To the mainstream!
I feel like one day looking back, we're all going to realize that Kanye's Dropout Trilogy ("College Dropout", "Late Registration" and "Graduation") is one of the great achievements in Rap, and in popular music. Not only are all 3 albums sonically interesting (they are the cornerstone of the modern hip-hop sound), but each one carries a unique lyrical theme and sonic blueprint. "College Dropout" uses a neo-soul sound to back songs about rebellion and making your own way. "Late Registration" polishes up the sound to more pop friendly pallate to back songs about life at the top. And the synths and electronics of "Graduation" work with the theme of moving on.
So, after following all of that up with the huge letdown of "808's and Heartbreaks" (did we really need to hear Kanye try to sing?) along with several bad public moments, it was fair to wonder if Kanye's best days were behind him. Was he out of creative juice? Did he exhaust all his good ideas on the first 3 albums? Would he now become "that guy who everyone used to like who now just does a verse on whoever is popular at the moment's new song"? On "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" Mr. West responds by saying "You ain't seen nothin' yet!" After his public persona has become a model for petulance, egotism, and just general asshole-ish-ness, you would expect a grown up, somber, and reflective Kanye. And you would be dead wrong.
Lyrically, Kanye goes the opposite way and embraces all the dark parts of his personality. He turns the cockiness, anger and ego up to levels never before seen (even for a man who describes himself as a genius!). But it also seems he knows that this probably isn't a good thing. Songs like "Power", "Monster" and "Runaway" gives little hints that he realizes he's out of control. But he can't stop himself. Nowhere is this dynamic better examined than in the chorus of "Power" where he begins by remarking "No one man should have all that power" only to end with "til then f--- that, the world's ours!" The dichotomy of self-loathing and massive ego makes it a lyrically interesting album from start to finish. His rhymes are sharper, more focused and thrown out with a speed and viciousness that he's only hinted at in the past.
Sonically, this is Kanye's Sgt. Peppers. There are odd breaks. Choirs. Fuzzy keyboard solos. Lyrics rapped through what sounds like an oil can. Samples from King Crimson. Drums on top of electronic drum beats. Layered pianos and keyboards. And on and on and on. Consider the song "Gorgeous" that features a chorus sung by Raeqwan (an odd choice) and Kanye raps the verses through an old cruddy microphone to give his voice a distorted quality. All backed by an old school bluesy-funky guitar riff. Midway through the song, right before the chorus, there's a drum part added over the top of the beat just to give the song an added kick of momentum. Don't even get me started on the feedback and keyboard filled coda for "Runaway" which spans over 3 minutes long at the end of the song. It's either most self-indulgent or brilliant moment of the record, and I don't know which.
Is it all too much? Maybe. But for a man with so many character flaws (narcissism, anger, petulance, self-absorbtion, further narcissism, lack of respect for other people's acceptance speeches and of course, narcissism) one thing is clear of Kanye West: he is constantly pushing himself to be better. This album draws on all the things that make Kanye who he is, but also push him into new, more daring territory. It's like he constantly listens to his own music and says "I can do better" and that is, in it's own way, admirable. He refuses to rest on his laurels, he constantly innovates and strives to push himself further and further his craft. So maybe he's not such a bad guy after all....Nah! He's still a bad dude, but the man can rap!
