and the album closing "Lost In The World."
  23. Dec 8, 2010
    90
    In fact, this record's only flaw is that its scale is so awe-inspiring it tends to paper over any weaker cracks.
  24. Dec 8, 2010
    90
    It's totally different from everything he's done while still being perfectly, irrevocably Kanye.
  25. Dec 7, 2010
    90
    Fantasy's production is loud and proud, but also poignant and gripping, always hinting at some looming danger.
  26. Dec 7, 2010
    90
    Kanye is rapping and singing better and with more tenacity than he ever has on Fantasy, but also less often, wisely allowing others to speak for him-every single guest artist on this album senses the moment and rises to the occasion.
  27. Dec 7, 2010
    90
    Kanye West had to do him; and lo and behold, he has. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the most cohesive and assured record in mainstream hip-hop since Jay-Z sketched his Blueprint (2001).
  28. Dec 7, 2010
    90
    Maybe it's not surprising that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is so seamlessly his personal best.
  29. Dec 7, 2010
    90
    The past few years have shown West first-hand what happens when the populace turns against its demagogues, and with Fantasy, he's letting us know that he's ready for our scorn and adulation.
  30. Dec 7, 2010
    90
    He's had it rough (or as rough as can be for one with his level of talent and success anyway), but once again he's managed to take his adversity and turn it into perhaps the album of the year.
  31. Dec 7, 2010
    90
    This is not just West's best album, it's a keen contender for the most ambitious LP in hip-hop history. West side story!
  32. It's the best thing he's done since his game-changing debut, and heartening evidence to suggest the self-professed Louis Vuitton don is in a good place right now.
  33. 90
    After the celebri-beef and ALL CAPS blog posts fade away, Fantasy will stand as an album that dare to push the entire medium of recorded music forward, for better or worse.
  34. Jan 3, 2011
    89
    Through thick and thin, Kanye West proves the ultimate curator and host, the master of his domain.
  35. Dec 7, 2010
    88
    Much of the album has that feel, a collision of grandeur and emptiness, a meditation on the disconnect between the artist's intent and the public's perception.
  36. Uncut
    Sep 19, 2012
    80
    West is far from rap's deftest lyricist but his neurotic grandstanding is compelling and often pretty funny to boot. [Feb 2011, p.84]
  37. Jan 27, 2011
    80
    It's certainly good to have West's unique talent back in music, but this ambitious behemoth may be easier to admire than to listen to.
  38. Dec 8, 2010
    80
    As a whole, the record is a brilliant display of Kanye's range and influences, an opus of dirty hip-hop laid over haunting classically-inspired melodies.
  39. Dec 8, 2010
    80
    Taking things to the next level is one of hip-hop's great cliches, an achievement that West can comfortably claim.
  40. Dec 8, 2010
    80
    Musically, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a nice blend of Kanye's older and newer styles.
  41. Dec 8, 2010
    80
    High prince of bad taste delivers unexpected meisterwork.
  42. Dec 7, 2010
    80
    As fatiguing as it is invigorating, as cold-blooded as it is heart-rending, as haphazardly splattered as it is meticulously sculpted, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is an extraordinarily complex 70-minute set of songs.
  43. Dec 7, 2010
    70
    Whether or not this is the best Kanye West album, this may be the one he's remembered most for, the one that may finally trump the version of him we cringe at on the red carpet.
  44. Dec 7, 2010
    60
    Kanye's ...Dark Twisted Fantasy is also the densely-produced work of a clearly erratic soul.
  45. Dec 7, 2010
    40
    This album offers beats that retread past glories, and an emotional palette narrowed to a range roughly as wide as West's navel.
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 3765 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Nov 22, 2010
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. The best album of the year...so far!!!!! this the sound of the future, the sound of real hip-hop and rap music, the sound of the music...this is Kanye West!!! great artist and a real genius...! this album is so creative, original and perfect!!! the best album of his career...! i wan t this album in my country! great lyrics, crazy and awesome! perfect album!!!!!! Full Review »
  2. Nov 22, 2010
    10
    This is beyond Hip Hop, this is something more. Kanye West just raised the bar for an entire genre and proved he has a magnificent capacityThis is beyond Hip Hop, this is something more. Kanye West just raised the bar for an entire genre and proved he has a magnificent capacity and knowledge of crafting music that has been unseen by anyone who calls themselves a rapper. I feel sorry for anyone who had a rap album this year, because everything, absolutely everything pales in comparison to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Full Review »
  3. Nov 22, 2010
    10
    Mr. West has proved himself to be a great musician since the beginning. But my his latest installment will have fans anticipating if he hasMr. West has proved himself to be a great musician since the beginning. But my his latest installment will have fans anticipating if he has anything more genius-like up his sleeve. The lyrics on each song are intelligent, but it's also the beats that hold the songs together. 'Runaway" is my favorite off this album. This is just amazing perfection. Full Review »