renaissance

i admit that this wasn't something i liked upon first listen. great stuff, of course, but nothing spectacular, nothing brilliant. but then i listened to it again and i realized that it was the second and perhaps the third listen that really enhances the experience that is my beautiful dark twisted fantasy. already known for his kitchen-sink approach to sampling, kanye west digs a little deeper and inexplicably creates a new subgenre called "baroque hop," characterized by grand choruses, extravagant bass, and lyrics that come off as if they were written by a hedonistic prince. everything is heavier, louder, more glorious than typically created by the average rapper, though we are talking about a man who has tried so very hard to be anything but. although i loved the simplicity of 808s and heartbreak, i have come to embrace the passionately refined touch this album contains with its hints at 70s blues, ambient indie, millennial synth, and arcade games. at times you almost can smell the whiskey, the sex, and the blunts that filter every crevice of every song, allowing you to join in on the obama-era decadence at full speed and never let go.

however, there is also a hint at the political which 808s stayed clear from in favor of pop melodies, which remind us of the old kanye, who connected crack with reagan and claimed to be the first to admit his self-consciousness. in there, we view the psyche of the talented black man, allowed privilege to be as free as possible though still feeling stunted by racial demons. it is that final touch that makes mbdtf somewhat of a futuristic addition to that of early black art created during the 1920s and 30s, in which the truths of life and social identity, good or bad, were chronicled without hesitation. yes, other rappers spoke of hardships of daily life decades before yeezy, but it is the focus on being great and yet vulnerable that separates him from his predecessors and aligns him with those writers and musicians who also focused on their greatness and vulnerability. in our 21st century world, kanye gives a portrait of a rich rapper struggling for artistic greatness and only coming up empty, which in its own way is amazing. i also love the album cover.