I don't know if you've heard, but Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has quickly become the best reviewed new album of the year. Regardless of whether Matt Lauer thinks Ye needs to be goaded into staring at footage of another grown ass man before he can properly answer a question. Regardless of how many times Taylor Swift sneezed today. Regardless of scores of people who maintain that not only is Kanye West completely untalented, but also utterly brainless. He somehow managed to take back his microphone -- and subsequently his legacy -- and speak in a voice more powerful than any of his detractors (or even supporters) thought possible.
To recap, this year Kanye:
- Changed Justin Vernon's life.
- Dove headlong into social networking as a promotional tool. He started off his comeback by quietly going to the offices of different social sites like Twitter and Facebook and performing acapella versions of new songs with nothing but a reserved-yet-sharp suit (and a matching sense of humor) to back him up. He then began to tease details about the album via Ustream videos while also booting up what immediately became to many the illest Twitter account of all time (uh, I'm really happy for you Demi & Ashton and I'ma let you finish...?). Shit, "Power" even soundtracked the damn The Social Network trailer.
- Revamped his label G.O.O.D. Music into what is easily the most consistently impressive (and improving) stable of hip-hoppers in the business.
-Utilized said stable extensively (and then some) when releasing oodles of brilliant free music (in a series called G.O.O.D. Fridays) in the time leading up to the album, leaving the internets swooning nearly every week in the most high profile digital bucking of the Old Guard since Radiohead's In Rainbows release.
- Further bolstered the album by conceptualizing, directing, and starring in an accompanying acclaimed 35-minute short film that (after private showings in Paris, Los Angeles, and Chicago) was world premiered across numerous music channels and websites during prime time. Did I mention it was shot in Prague?
- Assembled the likes of Elton John, Fergie, La Roux, Alicia Keys, and more for a one-of-a-kind crazy ass jam called "All of the Lights" that pretty handily defies categorization beyond the word "exuberant."
Kanye West - All of the Lights
- And was responsible, at least partly, for this.
So that's pretty cool, right? I mean that's a lot of crazy shit, all of it in a wildly short time, all of it unique to his perspective, experience, passion, and persona. I have a feeling that if you were to go back a few decades and look at the majority of criticism and vitriol sent at Muhammad Ali during his ascent as a boxer it would appear uncannily similar to that which is reserved for West. And also a feeling that a couple decades from now, so will the praise.
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