Yes Kanye West is a topic in and of itself. I’ve wanted to do this post since I started BINACT because I have so many feelings about Kanye. He is such an important part of music and culture. Touching on this one album is truly only scratching the surface but I’m going to do my very best.
Each Kanye album is a part of his legacy. For me, College Dropout and Late Registration really got me into hip-hop. Kanye was one of the artists out that made me search for music outside of the hits on the radio. Jesus Walks is the true reason I became a Kanye fan. At the time of its hype I was on my church’s praise dance team. That song moved me in more ways than one and I was curious to hear more of Kanye. I don’t remember having a copy of College Dropout but I definitely remember having a burned copy I “borrowed” from my mom’s friends, the Drozes (along with their Usher-Confessions CD I still have, let me know if you need that back). Golddigger and Kanye’s Workout Plan were 12/13 year old, wide open, wet behind the ears Candice’s favorite songs.
Fast forward past Graduation and 808s and Heartbreaks, both of which sonically shocked the listening masses. I was very receptive to Graduation and I slowly warmed up to 808s when I was introduced to Tierra, one of my very best friends. Then we arrive at My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. I HATED this album at first. I was still learning who the heck I was and what I truly liked about music. The 2 year gap in between albums mixed with my iffy feelings about 808s probably didn’t help either. The only saving grace for me and this album was a girl by the name of Tamara Faith. I met her at freshman orientation and our first friend date was poster shopping for our dorm rooms. When I visited her dorm I was greeted by the ballerina album artwork. I immediately turned my nose up in my head. How could she like this album? It sounded nothing like the Kanye I knew and loved. It’s different therefore it’s terrible.
Boy, was I wrong.
The other day I was in the mood to hear Monster. All of it, not just Nicki’s verse. So I pulled up good ole Spotify and played it. I was prodded to give the whole album another run through. A ton of thoughts and emotions hit me as I re-listened. Not only was this album great but this album set a fucking precedent. This album sounds like it could’ve been made last year. You know why that is? Kanye set the tone for music at that time and beyond. I’ve gone on record to say that Travis’ album sounds like one long Kanye album, so there’s that. The subtle and not so subtle nuances in the way this album was created is what makes it great. MBDTF is such a wonderful project, short film included. Remember how we felt when we first heard Power, All of the Lights, So Appalled. Remember how Tumblr exploded with Yeezy Taught Me memes, merch, and everything in between. Remember MBDTF (but I have a feeling you haven’t forgotten).
I’m sure the Kanye heads listen to it all the time. Give this album a spin if you haven’t done so lately. It’s worth it.
**After completing this I realized it was more of a personal, opinionated post to remind you about this album but tell me what you think anyways.
