Production Breakdown: Every Beat From Kanye’s “Dark Twisted Fantasy” Album (Updated!)

"Power"

With our Thanksgiving dinners and leftovers fully digested, we continue our breakdown of Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with “Power” – a cut which I’ve discussed in a previous column but feel the need to revisit once again. Why? Well, because it’s arguably the most complex record on arguably the most complex album, by arguably the most complex hip-hop artist… OF ALL TIME.

Uh, I might have got a little carried away there… and I don’t actually have any intention of arguing that point. What I meant to say was that I missed some stuff, so let’s put on our listening caps once again.

Now, we all know that the central sample of Kanye and rapper/producer S1‘s beat is originally from “21st Century Schizoid Man,” a classic ‘69 single by UK progressive-rockers King Crimson.

And it should be becoming clear that ‘60s and progressive-rock influences are a recurring theme in the album’s aural palette. But, of course, there’s more. In a uStream conference (according to Wikipedia), Kanye claimed that elements from breakout hit “Jesus Walks” and 808s & Heartbreak single “Amazing” had made it into “Power.” While I’m not aware of any elements being directly lifted from the aforementioned cuts, the single’s combo of tribal/chain-gang chants, militaristic, handclap-laced percussion, plodding piano chords and overall ominous ambiance certainly echoes the aforementioned cuts. I’d also link Kanye’s beat on Hova’s “Run This Town,” to the development of ‘Power’s overall vibe – here, the rock-guitar enters the picture.

 

Back to what actually did make it into “Power.” Though the fact that Kanye and S1 flipped a King Crimson record got the lion’s share of the attention, many (myself included) overlooked an even more prominent sample: the chanting, lifted from “Afromerica,” the title track off disco group Continent Number 6’s 1978 full-length. Somehow, they managed to pick out the only few seconds of this song that aren’t completely corny; color me impressed.

 

And the percussion? It’s from Cold Grits’ semi-obscure instrumental cover of The Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing,” released as a single in 1969.

 

Finally, I have to give Nathan S. the credit for bringing to my attention a potential sample that I haven’t heard anyone else mention. When he filled in for me just a couple weeks back, he mentioned Kanye’s love for that “Hey!” from James Brown’s “Funky President” break. You know, this one:

 

Well, if you listen really closely throughout much of the record, you’ll hear a repeated vocal sample that sounds like it could be a heavily-processed version of the same ”Hey!” I’m honestly not sure about this one – but if there’s anyone who would think to spit “They say I was the abomination of Obama’s nation” over samples of songs titled “Afromerica” and”Funky President,” it would be Kanye.