Every Song on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Album Ranked
Ten years ago, on Nov. 22, 2010, Kanye West unloaded My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the Chicago rapper's lauded album that many actually consider to be his best. With its meshing of kaleidoscopic sounds and sharp songwriting, it's pretty easy to see why people could feel that way. The merits of the project aren't in question: the title of best song is.
Yeezy crafted the 13-track LP while hauled up in a Hawaii studio with the likes of Pusha-T, CyHi The Prynce and just about anyone else he thought could help put together his vision. There's plenty of lyrical hedonism, big-budget features and sonic twists and turns here. Every track on the project is legitimately dope, so picking the best one is pretty hard.
"Power," which was the first single from the project, finds Kanye turning a dope King Crimson sample into something that was both a contemplative self-examination and a certified banger. "All of the Lights," with its combination of triumphant horns and successful melding of Rihanna and Kid Cudi, plus additional vocals from the likes of Alicia Keys and Elton John, among others, sounds like the gates of heaven opening up. "Runaway" is a dirt bag anthem for the ages. "Devil in a New Dress" has one of the best verses you'll ever hear from Rick Ross. "Monster" features possibly the best verse on the entire album, and it's not from Jay-Z, Pusha-T or Kanye. Seriously, there are some heavy hitters on this LP.
Ranking these songs is subjective, but at the same time, it's fun and a source for debate, so why not? Today, in celebration of the album, XXL ranks all the songs on the project. Peep the list below the break.
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13
“All of the Lights (Interlude)”
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12
“Who Will Survive in America
Kanye West
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11
“Lost in the World”
Kanye West featuring Bon Iver
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10
“Monster”
Kanye West featuring Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver
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9
“So Appalled”
Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Pusha-T, CyHi The Prynce, RZA and Swizz Beatz
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8
“Blame Game”
Kanye West featuring John Legend
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7
“Gorgeous”
Kanye West featuring Kid Cudi and Raekwon
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6
“Devil in a New Dress”
Kanye West featuring Rick Ross
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5
“Hell of a Life”
Kanye West
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4
“Dark Fantasy”
Kanye West
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3
“Power”
Kanye West
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2
“Runaway”
Kanye West featuring Pusha-T
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1
“All of the Lights”
Kanye West featuring Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie, Drake, Elly Jackson and more