The other day, I got to thinking, “Y’know, maybe I’ve been a little too focused on Kanye lately… maybe, for my next column, I should talk about something else; you know, something other than this extremely exiting, critically-acclaimed new album by the most prominent rapper-producer in the game.” So I had this meticulously researched critical analysis of the use of the Flexatone (you know, this thing) throughout hip-hop history ready to go… unfortunately, my cat ate my hard drive, and that epic breakdown was lost for all time. So, f*ck it. I’m gonna break down My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. All of it – not all at once, that’d be crazy, but a little bit at a time.
With the LP’s lyrical and musical tone thus established, we move on to “Gorgeous,” a less outre, but similarly moody, classic rock-informed offering. (Sorry about the tags, feel free to follow along on your own legitimately acquired and totally not pirated copy of the album.)
Highly-anticipated by street-rap aficionados thanks to the presence of Wu-Tang legend Raekwon, this joint’s straightforward appeal is deceptive. There’s an absolutely crazy amount of stuff going on here: layered string harmonies, synths, piano, vocal distortion, that trademark guitar riff, and beneath it all a sample from The Turtles’ “You Showed Me.”
Though very nearly buried by the rest of West’s lush arrangement, the ‘69 hit’s syncopated rock groove permeates the entire record, and there are some clear melodic parallels on the two songs’ choruses. As a side note, this same sample became a legal precedent-setter when De La Soul flipped it without authorization back in 1989, on 3 Feet High and Rising interlude “Transmitting Live From Mars.”
As a side note to that side note – and I can’t believe I actually know this – those vocal samples are taken from Pimsleur’s French language learning tapes. Which are actually pretty dope, if you happen to be interested in learning French.
Oh, and then there’s this:
Well, since I’ve veered about as far off-topic as I can get, I’m gonna take that as a signal to wrap it up for this week. Have I missed anything? Actually, I’m sure I missed something – so I’m counting on y’all to fill in the blanks. Otherwise, tune in the week after next (Production Breakdowns and turkey dinners don’t tend to mix) when I revisit “Power” and venture yet further into Kanye’s latest opus.
bitcloud7 |
As always insightful. I know music is what Kanye does, but I don't understand how he can flip some of these what I would consider otherwise average unheard of tracks into gold. Most be part of his genius. |
| Posted on Nov 19, 2010 |
| bitcloud7 |
must* |
| Posted on Nov 19, 2010 |
| T-Rey |
Dark Fantasy is the kind of beat that makes you feel on top of the world and lets face the facts 1. Everyone wants to be on top of the world 2. Ye is a beast producer. Nuff said. |
| Posted on Nov 20, 2010 |
Young Mo Fo |
All of the lights has to be one of the best produced tracks of the last few years. I loved the breakdown in "Devil in a New Dress" also, it was amazing. Normal words cant describe his album well enough. Get a home theatre and pop the CD in...Jizzed in the Christmas tree. xD |
| Posted on Dec 03, 2010 |
| dirtyharry |
regarding the ross sample on monster bit, i think at that 4.57 point you can sorta decipher "kanye west samples, bitch". with the "bitch" taken from ross first word of his spit. or maybe i'm just crazy! |
| Posted on Dec 11, 2010 |
tdotraza |
Quick check: how many times can you hear Charlie Wilson vocals on new Kanye tracks? He's on both "That's My Bitch" and at the end of "Monster" with Bon Iver. In "Monster," he backs all of the vocals. Bon Iver only has one real singer, Justin Vernon, so the other voice is Wilson. In "That's My Bitch" he occupies 1:45 to 2:02 and 2:55 to 3:13. Or at least, I'm 99.9% sure it's him on those tracks, lol. |
| Posted on Dec 13, 2010 |
Richard |
@dirtyharry: I stand corrected. You may be right, I do hear the "B*tch I'ma..." in there. @tdotraza: I checked the official credits for "Monster" and didn't see Charlie ilson. My guess is it's just Justin Vernor layering his voice, but who knows. You're right about WIlson being all over the album, though. |
| Posted on Dec 13, 2010 |
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