Kanye, compelled to defend the honor of “Single Ladies,” leaps from his chair, rushes to the stage, and grabs the microphone from 19-year-old Swift just as she’s settling into her acceptance speech. We all know what happens next because it instantly becomes a huge news story and soon moves beyond history into the realm of myth and meme: The night’s first award for Female Video Of The Year goes to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” over clips from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, and Beyoncé. Dressed in a black leather short-sleeved button-down, jeans, and sunglasses, with elaborate designs buzzed into his hair, Kanye is working his way through a bottle of Hennessy he’s been nursing since the red carpet. Kanye and his girlfriend, the model Amber Rose, are seated in the front row at Radio City Music Hall, where the superstar rapper is nominated for several MTV Video Music Awards. West’s 5th studio album is one of decadence and delusion challenging listeners repeatedly throughout to open their palette to a new delicacy.Kanye West is drunk. Complex deemed it the best album of the decade & Pitchfork scores it a perfect 10/10, while it was easily crowned the Grammy for 2012 Rap album of the year. MBDTF would go on to alter hip-hop and pop culture forever, toying with previous conventions of music and art. This was Kanye’s intention all along when he linked up with New-Hampshire artist George Condo, who would go on to create 9 paintings to perfectly encapsulate the bizzarre genius of MBDTF in his typical contemporary form.
The iconic cover artwork for MBDTF is often remembered for being banned by many Americans distributors for its graphic nature. Surprisingly & still paradoxical today, Kanye West invited Complex journalist Noah Callahan-Bever out to Hawaii to experience, but minimally document, the making of the album. During this multi-month period, Kanye works effortlessly in unconventional ways, only sleeping in the studio in stinted time frames of 2-3hrs. Ye recruits only musical mammoths to this collaborative music experience the likes of Elton John, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver & RZA, to name a few. In response to layers of harsh criticism, and a recent fallout with then-girlfriend Amber Rose, Kanye exiled himself to what would later be known as a “Rap Camp” in Hawaii, where he would go on to mold Hip-Hop for decades to come. The year is 2009, & a conflicted Kanye West has become America’s public enemy #1 following his infamous interjection of Taylor Swift’s VMA acceptance speech. Featuring monstrous hit singles that supposedly had 5000 hours of work contributed (“All of the Lights”, “Power”) Def Jam records backed Ye’s ‘magnum opus’ to the tune of $3 million (USD). My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) Masterful, mysterious & culture-altering MBDTF may be hip-hop’s closest equivalent to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
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