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10 years ago today, Kanye gave us his magnum opus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Here’s how he did it.
Here’s how he did it.
The 2009 VMA’s
Never properly coping with the death of his mother, Kanye joins Taylor Swift on stage after she’s awarded Music Video Of The Year. The resulting backlash would lead Kanye to become public enemy #1 in the entertainment industry.
Never properly coping with the death of his mother, Kanye joins Taylor Swift on stage after she’s awarded Music Video Of The Year. The resulting backlash would lead Kanye to become public enemy #1 in the entertainment industry.
A Friend’s Advice
Kanye’s friend and collaborator, Mos Def, tells Kanye he needs to leave the country to escape the media backlash. After visiting Japan and Rome, he settled in Hawaii, where he would spend the next 6 months working on the album.
Kanye’s friend and collaborator, Mos Def, tells Kanye he needs to leave the country to escape the media backlash. After visiting Japan and Rome, he settled in Hawaii, where he would spend the next 6 months working on the album.
Assembling The Avengers
No expense was paid for the creation of the album. Superstars such as Jay Z, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Raekwon, and many others were flown out to the resort recording studio to help bring Kanye’s album to fruition.
No expense was paid for the creation of the album. Superstars such as Jay Z, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Raekwon, and many others were flown out to the resort recording studio to help bring Kanye’s album to fruition.
Rules Of The Studio
No matter the status of the celebrity, Kanye had a strict rule set everyone had to follow plastered on the wall of the studio. From “No Hipster Hats” to “Just Shut The Fuck Up Sometimes,” it’s clear Kanye was fully focused on his masterpiece.
No matter the status of the celebrity, Kanye had a strict rule set everyone had to follow plastered on the wall of the studio. From “No Hipster Hats” to “Just Shut The Fuck Up Sometimes,” it’s clear Kanye was fully focused on his masterpiece.
The Regime
Everybody was running on Kanye’s schedule during the process. Every morning they ate breakfast together, worked out together, did a good deed for good karma, and then hit the studio from 4-4. Not just that, everybody wore black suits in the studio.
Everybody was running on Kanye’s schedule during the process. Every morning they ate breakfast together, worked out together, did a good deed for good karma, and then hit the studio from 4-4. Not just that, everybody wore black suits in the studio.
5000 Man Hours
The grandness of the album is undeniable. Kanye attributes this to the fact that every song was worked on for an incredible amount of time, with a song like POWER taking 5000 man hours to complete.
The grandness of the album is undeniable. Kanye attributes this to the fact that every song was worked on for an incredible amount of time, with a song like POWER taking 5000 man hours to complete.
Cyhi Gets Signed
Left with some free time, Cyhi wrote a verse for So Appalled. The track with his verse accidentally played during a video shoot, in which Kanye, Jay Z, and others were out. Beyoncé, after hearing the verse, told Kanye “whoever that is, you need to sign them.”
Left with some free time, Cyhi wrote a verse for So Appalled. The track with his verse accidentally played during a video shoot, in which Kanye, Jay Z, and others were out. Beyoncé, after hearing the verse, told Kanye “whoever that is, you need to sign them.”
G.O.O.D. Friday’s
With so much music being made in the studio, Kanye decided to start releasing the songs for free. Out of 14 tracks, the stand out was Monster. This song put Nicki in the spotlight, with Kanye telling her “they gonna say you have the best verse on my album!”
With so much music being made in the studio, Kanye decided to start releasing the songs for free. Out of 14 tracks, the stand out was Monster. This song put Nicki in the spotlight, with Kanye telling her “they gonna say you have the best verse on my album!”
Runaway
Most of the hook was made minutes after the beat was played for him. He told Pusha T, who was coming off a breakup, that his verse needed “more douchebag.” What resulted was perhaps the absolute peak of his magnum opus.
Most of the hook was made minutes after the beat was played for him. He told Pusha T, who was coming off a breakup, that his verse needed “more douchebag.” What resulted was perhaps the absolute peak of his magnum opus.
Return to the VMA’s
A year later, Kanye returned to the VMA’s to debut a song off his new album. He chose Runaway, giving the audience, and the world, one of the most historical comeback stories in all of Hip Hop.
A year later, Kanye returned to the VMA’s to debut a song off his new album. He chose Runaway, giving the audience, and the world, one of the most historical comeback stories in all of Hip Hop.
Rewrites
Two days before the album was due, Kanye wasn’t happy with Rick Ross’s Devil In A New Dress verse. He flew Ross out to a studio in NY, where he would write and record arguably both the best guest verse on the project and best verse of Ross’ career.
Two days before the album was due, Kanye wasn’t happy with Rick Ross’s Devil In A New Dress verse. He flew Ross out to a studio in NY, where he would write and record arguably both the best guest verse on the project and best verse of Ross’ career.
November 22, 2010
1 year and $3 million dollars later, Kanye completed the album. The album was met with high critical acclaim. The album sold 496,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #1.
1 year and $3 million dollars later, Kanye completed the album. The album was met with high critical acclaim. The album sold 496,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #1.
November 22, 2020
Widely regarded as the greatest album of the 2010’s, the album sits at #17 of Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums Of All Time, the highest of any album released post 1998. Fans and critics alike agree this is one of the most special albums in Hip Hop.
Widely regarded as the greatest album of the 2010’s, the album sits at #17 of Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums Of All Time, the highest of any album released post 1998. Fans and critics alike agree this is one of the most special albums in Hip Hop.
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