Is Hip-Hop Just a Euphemism for a New Religion?

There has never been a more appropriate sample in the history of rap than when Kanye West used King Crimson’s 21st Century Schizoid Man. Kanye has become the most mentally unstable pop star since Michael Jackson. He always had a massive ego but his music back it up and who didn’t agree with his assessment of how George Bush handled Hurricane Katrina. But dude went off the deep end after the release third album, recorded a horrible emo album, became an intern, ate fish sticks, a failed tour with Lady GaGa, started dating an androgynous chick, set up the most frantic Twitter account, and apparently was the only person that didn’t get the memo that the Video Music Awards are the least legitimate award show out there and made a teenage girl cry in the process.

But as Jackson(who West eulogized at the beginning of All of the Lights) showed us, even in your darkest hour and deepest disappear, great music can come out of it, and West rebounded with one heckova album and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy should have been the natural follow up to Graduation where he goes back and forth between the braggadocios of his first three albums and the self loathing of 808’s and Heartbreaks. And he went big for this album with all but two full song clocks under five minutes thanks to bloated crew tracks (Monster, So Appalled), deconstructing songs after most artist would have ended them (Runaway), and even a monologue from Chris Rock (Blame Game).

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sees West rap over some of the best beats of his career, from the King Crimson mixed with a choir of ooo’s and hey’s and hand clap of Power, to the string infused Dark Fantasy which sounds like something left over with his collaboration with Jon Brion from Late Registration, but with a choir of ooo’s thrown in for good measure. In fact big choruses are on many of the tracks including All of the Lights that melds vocals of many name singers which most become unrecognizable, even to the singer like Elly Jackson of La Roux who could not even make out her own voice on the song. Then there is the lone note that opens the first twenty seconds of Runaway, which not much else for the other nine minutes but a drum beat and a jarring sample.

But just as any crazy genius, Kanye goes too far and most of those lengthy songs could have been chopped down to three or four minutes getting rid of the eccentricities. The Bon Iver assisted closer Lost in the World would have been better placed on 808’s where West bites Imogen Heap’s layered vocals. And he goes overboard with the guest spots, some of which do not click. I have never understood the appeal of Rick Ross who sounds like he is bored most of the time, and he shows up on to song here (Monster and Devil in a New Dress). And Nicki Minaj (also on Monster which not so coincidentally was the lone G.O.O.D. Friday free download I deleted after hearing it) continues to be the most annoying person on the planet. Then Fergie’s rap on All of the Lights is just straight out painful.

That is not to say all the guest spots are throw away. Pusha T of the Clipse is the breakout star of the album on Runaway who follows West’s apologetic verses about not being a very good boyfriend but saying in effect, yeah I cheated, so what? He also spits a couple of decent bars on So Appalled. But that track belongs to The RZA who brings the energy to the song but is all too short a verse.

West is back to his wiity wordplay on the album, the best being the diss from Dark Fantasy, “Too many Urkles on your team that’s why your wins-low.” Hopefully West follows this route for the next album and doesn’t take another unnecessary detour like the overly auto-tune of 808’s. If he doesn’t I’ll be sure to raise my glass and have a toast to this douchebag.

Song to Download – Power

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.