Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc-A-Fella Records)

Mr Ego returns with his 5th album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and while 808’s and Heartbreaks was considered a flop by many hip-hop purists, there was a silver lining; the D.O.A (Death of Auto tune) was called for by self-styled ‘big brother’ Jay-Z. Kanye took heed and this album reveals a new side of Chicago’s favourite rapper, exhibiting raw lyrical talent and elements of aggression previously not seen.

For many ‘Yeezy’ fans awaiting the album, Mr West provided some solace by releasing collaborative material via his website, known as The G.O.O.D. Friday project. Kanye seemed to be better than ever, combining his undeniable production skills with verses full of passion and versatility; displaying the kind lyricism that most fell in love with. The G.O.O.D. Friday project had purpose.

With this in mind I was expecting the album to be raw hip-hop, full of energy, beat-driven and most importantly strength in depth – a characteristic every great hip-hop album shares and one which I expected My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to possess. Disappointingly, I was wrong.

This is not to say the album isn’t good. There are elements of the album whereby Kanye moves beyond his best and (albeit briefly) puts himself amongst the hip-hop illuminati he is so desperate to be part of. For me, Devil in a New Dress is undoubtedly Kanye’s masterpiece of the album, think Jay-Z’s The Blueprint and your half way there. This is hip-hop at its finest, seamless flow and a track that compliments it beautifully – one of the best hip-hop tracks Kanye has ever graced us with. Gorgeous featuring Kid CuDi follows suit in terms of hip-hop – stripped down to a guitar riff and a vintage rapping style, leaving the listeners with a track they can’t help but bop their head to.

Power is almost self explanatory and provides both the fire and aggression many were craving. The same goes for Monster which features an impressive cameo from Nicki Minaj, making both Jay-Z and Kanye look amateur; this girl will be massive in 2011. Meanwhile, Blame Game and Runaway replicate a beautiful sadness – held together with melodic perfection, proving that 808’s and Heartbreak wasn’t a complete waste of time.

This, to me, is the problem – the contrasting themes mean that the listener can often get lost in the album and not in a good way. For me, the hip-hop quota is not met with this album; Kanye is able to illustrate his potential to make a timeless track, satisfying both the masses and the purists. In spite of this, West’s work, at times, seems almost lazy, allowing the likes of Devil in a New Dress to brush shoulders with the suspiciously familiar Hell of a Life. The album is able to somewhat display an artistic beauty and does have some brilliant elements of darkness to it however the passion associated with such darkness is, for the most part, a fantasy.

Verdict: 4 / 5