My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West, released on November 22, 20101. The making of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” was a significant process that involved a variety of high-profile producers such as Mike Dean, No I.D., Jeff Bhasker, RZA, Bink, and DJ Frank E1.

The album was recorded between 2009 and 2010 at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, Electric Lady Studios in New York, and Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City1. The music’s maximalist aesthetic and opulent production style utilized various elements from West’s previous work, including soul, pop, baroque, electro, and symphonic sounds, as well as progressive rock influences1.

The making of the album came after the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where West interrupted Taylor Swift’s speech for Best Female Video to say Beyoncé should have won the award2. After the incident, West went to Hawaii to rest from stress. Most of the songs were created during this time2.

From obscure prog-rock through to indie-folk and abstract electronica, West and his team dug through crates far and wide to source the samples heard across “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”, re-contextualising to paint a grandiose, if not slightly deranged, portrait of Kanye West: not just as an artist, but a man caught within the trappings of fortune and fame3.

Despite the challenges and controversies, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, while reaching the top 10 in five other countries1. The album was awarded Best Rap Album at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards1. It eventually registered a triple platinum certification in the United States from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)1.