My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
by Kanye West
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Nov 22, 2010
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 3765 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,245 out of 3765
  2. Mixed: 72 out of 3765
  3. Negative: 448 out of 3765
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  1. FredWallace18
    Feb 26, 2015
    0
    How this man managed to pull the wool over so many peoples' eyes is anyone's guess. From the awkwardly-sampled stolen beats and riffs to the stuttered, a-rhythmic "rapping," this album is a mess. I recognize that rhyming is a bendable concept when it comes to popular music, but words do not rhyme with themselves and repeated phrases do not you Robert Frost make.

    West had trouble getting    How this man managed to pull the wool over so many peoples' eyes is anyone's guess. From the awkwardly-sampled stolen beats and riffs to the stuttered, a-rhythmic "rapping," this album is a mess. I recognize that rhyming is a bendable concept when it comes to popular music, but words do not rhyme with themselves and repeated phrases do not you Robert Frost make.

    West had trouble getting others to accept his rapping at first, and for good reason. I will admit that I am not a big fan of rap at all, but it has its place; Kanye doesn't seem to know that place. He passes off his jarring, conversational, I'm-trying-to-explain-philosophy-in-my-college-discussion-section-while-drunk voice as music and it just doesn't fly. Rap works when you're doing things with your voice not possible when singing. Kanye simply does things with his voice not pleasant either way.

    I can only hope that this overwhelming delusion the general public and so many reviewers seem to suffer from is a passing fad. I can only hope in 10 years we'll look back on this like many now do on Will Smith and say, "We listened to what?" I can only hope this isn't this generation's legacy.    … Expand
  2. nikola97
    Jan 25, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very Disappointing album, wish kanye would make good music again only listened to this because my brother would play it every day… Expand
  3. Drag
    Nov 22, 2010
    0
    This album feels hollow compared to his last releases. The music itself is uninteresting and has Kanye trying to reinvent himself yet again; however, unlike past releases, he failed at creating a solid album.
  4. InClass
    Dec 7, 2010
    6
    So Kanye is good, I understand. College Dropout.....blew my mind. I couldnt understand how he did it or where it came from. Late Registration, good memories to a great album though not perfect like his first outing. Then comes Graduation, cant say I really listened to it much, there was a song with TPain! Next was 808 and Heartbreak, ppllllllhhhpppp sucked. Now we have Kanyes Dark TwistedSo Kanye is good, I understand. College Dropout.....blew my mind. I couldnt understand how he did it or where it came from. Late Registration, good memories to a great album though not perfect like his first outing. Then comes Graduation, cant say I really listened to it much, there was a song with TPain! Next was 808 and Heartbreak, ppllllllhhhpppp sucked. Now we have Kanyes Dark Twisted Fantasy and I must say, its alright. Damn if some of his songs are not catchy as hell. The end of Power is Dr Dre quality production. Runaway is my favorite song because of the ending, more emotion there than any other album this year completely. But it ends about there, cool beats and Kanye talkin sh*t. Im over it I must say.… Expand
  5. ColourSurround
    Dec 2, 2010
    6
    This album is definitely one of the highlights of the past year as far as mainstream rap releases go, but it is by no means the masterpiece that critics are making it out to be. Kanye does gives us greater insight into his fragile, yet slightly twisted psyche in a much more earnest way than on previous records, and there is certainly some of his trademark wordplay at work here, but thereThis album is definitely one of the highlights of the past year as far as mainstream rap releases go, but it is by no means the masterpiece that critics are making it out to be. Kanye does gives us greater insight into his fragile, yet slightly twisted psyche in a much more earnest way than on previous records, and there is certainly some of his trademark wordplay at work here, but there is still nothing so unabashedly personal that makes certain classic records so great. The music, arrangement, and songwriting, although catchy and fitting to most of the lyrics, is let down by a production that is saturated by current mainstream pop cliches, and that is the biggest letdown on this record. I really was expecting something more revolutionary, something that you have not yet hear on any rap, or pop recordings in recent years, but for the most part, this record sticks to the familiars. The strength of this record lies in its hooks and amusing wordplay. Standout tracks include the seismic Monster, with its barrage of guest stars and its ambition. Hell of a Life and POWER are on par with anything else in the mainstream today, but the rest. . . well it isn't bad, but it definitely is nowhere near classic status.… Expand
  6. AaronM
    Nov 29, 2010
    5
    Until Kanye West returns to his roots and puts out an album close to the lyrical skill and production of The College Dropout, I will continue to be disappointed. That said, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy can be praised for its uniqueness and sound. But some songs last way too long and for the amount this CD cost to make and the time it took, it should have more than 12.5 tracks.
  7. Paranoidandroid
    Dec 11, 2010
    8
    I hate Kanye with a passion. The guy is a total jerk. Hes so arrogant and just doesn't seem down to earth at all. But damn it the man makes some great music. There are very few weak tracks on this album. The samples are great, the lyrics are great and the guest appearances are fantastic! One of the best albums to come out in 2010 hands down. I give it a very high 8. Some weak tracksI hate Kanye with a passion. The guy is a total jerk. Hes so arrogant and just doesn't seem down to earth at all. But damn it the man makes some great music. There are very few weak tracks on this album. The samples are great, the lyrics are great and the guest appearances are fantastic! One of the best albums to come out in 2010 hands down. I give it a very high 8. Some weak tracks brought my score down but the tracks i do like, i love! I loved how he even included South Park in one of his lyrics. I thought that was hilarious. Still love that south park episode though… Expand
  8. TheJones
    Dec 25, 2010
    8
    Good album. Weird but good. The reason I marked it down is because he tries to sing every now and again and he sucks, but when he's not singing it's awesome.
  9. GenerousZero
    Dec 3, 2010
    10
    Album of the decade.
  10. TheSauce
    Dec 6, 2010
    5
    There are some songs that remind me of old Kanye, but many that remind me of 808 Kanye. Most lyrics aren't up to par with Kanye's ability, being over shadowed by good beats that make certain songs better than they should be.
  11. seantech
    Jan 5, 2011
    8
    This album was a Kanye getting back to "rapping" I can't remember the last time I heard a Kanye song and thought it was actually a part of hip hop culture. I enjoyed the intensity of this album and the select lines which impressed me a bit. There are still a few songs on the album which are a waste of time and I rally don't see who they appeal to or why they are on there. Those areThis album was a Kanye getting back to "rapping" I can't remember the last time I heard a Kanye song and thought it was actually a part of hip hop culture. I enjoyed the intensity of this album and the select lines which impressed me a bit. There are still a few songs on the album which are a waste of time and I rally don't see who they appeal to or why they are on there. Those are definite skips and mostly the last few songs. But the begining to middle especially the ones with jay z and swiss beats on the track are pretty good listens. I like how he finally told people hey I'm an **** so what, I speak my mind, its a part of rap culture to do so and I think that a lot of his troubles, which many people share, are discussed in his songs. I like that he is using his music as a medium because it really allows him to share how he's feeling and say hey I make good music and that's all that matters. This album is definitely something you can dance to, get stuck in your head, and the thing that I use to love about Kanye is it makes you laugh. He provides a good enough balance that you can feel like the music is hard hitting but not threatening. I think this album if you really listens outlines what a rappers ego trip really stems from, because without the problems that makes him Kanye West, he wouldn't be as famous as he is. So this is him being himself.… Expand
  12. L0stR3negade
    Sep 6, 2011
    7
    Better than Watch The Throne one way and bad in another. Lacking Jay-Z skills but still keeping true to the Kanye format. Good album but could have been better.
  13. more
    Jan 27, 2011
    6
    yeah yeah, kanye is a nice guy, or whatsoever, and he's even able to do some good stuff on tracks. Accordingly. The only trouble, is that recycling, well, bore us faster, because we've heard the sh*t a dozen times before, this is the same accoutrement that with the latest BEPeas. Anyway, overall, i love the RZA produced song, and the lost in the world 1. And, of course there is nicky inyeah yeah, kanye is a nice guy, or whatsoever, and he's even able to do some good stuff on tracks. Accordingly. The only trouble, is that recycling, well, bore us faster, because we've heard the sh*t a dozen times before, this is the same accoutrement that with the latest BEPeas. Anyway, overall, i love the RZA produced song, and the lost in the world 1. And, of course there is nicky in monster, and that makes the record enough arguments to listen to. Anyway those are the highlights i can remember so far without checking, after 2 months, not listening to it.
    check,    … Expand
  14. Hoshuya
    Jan 31, 2011
    3
    Whenever I hear a new Kanye song on the radio the first thing I think is, wow, this is some surprisingly bad rapping for the radio. Then I think, oh it's Kanye, that's why. His flow is really weak, his rhythm is flabby and his rhymes are boring but for some reason people really like him. Another thing that hits me is how overcrowded the beats and production are. I'm in awe of producersWhenever I hear a new Kanye song on the radio the first thing I think is, wow, this is some surprisingly bad rapping for the radio. Then I think, oh it's Kanye, that's why. His flow is really weak, his rhythm is flabby and his rhymes are boring but for some reason people really like him. Another thing that hits me is how overcrowded the beats and production are. I'm in awe of producers that can make a beat swing hard with only a few elements. Kanye's heavy layering of samples without regard to whether or not they're doing something exciting rhythmically has an amateurish sound to me. Finally, the samples themselves bug. I think that if you're going to sample, i.e. borrow someone else's idea, you've got to either make it better than the original or put it into a new context that gives it an entirely new identity. "Stronger" is a good example of his failure there. The song is really more a cover than a sample of the Daft Punk original because it's a direct lift of the chorus, but Daft Punk's version is much more thrilling and danceable. Kanye just made it worse. Kanye is obviously a great music listener because he draws samples from a very broad array of genres. But generally when I hear the original song the sample came from I think it was better off without him. Saying all that MBDTF is probably the best yet from Kanye. If I heard it as a mixtape from some unknown guy on the street I'd probably think, this guy's got something. If he keeps working at it, starts paring down that production, sharpens up his rhythm he might have something interesting. But this isn't some unknown amateur. It's Kanye West, king of the charts and supreme darling of the critics. I just don't get it.… Expand
  15. African_Goddess
    Feb 9, 2011
    6
    I remember the first time I listened to Kanye West. The song â
  16. MattFitz96
    Feb 27, 2011
    7
    the latest album from kanye west, which sold close to 500,000 in its first week, has gotten mostly positive reviews from most critics. while the production on the album is flawless as is the norm of all of kanyes albums, the lyrics are not quite what many say they are. they are not horrible, but no great either. some of the songs like power and dark fantasy do have amazing lyrics, butthe latest album from kanye west, which sold close to 500,000 in its first week, has gotten mostly positive reviews from most critics. while the production on the album is flawless as is the norm of all of kanyes albums, the lyrics are not quite what many say they are. they are not horrible, but no great either. some of the songs like power and dark fantasy do have amazing lyrics, but others like all of the lights and monster are really just stupid as hell. another problem i had with the album was the that some of the longs were too long, like runaway. runaway dose not have the power to hold my attention for 9 minuets. i enjoyed the album, though i dont think it is a classic, it is certianly one of the best of 2010… Expand
  17. Emperor
    Apr 3, 2011
    7
    First of all, i think this album is overrated. Production was excellent but lyrics was filled with flaws. Secondly, there were too many guest. Thirdly, the album was too short, only 11 songs(Excluding the skits). Generally, its a Very Good(Great) album but College dropout is far better than this but easily his second best !!! Best Tracks
    Dark fantasy
    Power So Appalled All of the Lights    First of all, i think this album is overrated. Production was excellent but lyrics was filled with flaws. Secondly, there were too many guest. Thirdly, the album was too short, only 11 songs(Excluding the skits). Generally, its a Very Good(Great) album but College dropout is far better than this but easily his second best !!! Best Tracks
    Dark fantasy
    Power
    So Appalled
    All of the Lights
    Runaway(But too long)
    Devil in new dress
    Rest is *******    … Expand
  18. I_Am_F
    Jun 29, 2011
    6
    Having read the glowing reviews and having listened to the singles, the album was disappointing to me. Most tracks are overlong and boring. "Runaway", however, remains one of the best tracks of 2010 and "Power" and "All of the Lights" are good as well.
  19. Peebags
    Jul 28, 2011
    7
    Very well produced album, but definitely not the best album of 2010. The high points were very high, while the low points were...very low. I do have to give credit to Kanye's impressive musical knowledge and very well done sampling.
  20. ChairmanMeow99
    Mar 20, 2012
    7
    I was skeptical about this one, I had never listened to West before. I was pleasantly surprised. While not the greatest thing ever as everyone seems to think, this album shows how West's production talents and some clever rhymes, but the reason it is rated at a 7 is because I find West annoying and he only cares and writes about himself. I listened to his other albums after this one, andI was skeptical about this one, I had never listened to West before. I was pleasantly surprised. While not the greatest thing ever as everyone seems to think, this album shows how West's production talents and some clever rhymes, but the reason it is rated at a 7 is because I find West annoying and he only cares and writes about himself. I listened to his other albums after this one, and him while he was still somewhat humble, he sounds better. I prefer his earlier albums to this one because of West.… Expand
  21. TheMasterOfCD
    May 30, 2012
    9
    Explorations of Kanye West on the previous Graduation and 808s & Heartbreak pay on this fifth studio album, his best career. Not only do we find the efficiency of raw hip-hop's first efforts - pressing this flow and clever - but West maintains interest throughout the 69 minutes drive thanks to its ability to play with sounds (electric guitar, brass, piano, violins, electronic loops).Explorations of Kanye West on the previous Graduation and 808s & Heartbreak pay on this fifth studio album, his best career. Not only do we find the efficiency of raw hip-hop's first efforts - pressing this flow and clever - but West maintains interest throughout the 69 minutes drive thanks to its ability to play with sounds (electric guitar, brass, piano, violins, electronic loops). Guests and artists sampled (from King Crimson to Bon Iver, KiD CuDi through and Elton John) give an idea of the wide registry covered. Kanye gives birth and takes advantage of very great songs. Not convinced? Take a look at the movie Runaway, available on the web: 33 minutes of the best moments of the compact.… Expand
  22. jp_fal
    Dec 4, 2012
    9
    A modern classic this. The Sgt. Peppers of hip-hop. Great melodies and hooks abound, a wealth of styles, moods and layers of production that reward repeated listening. My only gripes are with Kanye's lyrics, namely his trademark rhyming the same word over 2-3 lines, that really rubs me up the wrong way. Then there's the Chris Rock sketch at the end of Blame Game, wasn't funny the firstA modern classic this. The Sgt. Peppers of hip-hop. Great melodies and hooks abound, a wealth of styles, moods and layers of production that reward repeated listening. My only gripes are with Kanye's lyrics, namely his trademark rhyming the same word over 2-3 lines, that really rubs me up the wrong way. Then there's the Chris Rock sketch at the end of Blame Game, wasn't funny the first time, incredibly annoying on successive listens. These problems aside there are still more than enough solid gold moments to still make this an incredible album.… Expand
  23. chidime
    Sep 12, 2015
    10
    This album is the definiton of musical perfection. kanye, with this album, cemented himself as a genius in my mind. I don't think I have ever heard such a cohesive, emotional collection of songs before. Kanye is simply a king, as proved by this phenomenon.
  24. PfenderStrat621
    Mar 31, 2015
    5
    I am not a fan of the genre, but i like to appreciate some of the things it does, sadly this album is not one of them. As a musician i know there were some effort put on it on the production. But there is more effort than talent on the songs, and that's the huge problem. They are followed up by unexceptional (simple) chord progressions which i have nothing against, because some artistsI am not a fan of the genre, but i like to appreciate some of the things it does, sadly this album is not one of them. As a musician i know there were some effort put on it on the production. But there is more effort than talent on the songs, and that's the huge problem. They are followed up by unexceptional (simple) chord progressions which i have nothing against, because some artists have develop it really well. They did on the album, but they didn't went that far so it became repetitive and unispiring. The lyrics are above average but they are not exceptional, maybe If you haven't listen to great songwriters like Peter Gabriel, Serrat, David Bowie, etc., you may think they are great, but in reality, no. So again i see a critically acclaimed album by critics (maybe they were paid) and listeners that makes me doubt again of the credibility of Metacritic. I love music and i am not restricted to a particular genre, but i recognize something and give credit to it when i think it deserves it, and in my opinión, it doesn't deserves any.… Expand
  25. IronGaming_
    Dec 22, 2015
    6
    Um... I guess the production was cool, but what he's rapping about doesn't interest me much. I guess the project was "okay". I don't really see all the hype around this record to be honest.
  26. Mesmerize
    Aug 9, 2016
    10
    10.0
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  27. KoorvoAttanno
    Oct 20, 2021
    0
    Boring and monotonous. Album may only appeal to hip-hop fans. Kanye has more varied albums
  28. AkumaJack
    Jun 8, 2018
    9
    One of the best hip hop albums ever (or at least that i've heard).
    Lot of influences, for example Iron Man or 21st century schizoid man. Killing beats and good lyrics as well.
  29. Demran221
    May 29, 2017
    10
    Its no doubt that Kanye created a game changing album. All of the tones included in this album packs different themes and topics. Even to this day, the album still holds strong. A timeless classic.
  30. FruitJuice
    Jul 18, 2017
    10
    a masterpiece...............................................................................................................................................................................................................
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Album of 2010
1
#1 Most Discussed Album of 2010
1
#1 Most Shared Album of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. 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]
  2. Consequence
    Sep 17, 2012
    100
    There is no question that this album is a game changer. It's Kanye West's greatest work.
    Read full review
  3. Mojo
    Apr 20, 2011
    100
    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is genuinely a great record. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]
See all critic reviews »