My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | ||||
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Studio album by Kanye West | ||||
Released | November 22, 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2009–10 | |||
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Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 68:36 | |||
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Producer |
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Kanye West chronology | ||||
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Alternate cover | ||||
Physical release sold in retail stores
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Singles from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.8/10 |
Metacritic | 94/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Entertainment Weekly | A |
The Guardian | |
The Independent | |
MSN Music | A |
NME | 9/10 |
Pitchfork | 10/10 |
Rolling Stone | |
Spin | 9/10 |
USA Today |
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the fifth studio album by American hip hop rapper and producer Kanye West. Following a period of public and legal controversy, West retreated to a "self-imposed exile" in Hawaii in 2009. There, he worked on the album in a communal recording environment that involved numerous contributing musicians and producers. The album features guest appearances from Bon Iver, Jay Z, Pusha T, Rick Ross, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, John Legend and more. Production is led by West himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers including Mike Dean, No I.D., Jeff Bhasker, RZA, S1, Bink and DJ Frank E. Noted by critics for its maximalist aesthetic, opulent production quality, and dichotomous themes, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy incorporates aspects of West's previous works, including soul, baroque, electro, and symphonic styles. The album deals with themes of excess and celebrity, and explores such issues as consumer culture, race, and the idealism of the American Dream.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was released on November 22, 2010, by Roc-A-Fella Records. To promote the album, West released free songs through his GOOD Fridays series and four singles: the Billboard hits "Power", "Monster", and "Runaway", and the international hit "All of the Lights". It was also promoted with a short film set to the record's music, Runaway. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold 1,032,000 copies in the United States. A widespread critical success, it was named the best record of 2010 by many publications and has since appeared on several lists ranking the greatest albums of all time.